What a great weekend. We were promised a strong monsoon and that’s what we got - well, most of the time. Race Chairman, Jim Fernie asked at the race briefing for assistance composing the race report, requesting "a narrative from the back of the fleet". Well, Fate was obviously listening, and decided to punish such hubris with a hole with Wizard‘s name on it. Thus follows a perspective of TMR9 ‘from the back of the fleet’…
The strong N’ly resulted in the start being some way south of DB marina, so Race Officer, John Karas, aboard Trakka, flew the AP flew just long enough to get everyone concentrating on changing up as the wind moderated steadily. His info call at 1110 hrs on channel 69 ("Expect start about 1130") was followed within minutes by the start sequence and the fleet started in a certain amount of disarray. Who was it that said "Never stray too far from the start..."?
Benoit Lesaffre’s fast-cat Atmosphere got off to a cracking start, though, leading around the windward mark and was never under any pressure from there to the finish, winning a convincing Line Honours in less than 3 hours, an hour ahead of the next boat! Bevin Brakespeare, aboard support vessel Outsider, barely had time to lay the finish line before Atmosphere ghosted into view…
For the rest of the fleet, mere mortals, the winds fluctuated from F5 to calm between Kau Yi Chau and the bridge, and many plans of seeking out the strongest tides were frustrated by the worst of the holes. Almost the entire fleet sailed past Wizard and Lorien, becalmed to the East of Kau Yi Chau, whilst others lost the breeze through the Ma Wan Channel itself. A lottery, but a very picturesque one, as Authority pirouetted under the Tsing Ma bridge!
Wings and Stella led the main fleet under the bridge, going well until they too lost the breeze, allowing the chasing boats to recover lost ground. Subsequent complaints of the conditions at this stage begged the obvious question - why is it always down to skill when you avoid the lighter airs, but bad luck when you suffer them...?!
Thus, each section of the fleet (excluding Atmosphere, out front) had ample opportunity for a tussle along the way, with many close finishes.
On handicap, though, Epic had her day, revelling in the stronger breezes and flying all sails for 1st place on DBPN, followed by Little Sunshine, at the other end of the LOA/displacement scale, in 2nd place and multi-hull Intoxication in 3rd.
The draft Beck’s beer was very welcome on arrival, dockside, at the Gold Coast marina and only the cold snap (15 degrees overnight) drove the crews away before the very last barrel was finished. The usual fine buffet dinner and prize-giving at the Voyagers Restaurant then ensued...
The return Race 2, arranged as a pursuit race, cracked off the next morning, with start times ranging from 1000 (Koala) to 1126 hrs (Wizard). Tactics still played a role - avoiding the strong flood, for example - but with the same reliable monsoon winds, only gear-failure, single-handing or ‘navigation’ prevented the entire fleet filling the bay to the South of DB in an exciting beat to finish. Wizard rounded Hei Ling Chau in 9th place and participated in a fleet ‘jossle’ as each boat struggled to the line. Somehow, it means more when you know you’re finishing in prize order! Try as they might, though, nobody could stop Epic taking 1st place again, just in front of Wizard, 2nd, and Little Sunshine, 3rd.
Arrival beers, on the DB marina headland this time, were sponsored by Cerveza Sol, and the DB Marina Club hosted a lavish BBQ buffet for the prize-giving, supported by the Marina Club and a raft of sponsors, including our favourite restaurants and bars (The Cavern, Stormy Weather, The Boathouse, The Bridge, Jaspas, Pizza Express, the Beer Bay and the Gold Coast Hotel) as well as Fragrant Harbour magazine and Pen & Paper. To them our heartfelt thanks for so generously supporting the event.
It goes without saying that Epic, the most photogenic (and photographed) boat of TMR9, also walked off with 1st place overall and the Tsing Ma Cup. Little Sunshine, a newcomer to the event, came a close 2nd, and Intoxication, last year’s winner, a commendable 3rd. Click here for the full results.
Many will remember their private duels, though. For example, the mid-fleet battle between Rosemary, Sabi Star and Sandmartin (with Jug finishing just ahead on points on this occasion, overall). Shockwave, Little Sunshine and Lorien, too - but with the latter suffering gear problems this time out. We look forward to next year’s DBYC events with competitive performance improving at every level of the fleet - big and small!
There’s a lot more that could be written about this great event, but for now, let’s just allow the pictures to tell the rest of the story...
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Click here for more photos... | ||
Full results available here
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