Gulf Harbour Marina Series Race 8

Published 08:55 on 21 Feb 2020

Race 8 of the Gulf Harbour Marina 2019-2020 Twilight Series.

Although Planet X wasn't afloat tonight, Club Captain Miles Cross has been keeping Olympus in shipshape to allow helm Peter Cook, & ROs Linda & John Parrish to operate efficiently. Course 2 was selected with the 8 -13knt SW breeze.

Early arrival of several boats for the start line had crews reducing speed and running the line. First Priority, with a 1 second too early lift of their bow, had them on course side. RO hoisted Flag X for individual recall and with a fairly swift return they minimised the impact of their jumping of the gun and pushed hard to get back in amongst the action.

The first Windward leg had the fleet spread evenly across the bay - with the right side favouring those who chose this side, lifting them to the top mark. Enigma 1 first to the top mark followed in close succession by First Priority, Azure, Memphis and Glory Days. Swift hoists of extras were the key to picking up the pace, with a one gybe manoeuvre heading downwind.

Memphis were first to round the second mark and were in constant shuffling from there on in with First Priority and Enigma 1 Rounding one mark a piece and with some close quarter sailing between them made for competitive racing.

Meanwhile throughout the fleet Fast Lane, Wharanaki IV, Platinum and the Fare 1020's, Azure & Share Delight each had a steady race, but with a bit of short chop the boats with a longer waterline favoured the conditions on the water this evening.

Back in the club rooms, crews gather to share stories of an idyllic night on the water, whilst our Handicapper Graeme applies corrections to the raw data, to calculate 2 mins 2 seconds 9 boats between the first and last for corrected timings.

Line Honours: Enigma 1

Podium Positions: 3rd Fast Lane, 2nd Glory Days, 1st Memphis

2 races remain for this race series with plenty of positions to still jostle around for.

Last updated 09:19 on 20 February 2024