"Where is that damn wind", we were all asking this morning, Day 5 at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 – so no racing starting on time while officials monitored conditions on what was an otherwise picture perfect day - and finally the AP flag came down and racing was underway just after midday.
All courses in were confined to Pioneer Bay, as a low pressure system continued to direct a north-west to south-west gradient flow over the race course. What it boiled down to was a light 5 knot variable wind until the sea breeze took over after midday and increased wind strengths to 8-9 knots during the afternoon.
Competitors have been enjoying the mix of conditions and a return to warm balmy days in the Whitsunday Sailing Club's 36th edition of the much loved event.
A race drop came into play today and thriving in all conditions are a few boats across the divisions. Mark Skelton and Nocleks (NSW) is among them. His win today made it five from six races. Nocleks leads the Rating Passage 2 Division by an unassailable 11 points after dropping a third place.
George Owen has the monopoly in the Weta division. Despite the quality fleet of 12, Owen scored two more bullets in today's windward/leeward races. Dropping a second place, the Queenslander has a massive 15 point lead over Brad Stanley's Hazmat, so cannot be taken down.
Ray Roberts' Team Hollywood (NSW) continues to lead Rating Division 1, but an equally determined Gordon Ketelbey has Zen (NSW) posted another win to be just two points behind. Rob Appleyard, from Western Australia, is a further five points away in third place with Secret Weapon. He came a long way for a bit of thrust and parry.
Mobile Power Trailers skippered by Adam Janczyk (Qld), was second today and lifted up to be one point behind Appleyard, so Janczyk has the podium in his sights.
In Multihull Racing 2 division, Peter Hackett is in the same position as those mentioned before him. His Intrigue (Qld) sports a clean slate after winning all five races sailed. Gordon Myers' Harmony (Qld) is next best, but 14 points adrift of Intrigue. It's too close to call the other two podium places at this stage.
"Today was a hard one – we only just got it by 14 seconds," Hackett confessed. "It was light and all the boats were together in the bay so hard to find overtaking lanes. Frankie passed us at one stage but we passed them again. They are great local people. Today was close to not happening, so we were all glad when we got a race in," he said.
In the F18s, Darren Flanagan has sailed away from the rest, his Sasha is seven points clear of Anthony Fleming's Athena and a further two points to Rohan Hollingsworth's Firefly.
Here for Expresso Martini's first Airlie Beach Race Week, Judi Marshall and Steve Brierley scored yet another win to lead Trailable & Sports Boats Division 2 from Jack Middleton's Opus (NSW) by seven points, with one race remaining.
The two are representing Tasmania and Queensland, because Marshall is a FIFO (fly in fly out) worker. "I have a really top notch fantastic crew, the boat is suited to a lot of conditions," said Marshall, who has done the last six or seven Race Weeks.
"We did well in the harder conditions of the first three days, because I think we were happy to push the boat harder than perhaps some others would, because she's so tough. We're really pleased with the way we're performing. There's a lot riding on tomorrow. We're sitting here with a champagne and biscuits working out our strategy."
A thrilled Marshall continued, "The Ross 780's are a great boat, this is a fantastic regatta and it's wonderful to see such a well-organised sailing committee - they've been exceptionally good. Fantastic to see the AP ashore, instead of us going out floating around and dehydrating.
"The prizes are exceptional too. We're really happy we've got lovely glasses to take home and we're having such a good time here," Marshall concluded.
"It's not like these divisions had the races all to themselves, as conditions have varied from very heavy to very light. These lead boats have just been well sailed.
All divisions have one more chance to make their mark with the final race to be sailed tomorrow, followed by the main presentation.
Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 is held from place from 8-15 August and enjoys continued support from Tourism and Events Queensland, including as a feature on the It's Live! Queensland events calendar. The event also enjoys support from Coral Sea Marina Resort and d'Albora Port of Airlie Marina.
