Eleven DAC Sailors attended our Scratch racing yesterday.

It was hot and muggy. The temperature hit 34oC with a cool(er) change bringing it back to the mid 20’s by the finish.

The initial wind was absent, with a gentle South Westerly backing to the South East at 6 to 18 Km/Hr, (4 to 10 Knots). This came in after race 3 or 4.

There as much traipsing down to the pontoon as “A” sails became “C” ‘s, then “B” ‘s. Two “A” ‘s came out again for the last race.

Setting a Course was a gamble. It was surprising that the start flags actually matched the selected course at the 1 minute gun.

There was a lot of chance with the starts. Getting away on the gun was difficult with the flukey breeze.

Our Champion of the day was Peter Close.  Peter was able to work his way through the field to secure 2 firsts and 4 places and score a winning 15 points. Another successful day was had by Robin Tickner. Robin finished with 5 places, with some very close finishes to earn a comfortable second place on 20 points. Philip Hetherington had 2 wins and a place to take a third on 26 points. These three Gents set a strong pace and were well clear of the remaining Sailors.

The points spread following was quite close. Richard Thorpe and Judy Evans settled their places by a countback for third and fourth, as did Barry McCarthy and Bruce Paterson for sixth and seventh. Thirteen points separated these eight boats which did indicate the closeness of the  sailing. Wins and places were right down the page. As many finishes were very tight one could often hear “were’s the scoresheet, were did you come, who came next?”.

Race winners were Peter Close 2, Philip Hetherington 2, Judy Evans 1, Richard Thorpe 2, Barry McCarthy 1 and Lew Verdon 1.

Peter Close took the honours for the day to win 1st place on 15 points. Robin Tickner  finished in 2nd place on 20 points. Philip Hetherington finished in 3rd place with 26 points.

The Club Championship now has Stephen Deane in front from Peter Close and Robin Tickner.

Our next Sail day is Thursday 1st February for a Handicap Event.

A finally a word of encouragement to our DAC Sailors, Rob Lowndes and Lew Verdon.

Rob and Lew are heading to Adelaide to compete in the 2024 ILCA 6 & 7 WorldMasters Championships.

Both are sailing in the Legend Class, Rob AUS216357 and Lew AUS215020.

Best Wishes Rob and Lew.

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