It was the penultimate day at 74 Islands Distillery Airlie Beach Race Week and the forecast was right when it foretold there would be no dogs blown off chains finally, with 20 knots the top end of breeze range and the tide behind the fleet until 1.20pm when it turned.
"Milder, calmer, more manageable and with sun," a happy Principal Race Officer, Kevin Wilson predicted.
Well, it didn't quite start that way. Trailables Division 1 provoked a General Recall and out came the Black Flag, which in turn resulted in Justin Brownbill's Botany Access (NSW) being disqualified.
Cut Snake (Stuart Cox, Qld) was called OCS in Multihull Racing, Favourite Child (Gavin Le Sueur, Qld) in Multihull Passage joined her, then came a slew of protests from various boats! Otherwise, the fleet was well-behaved.
Multihull Racing Division 1 went to Cut Snake, despite her crew having to re-start. "The tactician sorted us out. It was a nice day out, not as gusty, but there was a bit of pressure at the bottom of the course. Everyone had a good time," Cox said.
"We got tops of 20 knots, sometimes it was really light though, but not for long. We had to work hard through it. It was challenging. But's that's Airlie Beach," ended Cox whose boat leads the series from Paul Mitchell's Ullman Sails (Qld) by four points.
Earthling (Glenn Rutherford, Qld) scored her first win of the Multihull Passage Series, pipping Ian Mewett's Social Platform (Qld) by 58 seconds. Favourite Child has a five-point advantage going into the final race and managed a good fourth today, despite her start mishap.
Cruising Division 1 finally had a new winner today in Stuart Tivey's Samurai (Qld). Geoff Hill, who leads the series with Antipodes from Hong Kong, has won every other race and leads the pointscore by six points after placing seventh today.
In Division 2, just 34 seconds decided the winner and runner-up. Joint Venture (Stephen Green, Qld) won the day from Richard Grant's Magellan (Tas). James Permezel's Charm Offensive (Vic) has a one-point lead in the series that will go down to the wire in tomorrow's decider, as the pointscore is close between the top six.
Division 3 was cleanly won by Geoff Adams' Rampallion (Vic) from Mick Linhart's Manly Too (NSW). However, it's Philip Cormie's Dreamtime Solutions (Vic) that holds the series lead, but on equal points with Manly Too. This division, too, is ever so close and will be decided in the final race.
Glenn Foley (Time Bandit) from Bundaberg in Queensland has a decisive lead in the Weta 4.4 one designs. He was on fire today in the four windward/leeward races that featured long legs.
"I won all four races and it was beautiful, just beautiful – 10-20 knots, it couldn't have been a better day," Foley said. "It was close racing with Dave Wood (Me and You) and George Martin (Wetasashag)," he said of the pair from Lake Cootharaba near Noosa.
Foley is looking unbeatable on 9 points, while his nearest rival, Wood, is on 20.
"I've been sailing the Weta for 11 years. I've done a State and two National titles. I travel a lot with the boat around Queensland, NSW and Victoria," Foley said.
Barry Berndt skippered Situation Normal (Qld) into the box seat of Division 2 in the Trailables. Berndt had it all over Mister Magoo (Goggles), finishing with a 10 minute advantage. Malcolm Dean's Back Betty is the series leader by five points, but either of today's top two could upset the apple cart tomorrow.
Jamie Berndt, Barry's son and crew said, "We had a good day out – redeemed ourselves from yesterday when we put it in the drink and retired.
"Off the start we had a bit of a jump and made up more at Pioneer Rock, with the two of us (he and Keith Jones on trapeze) and up the Whitsunday Passage we were able to power away from the rest. We later heard most the rest fell into a hole on the southern side of Pioneer Rock in the Whitsunday Passage."
Berndt added, "Dad steers the boat and Keith and I make the magic up the front. We had 15 to 20 knots most of the course, but around Hannah Point it was a bit more, because we got 21.6 knots out of the boat. I was so disappointed, the GoPro became disconnected, so we couldn't film it."
On the top three heading into tomorrow, Berndt said, "We always have good races between Black Betty and Goggles. This is one of the better years we've had at Airlie."
The VX One and Weta 4.4 classes sailed windward/leeward courses on Pioneer Bay, while the remaining divisions courses mainly took in Denman Island, Hannah Point and Bluff, while North Molle Island substituted for Denman Island in Sports Boats & Trailable Yachts Division 3, Non-Spinnaker Division 2 and Cruising Division 3.
Racing in the Whitsunday Sailing Club (WSC) annual regatta concludes tomorrow with the spectacular mass start Bay Race – a fabulous end to a fabulous week.
For full results in all classes and divisions at 74 Islands Distillery Airlie Beach Race Week, please visit the ABRW Race Results page.
