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PORT MACQUARIE SAILING CLUB
3-3-19
The Port Macquarie Sailing Club’s Harold Dick Memorial Marathon was almost a non-event on Sunday due to no wind and a forecast of little improvement. With quite a few ready to go out and try and a run-out tide to assist the fleet for the first leg of the race down river, the race was started at midday as programmed under mostly cloudy skies. In the last 5 minutes of the start countdown, a little Easterly kicked in, allowing good progress to down past the Settlement Point ferry where the wind died again. The bottom mark was set only half way between there and town due to the lack of breeze and run-out tide, and the fleet were stuck for quite a while until a light North Easter puffed in and allowed progress up river. The top mark was set at the Hibbard ferry instead of the Pacific Highway as there was no breeze upriver of there, but because there was still a nice breeze back down to Settlement Point, an extra mark was laid there before a run back up to the finish at the clubhouse. A good race considering the conditions.
Frank O’Rourke on Dino won the catamaran division once the yardsticks had been applied, and was followed by Grady, Angus, and Lizzy McNee on Zux, Dave Winter on Spica, and Roger Shipton, this week on his Hobie 16 PB. Rob Barwick on Drift pulled out, ironically due to the drift conditions at the bottom mark.
The monohull fleet all sailed well in the conditions, and all would have finished ahead of all the catamarans on yardstick in a mixed fleet. Terry Howard in Ratz led the monohulls home on yardstick ahead of Martina Holt in Spellbound, Jane Cooper in Pineapple, Steve Bohlsen and Ed Molony in Interceptor, and Simon and Elsa Gandy and Bridgit Taylor in Voyager. Steve Couch in Rainbow gave up trying to round the bottom mark in no breeze and retired. Paul and Jade Robertson in Flembouyant started late which normally does not worry Paul as he can usually out sail everyone, but by the time they got going the Easterly was dying, and by the time they finally got to the ferry and could see there was no breeze further down, they also retired. Sort of like the Hare and the Tortoise.
Next week is race 6 of the handicap start series, and the first boats will start at 1.30pm. Dave Winter is doing the duty.
Jeff Walsh – Publicity Officer
0418 841581