Day three was looking light from early on and conditions were lightened even further by the overnight showers. Close racing was again aparent with varied heat winners.

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Series leaders Guy Bancroft and Lachie Imeneo sailing OMFTB holding on despite being winless on Race day 3

 

 

Race 6: The first race of the day commenced in about 10 – 15 knots. The fleet split at the start, but only Scott Cunningham (and his soon to be wife), gained any real advantage. The remainder of the race was a mad attempt to pull Scotty back – but to no avail. In the last spinnaker run, the chase team came to the last finish line in crush (Bang Bang, Blown Seal, OMFB, Octopussy).

The Nudes finished in 13th place after being OCS – either that, or they were crashed into by the ‘safety boat’ driven by Quentin (as was experience by Blown Seal during the invitation race.

This race was notable for one very important reason – it was the first occasion that Laino and Woodley have beaten Banger in a B14 (although they usually beat him at most other pursuits). Get used to it Banger – that mainsail of yours is a dud.

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Winners of the 6th Race, Scott Cunningham and Rhenny Fermour sailing Bonework

 

Race 7: The weather in Race 7 was pretty much the same as the earlier race but perhaps with a little more pressure. Aside from having excellent boat speed, Rick Plain and Alice Walker played the shifts brilliantly (without a compass – how do you do that?).

Gerry Brown and ‘Leaky’ were also in good form and managed to hang with the leaders for the entire race.

 

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Race 7 winners, Rick Plain and Alice Walker sailing Bang Bang

 

Between race 6 & 7, Robby Hunt and Dave McAully (The Hitcher) consumed an extravagant smorgasbord on the boat, including sandwiches, bananas, caviar and a litre of merlot. Their daddies had packed the picnic lunch with much love and affection, but the merlot may have to be withdrawn during future events. In any event, last seen drifting rudderless in the middle of the harbour with ‘Big Dave’ asleep on the deck.

 

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fleet, Fast off the startline

 

Race 8: Starting late in the afternoon at a time when most sailors more inclined to drink to beer than take another lap of the harbour. The late hour was compounded by a general recall caused by usual suspects at the start boat end of the line (Banger will be able to identify them for you). Starting in reasonable winds, the race finished as a ‘drifter’ with some competitors struggling to finish in the allotted time. Although the course can seem like a lottery, the same winners keep emerging. The Nudes excelled in the tricky conditions (Richy even shaved down for today’s race for increased weight advantage). They were followed home by Banger, Andre and Scott Cunningham. Rick Plain and Alice Walker racked up good points again with what proved to be a very consistent performance over the three races. Kelvin Boyle could be heard whining over the horn of the Manly Ferry. Apparently he was aggrieved about other boats saling faster than him in light weather.

 

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Heat 8 Winners, Richie Reynolds and Lissa McMillan sailing in The Nude

 

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Tight Finish at the end of Race 8, places 9 to 15

 

All in all, it was a pleasurable day for all and to the writer’s knowledge it was a ‘stay upright’ day for the entire fleet. Tomorrows conditions are looking to improve and get a little more steady with North Easterly winds forecast at 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon.

 

Boat SailNo Club HelmName CrewName Heat 1 Heat 2 Heat 3 Heat 4 Heat 5 Heat 6 Heat 7 Heat 8 Total Nett
One More For the Bone AUS 782 McCrae YC Guy Bancroft Lachlan Imeneo 1 1 -3 2 2 -4 3 2 18 11
The Nude AUS 780 Woollahara SC Richie Reynolds Lissa McMillan 3 3 1 -9 3 -13 2 1 35 13
Bang Bang AUS 371 Middle Harbour 16 Skiff Club Rick Plain Alice Walker 5 -6 5 -7 1 2 1 5 32 19
Octopussy AUS 375 Canberra YC Andre Webster Craig Davidson 4 2 2 4 -9 -5 5 3 34 20
Bonework AUS 373 McCrae YC Scott Cunningham Rhenny Fermor -8 (19.0 DNC) 4 5 5 1 6 4 52 25
The Hitcher AUS 372 Kingston Beach SC Robbie Hunt David McAully 2 4 8 3 -14 7 -16 9 63 33
Cromarty Engineering AUS 361 Port Dalrymple YC Cole Dabner Clare Cromarty (19.0 DNF) (19.0 DNC) 6 1 4 6 8 10 73 35
Blown Seal AUS 779 McCrae YC Mark Lainson John Nolan 7 7 7 -12 6 3 -10 8 60 38
Rocketship AUS 792 Leven YC Adrian Beswick Jono LeBis 6 5 -9 6 7 -10 7 7 57 38
Fairyland GBR 786 The Mote Gerry Brown Leaky -13 8 11 -14 8 8 4 6 72 45
Phantom AUS 367 Midway Point Yacht Club Stephen Miller Lauren Bird 9 9 (19.0 DNF) 13 11 9 11 -14 95 62
Toxic AUS 374 Canberra YC Allen Graham James Reynolds 11 13 10 10 10 -15 12 -15 96 66
Usain Boat AUS 376 Canberra YC Nathan Reynolds Gavin Barwick 12 10 12 -15 12 -14 9 12 96 67
Clean Skin AUS 781 McCrae YC Kelvin Boyle Amy Van Galan 10 12 -15 8 13 11 13 (19.0 DNF) 101 67
Yellow Bone AUS 357 Woollahara SC Anthony House Luis Miranda 14 11 14 11 -15 -16 14 11 106 75
Bondi Tram AUS 355 Midway Point Yacht Club Stephen Mitchell Adrianne Daly (19.0 DNF) (19.0 DNC) 13 16 16 12 15 13 123 85
The Beast AUS 350 Woollahara SC Stan Bland Ralph Stanford (19.0 DNF) (19.0 DNC) 17 18 17 17 17 19.0 DNF 143 105
Orca Blush AUS 368 Woollahara SC Geoff Waldon Theo Small (19.0 DNF) (19.0 DNC) 16 17 18 18 18 19.0 DNF 144 106