It was another splendid Sunday on Jervis Bay, following on from one of the greatest starts to the spring season we could’ve hoped for. With the first Round the Bay Rally locked in for the week, Adrian & Paddy deliberated all week determining the most suitable course for the wind forecast. As always with a westerly, what you see is not always what you’re going to get. Naturally, gurugama was a little bit all over the place.
Utilising the sanctuary zone and cardinal marks around the Bay, the RTBR is the most adaptable racing format we’ve ever seen come out of the VSC. With a ‘Le Mans’ style start off the beach all at once, it was all systems go as Spinelli comfortably lead the first race, holding off Jake and Paddy all the way to Husky and back. Jaime & Violet were finding their groove on their newly purchased Hobie 16, completely their first RTBR in sensational style. However, nothing could compare to the battle between Craig & Adrian, with the former taking the lead on the final downwind run from Dent Rock.
Giving his ankle a rest before coming back to the 14′ with a vengeance, Dobbo was locked in for to run the show from Poly. Joined by Doug in the first session, Adrian jumped on for the second race as the breeze began to fill in after a delicious lunch prepared by Joss and Deidre.
The second race of the day saw the breeze gradually build, with Paddy leading the way around Dent Rock with Jake, Spinelli and Hatto close behind. MB & Hazel quickly made ground on the 16′, before an overtake on the downwind in front of Husky. It’s safe to say the reach from outer Husky back to Dent Rock was the highlight, with all 14s and the 16s hitting ludicrous speed on the way home. Jaime & Violet pushing their boat harder than they ever have before, found the limit halfway home with a spectacular capsize.
As the first RTBR of the season, it wouldn’t of been a standard day at the VSC without one or two discrepancies on the race track. As such, all future RTBRs will be raced solely around the set marks throughout the Bay. Check them out via the links below:
Check out Paddy’s STRAVA:
