The second time the Club has used the venue at Masthead Drive, Raby Bay and a similar south easterly wind was prevailing.
Low tide was at 10-30am so the start was delayed slightly while a course was set. This proved to be at a fair distance from shore initially as the low tide dictated the sailable depth.

Nine skippers had two hours of Handicap racing in strengthening wind which proved to be challenging but only three skippers changed down to B rig.
There was then an hours break for lunch.

Two members used the Club’s rescue inflatable to catch a distressed sandpiper that had got itself wrapped in discarded fishing line. They cleared the line and released the bird.

An additional two skippers turned up for the Scratch Races, which continued for a further two hours in winds where gusts topped 15 knots. Boats that had remained in A rig became uncontrollable at the far windward mark in the heavy gusts. One of the boats was knocked completely flat – mast in the water and keel out of the water – when a particularly nasty bullet hit it, but popped back up and continued racing.

Thanks go to Clive Brooks who was OOD, Gil Walker for scoring, Dennis Patterson for almost permanent rescue boat duty. Thanks to the skippers attending, Erin Conza who came up from the Gold Coast and joined as an associate, and the three other members who renewed full membership.

A light shower of rain at the Presentation did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the days sailing.

Congratulations to the winners and placegetters in both the Handicap and the Scratch evcents. Thankyou Clive for the perpetual trophies.

John McLachlan