Contrary to the forcast we ended up with a gusty and at times quite strong breeze to start off our pennant season.

The race got away at 13:32 with a fleet of three Sabres, two NS14s a Cat and a B14.

The breeze was a very inconsistant WNW with frquent gusts and large shifts with the breeze of around 10 or 12 knots with higher gusts and a few large >10 knot holes and a tendancy to slowly shift west.

It was a fairly even start with the Sabres in a tight battle in Div 2 Perry in the cat was sailing well and giving the NS14s greif but Phantom was first to the top mark and grew the lead at each mark until a capsize on the second windward closed the gap substantially and a second capsize shortly after saw Aquahilic and Viv la Vida slip past and Serenity (being salied one up by Scott Wilkie) nearly got through. In Div1 Apisca was holding off Loose Change and Wasabi.

By the finish Apisca was first followed by Loose Change in a close battle with Wasabi with a 15 second gap. In Div 2 Phantom managed to retake the lead on the last reach and took the gun from Aquaholic with Viva la Vida well back and Serenity at the rear.

On Yardstick (Line honors for the Sabres)

Div 1 First Apisca Jo-Anne Verrier second Loose Change Phil Bloomfield and third Wasabi Guy McDougall.

Div 2 First  Viva la Vida Darren Eggins and Alastair Lord Second Phantom Steve Miller and Roger Jackson third Aquaholic Perry Caulfield.

on Handicap First Loose Change second Apisca third Wasabi.

Div 2 First Aquaholic second Viva la Vida and third Serenity Scott Wilkie.

Pennant Two got away at 14:50 in a similar breeze though it had moved through West and was now WSW but still quite unsettled and tricky.

The fleet got away without issue though the pin end was fovoured a bit and with the breeze still tracking anticlockwise staying left generally paid off.

Again Aquaholic was revelling in the breeze and was clear second behing Phantom at thre top mark. Apisca was showing the way in the Sabres from Wasabi in a tight battle all the way to the finish where they were seperated by just 16 seconds.

With no capsize this time Phantom had a clear lead over Aquaholic who was about a minute ahead of Viva who just pipped Loose Change at the line. 

On Yardstick Div 1

First Apisca Second Wasabi and Third Loose Change.

Div 2

First Phantom second Viva la Vida and third Serenity.

On Handicap

Div 1

First Loose Change second Apisca and third Wasabi.

Div 2

First Aquaholic second Viva la Vida third Phantom.

Next week will be a pair of Trophy Races..