After a week of hot weather and northernly winds ahead of Whitsunday Sailing Club’s Twilight Race, relief was in sight and the fleet headed out for last week’s Wednesday twilight race.
With 10 knots from the southeast, together with flat seas and a colourful sunset, it was a perfect way to celebrate the middle of the working week.
First out of the blocks was Treasure VIII (Rob Davis), leading the Division 2 fleet away, taking the Doyle Sails sponsored best start prize along the way.
Some aggressive moves on the starting line saw some of the line honours favourites pushed out, allowing Bobby’s Girl (Mark Beale) to create an early lead, with QMS Ponyo (John Galloway) and Wide Load (Shannan Hart) in pursuit.
Reignition (Charles Wallis), having started well behind the fleet, managed to work through to fourth place at the finish, just behind Treasure VIII, keeping Smooth Criminal (Iyas Shaheen) and Wide Load behind.
On corrected time, Treasure VIII took the honours over Bobby’s Girl by just 2 seconds, with Wide Load a further 30 seconds back.
In Division Three, newcomer The Point (Kyle Rose) got off to a great start, leading the fleet away before being overtaken by Matchless (Terry Stevens), who in turn was fending off challenges from Wobbly Boot (Craig Piccinelli) and Shiraz (John Cable).
A mid fleet battle ensued, with Rossgo (Greg Hammon), The Point and Lighthorse, with Rossgo doing best in the conditions to finish fourth on elapsed time.
After handicaps were applied, Shiraz came out on top with Rossgo second and The Point third. A dead heat for fourth place between Matchless and Wobbly Boot gave the competitors something to talk about after results were announced back at the club house.
Races continue every Wednesday from 4:30pm, with limited crewing positions available. Those wishing to participate as crew need to be at the club by 2:30 pm (limited spots available).
Contributed with thanks to Ross Chisholm
