Over the weekend two RBYC boats, Another Chapter and JAMHU, joined 21 other yachts in the 74th Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht race. This 160nm race started in Adelaide on Friday afternoon with the course taking yachts across the Gulf of St Vincent to Marion Reef at the bottom of the Yorke Peninsula, into Investigator Strait towards Cape Spencer before the fleet turned northwest towards Cape Donington and into Port Lincoln. The section of the course from around Cape Spencer to Dangerous Reef, about 15 miles SE of Port Lincoln, is a navigator’s nightmare with numerous islands and reefs along the rhumb line. Many of these are unlit and to make things more interesting this section is sailed at night, often under spinnaker with a strong following wind. This year proved no different. The race started in 10-15knot south westerly breeze that strengthened and backed to the SE allowing the yachts to cross the Gulf of St Vincent on one port tack with the leading yachts reaching Marion Reef just on dark. The fleet then reached under headsails across Investigator Strait to Cape Spencer before setting spinnakers for the run home to Port Lincoln. The wind was 15-20 knots and shifted between 80 – 135 degrees with the shift to 80 degrees both unpredicted and unexpected. As often is the case at night, it was during this section that the race was won and lost. Most of the fleet had finished by lunchtime on Saturday with the two RBYC boats finishing 8th and 9th on AMS. After the usual post race refreshments and a good sleep, the crews of Another Chapter and JAMHU are preparing for the Tackle Classic Lincoln Regatta, a mix of windward/leeward and passage races sailed on the sheltered waters of Boston Bay – think Geelong without the channel, ships and ferries!
Peter Demura
Vice Commodore
