Aussies hold top three spots

Mark Barnes reports from the first day of racing at the B14 Worlds in Hobart

Day one, half the fleet launched, into an offshore 15 knot breeze which then built to 25-35 knots, resulting in the other half of the fleet being held ashore as the breeze hit the on water fleet. After 1.5 hours, it was deemed that it would be best to send the fleet ashore and postpone till the flowing day.

Day two of the B14 World Championships started with a promising 5 to 15 knot northwesterly but with a sea breeze forecast, was always likely to die, and become very patchy before the sea breeze set in. As always in these conditions it was going to be a challenging day at the office for race officer Nick Hutton.

As predicted, the first race was postponed three times during the final start sequence before a successful start was achieved. In race one, the breeze initially paid to go left with the boats form the pin looking really good. However, the beat turned inside out and the left was hung out to dry. The lead bunch enjoyed a consistent but dying northwesterly.

Over the two laps there were big changes with some of the favourites arriving in heartbreak hotel with no route to the front. The lead bunch finished with kites, but then the opposing sea breeze kicked in and the latter bunch and managed to finish on a beat, with some being out of time. Sly Bone (Guy Bancroft/Nick Darlow) won the race pushed hard by Hyde Sails (Alan Davis/Toby Barsley-Dale), and Team Gill (Nick Craig/Matt Johnson).

Race two was sailed in a consistent 15-18 knot sea breeze with a steep chop to punch into and making for great kite runs down wind. The race got under way under a black flag after an enthusiastic fleet pushed the line hard resulting in a general recall. Seavolution (Mark Barnes/Pete Nicholson) overhauled Sly Bone, Bonework (Rhys Bancroft/Joey Randell) and Pigs Arse (Nick Richardson/Alan Nicholas) to win from Pigs Arse and Bonework.

In Race three, and with the breeze shifting right, then a large shift to the left, the fleet right had paid on the first round with Last Gasp (Chris Bibby and Scott Cunningham) taking the lead form a tight pursuing group. On the second beat, there was a strong shift to the left, closing up the front runners and bringing others who had headed hard left to the front led by Quinta Raddison (Chris Bines/Dave Gibbons) at the windward mark. With very tight racing, there were many place changes on the last run and a big group crossing the line together. Quinta Raddison Held on to win from Last Gasp and Bonework.

Going into day 3, with more of the same, all is to play for and the fleet were very closely bunched from front to back.