Seven boats competed for Nowra Community Sailing Club’s heat eight of the Bomaderry Bowling Club Point Score and enjoyed a shifting south easterly around five to twelve knots and a strong outgoing tide.
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This meant mostly reaching legs with some works as the breeze shifted, and beautiful flat water.
The start was extremely tight with Richard Pryor first over the start line by less than a metre from Merve Lotze, Bill Jauncey, Wayne Norris, Steve Phelps, Michael Fairbairn and Mike Wootten.
The breeze swung more to the east for the quick tide assisted leg to the windward mark, and Michael’s Finn took most of the leg to get clear of the six Spiral class dinghies who were fighting hard for buoy room rights at the mark.
On the reach back to the west mark near the bridges, Michael finally got clear of the Spirals with Merve about a length ahead of Wayne, then a small gap back to Steve, Bill, Richard and Mike.
On the next lap Bill managed to just get ahead of Steve while Richard was back winded in a failing gust, pirouetted the boat, then capsized, with the final ignominy of being hit by his boom as he fell in the river.
Mike was quick to take advantage of Richard’s rather spectacular misfortune and moved up to sixth place, while Bill called for an action replay.
By the sixth lap Wayne had passed Merve and was clearly in second place while Merve began to fall back to the brawl for fourth place between Bill and Steve, with Bill almost catching Merve, only to see Merve’s skill come to the fore as he caught a gust which Bill missed, and got clear.
This order continued to the finish with Michael’s Finn crossing the line five minutes ahead of Wayne with Merve 46 seconds back in third.
Less than two minutes later came Bill with Steve only eighteen seconds behind him, about the greatest distance they were apart for the whole race. Mike came next with Richard just twenty one seconds behind him.
For the Bomaderry Bowling Club Point Score the times are corrected by personal handicaps and for this heat the old bloke Bill snatched first by just nine seconds from Wayne who beat Steve by five seconds.
Merve grabbed fourth by fifteen seconds from Richard with Michael Fairbairn over a minute back for sixth and Mike 41 seconds behind him for seventh.
For this win Bill drops three minutes from his handicap, Wayne two, and Steve one. Merve stays the same and the rest of the fleet gains a minute, so Bill, Wayne and Steve will have a real task to repeat their good places this coming weekend.
This Saturday we race for heat nine of the Bomaderry Bowling Club Point Score, and heat seven of the Championship.
We are expecting visitors from Jervis Bay Sailing Club and other visitors are most welcome. Start as usual at 14.15.
