After we crossed it didn’t seem that bad after all

“We were surprised how easy it was” was the comment from one of the newer skippers after PMYC’s ocean buoy event last Sunday. With a major runout after heavy rain on top of the usual tidal outflow, the Port Macquarie bar, muddied and angry appeared somewhere between menacing and hazardous when viewed from onshore or in the channel. Fortunately wise heads on the first boats to venture out radioed to the fleet, that a course well to the north provided a safe crossing.

Following receipt of this advice the five competing yachts, plus customised Northshore 38, Fourshore found the passage to sea to compete in Sunday’s “around the buoys” ocean event a rather unchallenging affair. Once out to sea competing yachts laid buoys to form a triangular course, of start mark, a sea mark and a beach mark, before heading towards the start line between Bird Rock and the laid pencil starting buoy.

The start was closely contested by Enticer, Kookaburra 2 and Third man at the pin end, and Razzamatazz 2 at the Bird Rock end of the line with Kookaburra 2 crossing the start line about a boatlength ahead of the remainder of the fleet, with all yacht having good reason to be pleased with their starts.

Enticer after being absent for some time, after a crew drill outing the previous week showed the benefit of additional crew training and quickly overhauled Kookaburra 2, while Razzamatazz 2 finding different ocean conditions inshore challenged Enticer up most of the first leg to the sea mark.

Enticer, however rounded that mark in clear first place, and maintained her lead around the eight legs sailed. Enticer was followed by the well sailed Razzamatazz 2, then Kookaburra 2, Cool Change, and Third Man.

Although the sea conditions were not unpleasant the excess river runoff played havoc with the direction and strength of the offshore currents, such that by the time the first yachts completed the first lap, the start buoy had drifted several hundred meters. After showing a good turn of speed, Fourshore not an official competitor volunteered to chase and retrieve the buoy. In the buoy’s absence, a GPS co-ordinate was used by yachts to make the rounding to complete the course.

Over the course of the race, the wind steadily built to around 12 – 14 knots, before falling away dramatically. Division One yachts, sailing 6 legs benefitted with Cool Change crossing the finish line first, (1hr 31 mins) in advance of Third Man, (1hr 37mins), while Enticer (1hr 41mins) having sailed two additional legs was third over the finish line, with Razamatazz 2 next and Kookaburra 2 last.

After handicaps were applied, Enticer took first place, with the ever consistent Cool Change second and Third Man third. Cool Change’s win saw her take the lead in her defence of the annual ocean pointscore series.