Sunday the 12th March marked the final day of racing for the B14 NSW State Titles 2017. Illawarra Yacht Club turned on the good weather, bringing in a 15-20 knot northeasterly which built towards the end of the day. The consistent breeze made for great competitive sailing amongst the healthy fleet of 11 boats.

Having posted a strong performance in races 1-4 on Day 1 of competition in Sydney, Spectre, sailed by Andre and Jake Webster, was the team to beat. The fleet launched themselves into race 5, the first windward/leeward short course quickly dominated by Spectre, Hunt Leather and The Nude. Bandit and The Nude were so keen to start that they broke the line, but both boats recovered well to move their way through the fleet after their second start, finishing 7rd and 3th respectively. During race 6 the winds picked up and the fleet rose to the challenge, Bandit gaining 3rd place in front of The Nude. By race 7, four boats had retired before the start, and the fleet was working hard to gain their final placings. The fierce battle for mid-fleet placings saw Usain Boat snap a side stay saddle forcing retirement. As with all the event’s retired boats, sailors and rigs were safely accounted for.

After a great day’s sailing, the overall winner of this year’s state titles was Spectre, recording no less than a hattrick of firsts for the day. In second place was Hunt Leather sailed by Sophie Hunt and Andy Payne, who absolutely dominated in the stronger winds and in third place was The Nude sailed by Richie Reynolds and Lissa McMillan who showed great form throughout every race. Handicap winner went to Usain Boat sailed by Nathan Reynolds and Sarah Simmonds and the Traveller’s Trophy went to Toxic sailed by Allen Graham and James Reynolds.

Congratulations to all the sailors who made this state titles one of the best so far. Big cheers to Bob and Anne Bower on the start boat as well as James Reynolds and crew on the rescue boat for working to keep the fleet safe in heavy conditions.

Thank you to our major prize givers Barracouta Sails and Kev’s IYC Yacht Shop and, of course, Illawarra Yacht Club for hosting. We look forward to seeing you at our last event of the year, the Peter Loft Marathon on the Pittwater at Bayview Yacht Racing Association (BYRA) on the 7th May 2017. For more information go to www.b14.org