Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Lyas and Pete, the 2 winners on the day. Photo supplied: Lorraine Ireland.
The Abell Point Yacht Club's annual Round the Molles Yacht Race on Sunday, 12 July, proved that sometimes the biggest challenge in yacht racing isn't your competitors—it's finding enough wind to move.
Eleven yachts carrying 70 crew gathered on the start line under clear blue skies. With very light winds forecast for the day, race organisers made the sensible decision before the start to shorten the course to Daydream Island, knowing the fleet was unlikely to complete the full course before beer-o'clock.
It didn't take long for Smooth Criminal to discover what seemed to be the only patch of wind in the Whitsundays, opening an early lead while the rest of the fleet spent the day trying to coax their yachts into motion. Before long, brightly coloured spinnakers began appearing throughout the fleet, although there was barely enough breeze to keep them inflated.
For many competitors, it felt like déjà vu, with memories of the Warri Cup's first attempt back in May when the wind was equally reluctant to make an appearance. There was plenty of laughter, good company and a shared appreciation that you just can’t order the weather.
After more than five hours of what could generously be described as racing, Smooth Criminal rounded Daydream Island with Awesome not far behind followed by Dragonfly and Riff Raff. By this stage, the remaining yachts had wisely decided to retire, realising they were unlikely to make it around Daydream Island before breakfast the following morning.
At one stage it looked as though G'Nome and Smooth Criminal were having an unofficial competition to see who could sail backwards the fastest, while Incognito was last spotted appearing to drift in the general direction of Hayman Island.
Although Smooth Criminal was first across the finish line, on corrected time it was Awesome that claimed the overall victory of the day.
The Abell Point Yacht Club extends a sincere thank you to the Whitsunday Sailing Club for its continued support and assistance in making events such as the Round the Molles Yacht Race possible.
Contributed with thanks to Lorraine Ireland.
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