It was another spectacular day at the Vincentia Sailing Club for the second round of the Round the Bay Rally Series. With Hatto managing race duty and Rennie cooking up a storm in the kitchen, the day was primed for long-distance “champagne racing” in a mint north-easterly seabreeze.
Race One
The day started with a light, building seabreeze and a five-minute rolling, off-the-beach start led by Hatto from Poly just off the shore. Eddie and Lottie on the Dragoon were the first to set off, followed by the Hobie 14s, where Andrew and VSC’s prodigal son, Bryn, took an early lead. The Hobie 16s launched next, with Paddy and Joel leading around the Plantation cardinal mark and closely followed by MB with Naomi, and James with Steph and Elliot. Finally, Egbert and Helen on the powerful Nacra 5.8 stormed in from the rear, chasing down the fleet in their high-speed “weapon of mass destruction.”
After a tight and tactical race, Macca claimed victory on yardstick, with Bryn taking second, and Adrian rounding out the top three. The first race wrapped up just under an hour, perfect timing for a pit stop and a divine lunch at the VSC clubhouse prepared by Rennie, with assistance from Marc, Rebecca, Bonnie, Calypso, and the junior sailors.
Race 2
In the afternoon, with the north-easterly now in full force, sailors lined up for a second, speedier race to Huskisson and back. Hazel led the off-the-beach start, but Andrew and Bryn quickly maneuvered around the first mark with sharp tacks. Among the Hobie 16s, MB and Marc were setting the pace until a sudden “teabagging” incident at Moona Moona Creek gave Paddy and Courtney the opening they needed to surge ahead, with Nigel and Fionbarr keeping right on their heels.
Egbert and Helen on the Nacra struggled in the brisker conditions, unable to overtake the lead Hobie 14s and 16s as the sanctuary’s windward-leeward laps introduced multiple passing lanes, keeping the racing action-packed.
Notable Mentions
The day’s standout performances included Jaime, who impressively sailed solo on his Hobie 16 after Violet decided to pursue some shoreside Pokémon-catching. Howard and Kiaran also had an admirable first go at the Round the Bay Rally. Meanwhile, Eddie and Joel, along with Evan and Hugh, competed on a shorter course with the Waves. In a thrilling showdown to the finish, Evan and Hugh nailed a final tack to secure victory over Eddie and Joel.
It was another action-filled day at the club, and with the Martins set to handle race and beach duties next weekend, we’re eagerly looking forward to more exciting moments!
