The initial leg took the boats out to Hospital Reef. The first to round the mark was the tri-maran, Drifter (skippered by Ron Badley), followed by BC Navigator (Tom Barker at the helm), and Peregrine (skippered by David Twentyman), all of whom had managed to get good starts.
The wind switched to a 10 knot southeasterly as the boats were nearing the mark, which made the second leg to Ackland Rock a spinnaker run. There were some exciting moments as Peregrine caught up to, and managed to sail over the top of, BC Navigator just before rounding the top mark, taking her into second place..
The final leg proved challenging for most of the boats due to the very sloppy and choppy seas which prevailed along Nelson Island. Although the wind continued at a steady 5-7 knots, many boats became stalled as they tried to fight against the strong tidal conditions. BC Navigator, who had chosen to go out into the Straits, increased their lead into a comfortable second position. David Pritchard in Seven, managed to come from behind and forged ahead of Peregrine into third position on this leg.
Unfortunately, due to the poor sea conditions, ten boats did not finish as they had exceeded the five hour allotted time for the race.
The winner of the First Overall Trophy was David Pritchard in Seven (Martin 242), and the Trophy for First Over the Line was awarded to Ron Badley in Drifter (Newick 36).
The Class winners were:
Division AA: Dave Zuest in Avanti (Kirby 30-32)
Division A: Tom Barker in BC Navigator (Spencer 1330)
Division B: David Pritchard in Seven (Martin 242)
Following the race some 120 people, made up of skippers, families and crew, met at Fisherman’s Resort and Marina in Garden Bay, where there was a BBQ, presentation of awards, and door prizes. Many thanks to Ron Breadner and his pals for the wonderful music, and to Craig and Kent for their melodic bagpiping. A great family event enjoyed by all.
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