A lighter day mixes it up

Paul Brotherton reports on a good day for the smaller crews at the International 14 Worlds

The big questions before the start of race four were: How would the big boys do
in a sniggley race? And would they hang in there with good race craft or would
they blow up?

Australians Irwin and Perry had a 1,1,2 going into today’s significantly lighter race four. A shifty southerly, clocking 8 to 12 knots, at start time would be a very different test to the one the fleet has faced so far.

A left shift at start time gave the snigglers a long port up the track. Meanwhile the gamblers continued on starboard and hoped for more on the left hand side. With a two mile beat in an offshore breeze it was a big gamble. The fleet was split 50/50 left and right.

At weather mark the snigglers had it. The right came pouring in and only Richardson and Barker rounded in the top 10 of the left hand bunch. Morrison and Rhodes made an unspectacular start. Premature in yesterdays race and having to return to the start (giving the fleet a big jump in the process), they seemed a little more circumspect today, rounding in the early teens was a much easier proposition than rounding in the thirties as in race three.

At the mid point of the race it was James Fawcett (sailing with six stitches in an arm wound gained the previous day) and Dave Debrovnic, who worked a small advantage over the lead bunch. A four way battle between Fawcett and Debrovnic, Richardson and Barker, Morrison and Rhodes - and the one strong wind performer from Australia Brad Devine and Dennis Jones. Fawcett and Debrovnic ran into a stone wall 20 degree header up the third windward leg and were unable to avoid a capsize. Accepting the invitation and the warning Morrisson and Rhodes stepped onto starboard and sailed away.

With the breeze easing all the time it left no chance of a last-leg charge for the big boys. Morrisson and Rhodes led home with Fawcett and Rhodes rescuing second.

With three races left to sail it will all come down to the breeze. There is no way the big guys can consistently compete in light and moderate winds. They have proved however that they can dominate in the strong winds. One more race in light medium airs will mean a big counter. At least five or six of the light medium weight crews can hang in the top five when it’s fresh. I know which group my money is on.

Peter Hayward in CAN 590 crept into the top ten places with his 14th place finish today. Bjorn Frasch in GER 172 is the top German boat, holding down 29th place after today’s racing, and the top US contenders are Ted Rogers and Tim Burks in USA 1137 at 35th place. The Japanese are in the bottom half of the fleet.

At the end of the day, the top ten place holders changed very little, with one, Warren Sare dropping to 12th, and CAN 590 taking his place. But the light winds certainly presented challenges for previous 1st and 3rd place holders AUS 631 Lindsay Irwin and AUS 626 Grant Geddes who came in 27th and 29th today, but stayed in the top ten by virtue of their consistently low performances earlier in the week.

Next racing will be on Thursday as Wednesday is a spare. No overall results were available, please check back later for these.