Pic by Sophie Thompson
The conclusion to the Commodore Keelers Series took place offshore on Sunday 6 March with nine boats participating in swelteringly light conditions.
In the first race, the trimaran Ladybird shredded her way around the course in winds that barely registered seven knots. Not a bad result considering she battled to get across the start with the current dragging her backwards, she eventually turned around and circled around to get away from the current. Minutes behind Andrew Dolloway on Ladybird was the only racing monohull out on the water, Bellatrix skippered by Gregg Hurter. Four minutes behind Bellatrix, the catamaran Bandit glided across the finish line.
In the B Division, Flyer stormed to the front with a comfortable three minute lead on second placed Zing with Container World finishing in third. Battling in the light winds, the Honorary Commodore, Vernon Goss opted to retire from racing as he never quite got out of the starting blocks. Similar to Dolloway, Bellissima got caught by the strong current and he also selected to circle his way out of the current and take a different line through the start. In the light winds, his heavy Hanse 44 battled to get any boat speed. Neville Bransbury on Deo Volente retired shortly after he rounded the bottom mark and made his way home in despair with the light winds. Mafuta with Robin Hulley at the wheel was forced to retire due to time constraints, he had only managed to complete one lap by the time the fleet had all finished.
In the second race, the youngest team sailing on day on the L26 Container World with Brendan Humphreys’ hand on the tilla pulled the bunny out the hat when they rounded the weather mark in first, and kept their nose in the front, finishing a thrilling eleven seconds ahead of the oldest skipper on the water, Gavin Smith helming Zing. The team of only two sailors on Container World sailed a flawless race, the shorthanded crew even flew their spinnaker and did so well in both races.
The fleet reduced to seven for the second race with the predicted winds gently increasing to just over ten knots and the flat seas disappeared as a bit of rolling swell enabled the boats to surf them as they headed down to the bottom mark. Race Officer, Ron Pet opted to shorten the last race before the start, with the slower boats only having to do one lap and the only remaining multihull and singular racing boat having to do two laps. In the previous race the B Division completed two laps while the faster yachts did three.
Four boats who were part of the fleet on the first day returned to stay in contention for the trophies. Leaders on the log are Gregg Hurter in the A Division; scholar Brendan Humphreys on Container World and Sean Jones on Bandit.
In the tranquil conditions, the only bit of real excitement happened in the second race. Sean Jones helming a fully crewed Bandit almost gained an extra crew member when a massive Honeycomb Stingray launched itself out of the water three times mere centimetres in front of the boat as the catamaran powered its way through the course flying its spinnaker.
Point Yacht Club is gearing up for two major events still this season, the first being the Hobie 14 Nationals held offshore over the Easter Weekend, and then the blue water ocean race, the Vasco da Gama that starts in Durban and finishes in Port Elizabeth, racing gets underway on 23 April.
For more info visit www.pyc.co.za
