We nearly crashed into 2 boats before we even left the marina. I wondered if this was the start of a good day or a bad day.
Saturday was the last day of Hamilton Island Race Week. It was yet another glorious, warm morning. We met down at the boat early and I was pleased that all 11 crew reported fit for duty. As soon as the boat was ready and I finished briefing the crew on the day’s race, we reversed out of our berth to head off to the start area. But then inexplicably the forward gear would not engage and we continued to drift towards 2 boats berthed behind us. The crews rushed to stop the boats colliding. Paul helped, too, dashing over from Carpe Diem with a fender. Thankfully, we managed to avoid hitting the other boats by only centimetres. We soon fixed the forward gear and drove off with only a minor scuff mark on Debonnaire’s transom and a scrape on my shin. My hope was that this going to be our only drama for the day and that we had got it out of the way early.
As it turned out, we had a terrific race. The wind was ideal at 15-20 knots, although this made the seas choppy. We had a clean start and found our groove as we settled into the race. The first half of the race was a long beat to windward from Hamilton Island to Lindeman Island. We were only about 200 metres behind Carpe Diem when we first crossed. But when we next crossed we were maybe 300 metres in front. Everyone was focussed on getting as much as we could out of Debonnaire. We were so excited to reach Lindeman Island before Carpe Diem but she was close behind and keeping the pressure on us. She eventually edged in front of us as we turned downwind back to Hamilton Island. Although the wind had eased to 10-15 knots, we launched our smaller asymmetric spinnaker expecting the stronger winds to return. Carpe Diem launched her big asymmetric spinnaker and sailed away from us. We debated changing to our symmetrical spinnaker, which was larger and would allow us to sail faster and deeper downwind. The risks were that it was not built for winds above 15 knots, the crew were not experienced in handling this more complicated sail and we would lose speed while changing sails. We still had a long way to the finish line and needed speed to stay in the race, so we decided to change the spinnaker. It wasn’t a simple task but the crew got the job done smoothly. The boat felt fast and stable once the big spinnaker was flying and we were pleased we changed. We flew the spinnaker all the way to Hamilton Island, squeezing through the narrow Dent Passage and over the finish line with pole forward and trimmed on hard.* The sailing was sensational.
Back in our marina berth, I was just finishing my debrief of the race and how much the crew had improved during the week when Catherine announced the results that had just been posted: “First – Debonnaire!” We were so excited and cheered with joy. We had improved during the regatta, finishing 13th, 14th, 10th, 8th and then 7th. After race 5, John declared we wanted a podium finish. Everyone gave it their best and achieved a fabulous result in the final race. We were 11th on aggregate for the regatta and very happy with that position, too. We celebrated not only a good regatta but also our trophy for race 6 which we collected at the daily prize-giving.
The celebrations didn’t end there, though. Saturday night was the Presentation Dinner where the winners of various divisions and other awards would be announced. We weren’t going to win any sailing trophies but we had a chance of winning the Prix d’Elegance for Best Presented Yacht and Crew. We leapt from our seats when Debonnaire was announced the winner. It was an amazing prize, not just a big, shiny trophy but also a luxurious holiday at the world-class qualia resort on Hamilton Island and an Audi to drive for a weekend. The sailing trophies paled in comparison to the Prix d’Elegance. All praise to our creative team for their excellent work: Liz, Jane, John, Richard and Catherine. I admit I was sceptical but I’m glad I trusted your talents. You have been vindicated by the judges’ decision to award Debonnaire the Prix d’Elegance. I feel like an impostor accepting the prize but don’t worry, I’m sure a couple of days of luxury therapy at qualia will help me come to terms with my anxiety.
After our drama leaving the marina in the morning, I didn’t imagine our last day would be such a highlight of our week racing at Hamilton Island. It was so much fun. Congratulations to the crew, you should be proud of your achievements.
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*Apologies for any sailing jargon. I’ve tried to avoid sailor-talk but sometimes there aren’t any regular English phrases that convey the passion adequately.
Debonnaire 