After a week-long rain event that persisted into the morning, the prospect of holding any races at the Big River Sailing Club last Saturday was looking doubtful. Patience, however, was eventually rewarded, and by mid-morning the darkened sky was beginning to break, and the forecast of decreasing showers and a gentle southerly was becoming a reality. 

As the rain clouds parted, boats arrived on cue, and by race time a fleet of 16 lined up for the afternoon’s racing, eventually held in conditions that were more than acceptable. 

In the monohull division Mark Mulligan threw up the larger rooster rig and promptly sailed away to lead the fleet and secure line honours in both races. His efforts to secure a win on handicap, however, were thwarted by the performance of Simon Law who sailed two good races in his Laser Radial to be the best on the day. The real battle, however, was between the O’Keeffe’s, the more senior (Jim) showing good form to claim bragging rights over the younger (Joe). 

Other notable performances included Sonya Price who successfully negotiated her first races in a Weta, kept company in that class by Craig Rutledge. The multihull division, however, was dominated by Bryan Linnett, first in both races, with Peter Schaeffer second. 

Phillip Moore had the junior division to himself, however, that didn’t stop him from sailing to his best, which is becoming better every week. 

Next week the Club will host another round of the Handicap Series, the first race commencing at 1:30pm

Results

Race 1: Div 1 – B Linnett, P Schaefer, S Price; Div 2 – S Law, J O’Keeffe, M Mulligan; Div 3 – P Moore.

Race 2: Div 1 – B Linnett, P Schaefer, C Rutledge; Div 2 – S Law, S Hinton, P Fenwick; Div 3 – P Moore.

Wayne Culph