Based on a theory that winning the start in yacht races means all other boats have to pass you to win, Third Man has mastered the first part of that equation, but mostly failed to convert. An apparent change of strategy in PMYC’s 19/10/25 ocean buoy event saw Third Man cross the start in arrears of Cool Change and Razzamatazz 2, but ultimately take out the race by a healthy two minute margin. 

With the sea conditions matching the forecast, of 10 – 15 knots north easterly breeze, and seas of about one meter over similar swell, the conditions were ideal for Olympic 40 Third Man. Course 4, a triangle followed by a sausage course was set for the day with a beat, a broad reach/possible run,  a broad reach, then a beat followed by a run.

First across the start line, was Cool Change, which was soon overtaken by the larger and faster Razzamatazz 2 about a third of the leg distance. From behind Third Man was slowly eating away at the lead established by Cool Change, taking the lead and rounding the first mark in advance of Cool Change, before surrendering the lead after a sharp mark rounding by Cool Change.

Razzamatazz 2 had cleared out to a decent lead on leg 2 but appeared to have difficulty sighting the beach buoy until about 100 meters away when she had to harden up to make the rounding. On the same leg, Third Man briefly took a slight lead over Cool Change, which she surrendered coming into the mark. 

On leg three of the triangle, with sheets cracked,  Razzamatazz 2 although appearing to be “slow” for that yacht,  had taken a lead of around 500 meters, with the real battle being between Third Man and Cool Change, which  while remaining tense, on water Cool Change maintained a hard won lead. 

In mixed fleet racing, it is the handicapper who levels the playing field, and Third Man’s skipper must have been well satisfied in the closing stages of the race, when he would have known that on handicap times he was close enough to Cool Change such that he would at a minimum finish in front of that yacht.

Indeed, after handicaps had been applied, over the relatively short course that course 4 is, Third Man placed first, by 2 minutes from Cool Change, with a further 4 minutes back to Razzamatazz 2.

Perhaps it was the strategy change from taking comfort from crossing the start line first, to chasing hard  all race that brought the result Third Man wanted. In any event, the annual ocean point score is now a race in three between the yachts featured in this report with any of those yachts a possible winner, and while Razzamatazz 2 currently holds the lead, only that yacht, Cool Change or Third Man can win this year’s point score.