The Whitsunday Sailing Club’s weekly twilight races were hosted in perfect sailing conditions on Wednesday, with 16 yachts on the water.
While the easterly breeze was ideal, it abated during the afternoon, dropping to just four knots by the time the last boats finished.
A close start put Wide Load (Shannan Hart) just ahead of QMS Ponyo (John Galloway) to take the Doyle Sails sponsored best start prize, but that was the only time that these two boats headed the fleet.
At the first rounding mark, a race long battle commenced between Smooth Criminal (Leo Rodriguez / Iyas Shaheen) and Bobby’s Girl (Mark Beale).
There was little to separate these two boats, with the lead swapping a number of times.
It was a lonely race for Treasure VIII (Rob Davis) in fourth place, while Twister (Kevin Fogarty) and Wide Load had another close battle further back.
While just 12 seconds separated the first two boats, it was Smooth Criminal who took the line honours and handicap prizes, with Bobby’s Girl and QMS Ponyo taking the minor placings.
Division Three saw Rossgo (Greg Hammon) lead the fleet away, but it was Matchless (Terrence Stevens who led the fleet at the first mark.
In the light conditions Aquatarius (Tom Parker) was in second place, despite the heavy boat usually struggling in those conditions.
A quiet day saw Wobbly Boot (Craig Piccinelli) behind Rossgo, while Shiraz (John Cable), Masquerade (Tom Vujasinovic), Lighthorse (Di Forster), and Norbert G (Ghigo Casalini) followed further back.
On corrected time, the honours went to Matchless, with Rossgo second and Aquatarius third.
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.
Full results are available at https://app.sailsys.com.au/club/85/profile?tab=results.
Contributed with thanks to Ross Chisolm
Smooth Criminal leading Bobby’s girl in the Whitsunday Sailing Club Twilight Race
