Round the Bay – Race 1
Wet, cold and gloomy conditions greeted sailors at the VSC, with a southerly front that began pushing through late Saturday resulting in several sailors deciding to give this one a miss.
It was Helen and Egbert’s turn for BBQ and race duties, and as per Adrian’s announcement the day before, lunch was served at 12 before the fleet prepared for an afternoon of sailing.
On the calendar was the first Round the Bay Race of the season. Skipper Jake and Egbert opted for a slightly shortened version of the course, given that by early afternoon the southerly had eased to around 10 knots.
At 1:15pm, all seven participating catamarans hit the start together in an off-the-beach start. The first marker to round was off Plantation Point (030), followed by the marker close to shore just past Moona Moona Creek (12D), then the cardinal marker at Collingwood Beach (002), before heading for the finish at the yellow marker (JS1) near the VSC shore.
Despite the lighter conditions, Dobbo still managed to capsize his Hobie 14 near Plantation Point! We later discovered there was a little more to the story, with an extended fishing line catching him out and ultimately sending him over.
Meanwhile, Joel, sailing solo on a Hobie Wave, was absolutely on fire for a large portion of the race before finding himself parked up in the dreaded doldrums at the Collingwood marker.
Line honours went to Arthur and new crew Peta on the Nacra 5.8, completing the course in just over an hour. Bryn followed in second, with Adrian third around four minutes later — and just eight seconds separating the pair!
With Joel still bobbing around at Collingwood, Fionnbarr, Rene & Evan, and Dobbo eventually decided to cut their losses and head straight for the finish.
All up, despite the mediocre weather, it was another good afternoon out on Jervis Bay and a successful first Round the Bay Race of the season.
Last but certainly not least, a huge thank you to Andrew for his help thoroughly rinsing the boat, brand-new trailer and tractor after racing. Nobody does it better — or with more passion!
