Some of the more senior Port Macquarie Yacht Club sailors were heard to comment that last
weekend’s Offshore regatta was like an episode of Survivor, as, one by one yachts withdrew from
the event until there were only the placegetters left standing.
Saturday saw an unkind 2 meter swell with 1.5 meter seas over the swell and winds gusting to 35
knots. Three yachts failed to finish the day, although Larisa Trapeznikova’s Mimosa, and Frank
Lagudi’s Third Man recovered and sailed on Sunday.
A generally North/South windward leeward course had been set for the first day’s racing. With
conditions being as they were all yachts in the fleet ran small headsails and were reefed down,
although the heavier displacement Third Man elected to run a full main.
The high winds resulted in somewhat chaotic starts. Prestart gear failures on Mimosa twice resulted
in that yacht fouling other starters, leaving that yacht chasing the fleet in those races. By day’s end,
however wins were shared by in race one, Mimosa, race two, Kookaburra 2 and in the final race of
the day Razzamataz 2 took first, with Cool Change second and Zig Zag third, with Mimosa,
Kookaburra 2 and Third Man all withdrawing from that race.
The following day saw conditions almost completely opposite to the previous day, with gentle to no
breeze and a solid two meter swell, but without the uncomfortable seas on top.
The bar was messy, and with compression waves extending hundreds of meters up the chanel, Zig
Zag seeing a very difficult bar, near the bottom of a run out tide elected not to venture out to sea,
and prudently withdrew prior to the regatta start, while Kookaburra 2 remained on it’s mooring. The
remaining yachts were taking water over decks as they crossed, but all managed a safe crossing,
anticipating that the return journey on a flood tide would be easier.
Once at sea, however, yachts encountered a lazy two meter easterly swell with initially insufficient
wind to get the yachts away at the scheduled start time. After a short delay the wind picked up and
four yachts faces the starter with Mimosa first to cross the start line followed by Cool Change and
Razzamataz 2 locked in a scrap that continued most of the windward leg, and Third Man last across
the start line.
While finishing times for the quicker yachts were around the fifteen minute mark on the previous
day, Razzamataz 2’s winning time for the first race was three times that at a tick under 45 minutes,
while the second and third yachts recorded times of close to an hour and an hour and a half
respectively. Third man which at the hour and a half mark yet to complete the windward leg elected
to record a DNF, and withdraw from the regatta.
With overall regatta placings still up in the air, the final race saw the three survivors line up to
determine the regatta results in steadier but still light breezes. Club legend Razzamataz 2 with
foundation club member Kevin Brown onboard took line honours with Cool Change in second and
Mimosa third, those results determining the overall regatta placings in the same order.