Three crew reported unfit for duty today for various unrelated ailments. They didn’t want to miss the opportunity to sail but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. The conditions were light but with the crew reduced to 8 everyone was busy. We were all weary by the end of the race.
Race 3 was delayed until after lunch and the starting area moved to a new location east of Hamilton Island. The fleet of over 200 yachts heading to the start area was a spectacular parade.
The crew work continued to improve and the teamwork translated into better boat speed. We had a good start and were well placed as we made our way to the first start.
The trimmers did a great job adapting to the light, shifty conditions. All hands got our S2 spinnaker flying beautifully and they couldn’t contain their excitement when we successfully completed our first gybe. Our pre-race training paid off.
The finish was tricky with unpredictable wind, strong currents and lots of traffic in a confined channel. Nevertheless, we successfully threaded our way through to the finish line.
We finished 10th, our best result yet. We’re confident we can continue to improve not only our boat handling but also our race tactics.
Debonnaire 