Portsea Cup – We got it done! The weather models had been tormenting all week. Saturday always looked difficult and everyone wanted to avoid a re-sail on Sunday.
The Warning Signal was delayed until 1400hrs, but there wasn’t a sailable breeze when we got down there. Then an easterly emerged against all predictions and contrary to the beautiful North Easterly up the bay.
Seeing it start to hold and settle the race course was moved and re-laid. This was the breeze we had and given there may’ve been nothing else, the Portsea Cup was started, fortunately without the customary general recalls at Portsea when we have an up the course tide.
Margarita C97 got a clear boat end start and tacked to go right while Mystify C888 came from the pin. It was one of those torturous decisions to choose between line favoured and course favoured.
The pressure fluctuated as did the direction, initially going more south part way up the beat.
The pressure dropped as boats battled the increasing tide. It was still sailable but the fleet’s ability to complete the course was at risk and that risk only looked like it would increase. Volunteer was already up the top of the course so Div 2 was shortened – their second time up the top while Div 1 was shortened for the third time.
As the boats headed home, that sailable breeze vanished.
At the presentation at the CBA Summer Picnic at Quarantine Station, James Mighell explained and acknowledged how hard some of these decisions can be for the Race Committee when making decisions with what the conditions are at the time when they conflict with the models, and thanked the team of volunteers. It was a truly remarkable race that was probably the best that was at all possible on the day.
In Div 1, Margarita C97’s strategy was rewarded taking first place in the Portsea Cup with Mystify C888 in second and Georgia C2015 in third. Jocelyn C2014 took Line Honours.
Aliscia C33 had also gone right early and won Div 2 as well as Line Honours with Joan C99 in second and Tarni C93 in third.
It was an really epic battle for Div 2, with just 20 seconds separating second to fifth place. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Quarantine Picnic – what a perfect day! Thanks also to the live musos: Emmanula and Trent.
