With nine yachts having lengths from twenty feet to forty feet starting in Sunday’s Port Macquarie Yacht Club river “B” between the ferries race, and the fleet including cruisers and outright racers,  inequality between competitors seemed problematic. With an additional minus being the shortage of crew on most yachts it was easy to forget that a minus multiplied by a minus equals a plus. So it transpired, in the near perfect conditions of a building 5 – 12 knot NNE  breeze,  a diligent handicapper crunched the numbers and  produced a close mixed fleet result.

On the day, while a flood tide found skippers showing caution at the10.30 am start, skillful positioning by Cool Change’s skipper, Teddy Clausen, saw that yacht a lead by 4 – 5 boat lengths over the remaining yachts, headed by the two Eliot racers, Enticer and Salty, helmed by Commodore and Vice Commodore respectively. Ninja and Solar Coaster, were in the following group also including Galene, Folie a Deux, Third Man and Solar Coaster.

In light airs Enticer soon inched past the heavier Cool Change, followed a couple of hundred meters later by Salty, the second Eliot in the race. Solar Coaster also ranged up beside Cool Change before Cool Change pulled away after deploying her code zero. 

At the front of the fleet, the order at the first (Hibbard) mark rounding was Enticer, Salty, Cool Change, then Solar Coaster. The smallest competing yacht Folie a Deux was next, while eventual overall winner Galene followed closely. 

The breeze began to build on the return leg which saw the two Eliots extend their leads. Solar Coaster, took third on water, while all following yachts benefitted from a disastrous  rounding by Cool Change which saw that yacht loose a sheet, and drop back to trail the fleet out of the mark. 

With no mark at Settlement Point an improvised transit gate was in effect, with Enticer, Salty then Solar Coaster leading through the improvised gate, while further back there was close racing, with back and forth crosses between the smaller yachts. 

By the time yachts began their second lap of the two lap event, the wind had built to a steady 10 - 12 knots.  With the sailing club running their regular Sunday races and yachts and skiffs racing on the same section of the Hastings, welcome courtesy broke out between the two fleets, a credit to all skippers and crews across both fleets.

On the second downwind leg while most skippers elected to goosewing, by poling out their jibs, Third Man ran her bright yellow spinnaker. However as by this time the fleet had spread out, only minimal benefit was obtained over the goosewingers. 

At the finish, Enticer led Salty over the line with Solar Coaster third, in close pursuit. In order, Galene crossed next, followed by Cool Change, then Folie a Deux, the smallest yacht in the fleet, followed by the largest, Third Man,  then Tribal Wave, followed by Ninja. 

On a day of ideal sailing conditions, the final result after handicap adjustment,  saw a bunched result with Galene deservedly  taking the honours by some 40 seconds, from the consistent Tribal Wave in second, while Cool Change took third place.

With the PMYC inshore series four races in, Third Man leads from Cool Change, with Solar Coaster third, then Ninja and Solar Coaster tied and both in contact with the leaders and well in contention.