Thursday, August 24, 2023

Issue:

Mackay and Whitsunday Life

On the Water

Twilight Race: light winds were the order of the day last Wednesday for the Whitsunday Sailing Club twilight race on Pioneer Bay.  With a fleet of 15 boats competing in 3 divisions, all was set for a pleasant afternoon on the water.

The first start saw Bobby’s Girl (Mark Beale) leading the fleet away, with QMS Ponyo (John Galloway) and Twister (Kevin Fogarty) close behind.  By the time they reached the first rounding mark, Reignition (Charles Wallis) and Smooth Criminal (Leo Rodriguez / Iyas Shaheen) had joined the race at the front.  As Bobby’s Girl increased her lead, QMS Ponyo and Smooth Criminal jostled for position, with Smooth Criminal just in front by the time they reached the finish.  On corrected time, Bobby’s Girl took the honours from Smooth Criminal and Twister.

Division 3 saw the fleet well-spaced after the start, with Wobbly Boot (Craig Piccinelli) and Shiraz (John Cable) battling it out at the front. Further back, it was great to see Lighthorse (Dianne Forster) under spinnaker, a first for them in a race.  While Masquerade (Tom Vujasinovic) had a lonely race in third place, not so for Rossgo and Lighthorse, who kept each other honest throughout.

Ultimately Wobbly Boot took the honours on the water from Shiraz, while the results were reversed on corrected time, with Shiraz taking the win over Wobbly boot and Masquerade.

Races start from 4:30pm each Wednesday afternoon, so those wishing to participate as crew need to be at the club by 3:00pm.

Off Beach racing: another Sunday afternoon, another day on the water for the Whitsunday Sailing Club off beach fleet.  With 3 races scheduled, it was light going with an easterly breeze of less than 8 knots, providing challenging conditions for the fleet.

Joshua King made it a clean sweep in his Laser 4.7, beating Jesse Frisch in a Laser radial in all 3 races.  In the multihulls, it was close racing throughout, with honours equal on the water, but on corrected time, Michael Van Der Zwaard, sailing a Taipan, held the honours in two of the three races.

Off beach racing is held each Sunday afternoon from 1:00pm, with all classes welcome. The club has a range of boats available for those who do not have a boat.

Contributed with thanks to Ross Chisholm

Bobby’s Girl leading Smooth Criminal and QMS Ponyo

Lighthorse under Spinnaker

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