Forty knot freezing cold southerly and swells forecast for Cook Strait, owners and crews trembling, can the Latitude Race, and send the fleet of five boats on a brilliant 25nm Round the Harbour race. Well done Pedro, Mr Race Officer!
Terrible starts by all with most 20 sec behind the line (remember that number). Korokoro bound. Blinkup first with their kite – oops, no tack line – flag #1.
Great downhill run with Blink and Revs perfectly positioned on the fingers of the gusts; Wedgetail playing tortoise imperfectly positioned between each gust. Ahhhhh!
Broach #1, broach #2 – Blink trying hard to win the prize for the biggest cockup!!
Div A boats close around Korokoro. Next up – navigators nightmare! Which of those marks near Seaview is the right one – orange, yellow? Wrong one, all gybe, back to Jesse Street! Vendetta and Wiseguy catch up a little!
Great beat over to Mahina Bay, slalom around the west of Ward Island, Hokey Pokey Slablets on Wedgetail, and up to #1 Leading Light. Great conditions! Blink and Wedgetail pulling away from Revs; Wedgetail slowly running down Blink.
Two-sail reach across to Worser Bay, quick gybe and 17kn sleigh ride down to Soames.
Vendetta still hanging on, Wiseguy is still coming, and Kairahi takes the lead forcing Blink to gybe – broach #3, broach #4. Broach #5 – no, not Blink – Wedgetail. Mutiny – Meric kicks Bex off the handlebars!! Revs rounds Worser Bay – chicken sh.t kite!
Soames – Blink goes for the Rum. Plays fly-in-a-bottle. Broach #7, gybe, tack, east, west?????Wedgetail slips through!
Long beat to Shoal pile. Wedgetail slaps relentless cover on Blink, Hokey Pokey Slablets passed around again. Closing on Halswill, Wiseguy around #1 LL.
Wedgetail pulls away from Blink, rounds Shoal Pile and an EBYMBC RIB to port (an OS moment), and then … is Blink setting up for a starboard rounding? Wedgetail crew looking back, going slow, loosing time. Yes, Blink rounds to starboard. Course checked. Photo indicative only; text says port!! Bar discussion coming up!
Flukey around Jerningham, Blink blows a kite, Revs rounds Shoal Pile to … no didn’t see which way. Hill in the road. Wiseguy around Worser Bay
Great race course Pedro, great race Blink, all had fun. Wedgetail line honours and 1st on PHRF.
And the big winner on Club was … Revs over Wedgetail by 16 seconds (Chrisy – remember that late start, and the slow sailing in Evans Bay). Commiserations to Tony and the crew on Blink – the Rum prize for biggest or most cockup(s) was a cruel hoax.
Congratulations to Mark and the crew on Revs!!!!!