Crew: Jamie, Malcolm, Emma, Dean, Geoff.
Forecast: NW 15 kts rising to 20 kts.
The forecast was looking a bit breezy but a lovely sunny day for the Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club 2025-26 Sailing Season Opening.
We tied up at the Evans Bay wharf and rigged the small no. 3 jib with one reef in the mainsail. We dressed Halo with our fancy bunting as Tamerlane tied up behind us.
After the opening ceremony speeches the canon was fired and burgees broken. Then the special presentation: a brand new club support boat, sponsored by Moore Wilsons and the Bobby Foundation, was presented to the club and christened by Bobbie Williamson.
We then rushed back to Halo and cast off to do some practise sailing around the start area with Jamie on bow, Emma on mainsheet, Malcolm and Dean on sail trim and me on helm. The course was announced as: Start – Mark 18 Days Bay – Mark 11 Korokoro – Finish. Race start at 1315 hrs.
With 19 keelboats on the start line it would be pretty busy. Our plan was to start on starboard tack heading towards Greta Point. At the five minute countdown we couldn’t see the green class flag light but saw the Blue Peter flag light which was a bit confusing. Anyway, we crossed the start just behind the lead boats, sailing close hauled into a stiff breeze.
We tacked our way up Evans Bay with Grenadier and Tamerlane ahead of us in the 20 kts northerly wind gusting up to 25 kts. Airship and Amnesty both withdrew from the race.
Once we rounded Pt Halswell we eased the sheets to sail on a close reach for a rather bumpy ride across the harbour towards Days Bay.
We rounded the mark at 1422 hrs and tacked immediately. We were ahead of Slingshot and Synfinity but Tamerlane and the rest of the fleet were way ahead of us by now. We chased Grenadier close hauled to the top of Somes Island.
Once we rounded Mokopuna we eased the sheets to head towards Korokoro. We looked back and saw Synfinity shaking out their mainsail reef. We decided to follow suit in preparation for the downwind leg.
We rounded the mark at 1500 hrs and pointed downwind back to towards Evans Bay. With the wind blowing around 20 kts dead astern we decided against flying the spinnaker. We used the spinnaker pole to sail ‘goose winged’ down the harbour with Dean doing a great job on helm.
Synfinity, the speedy little Fareast 26, hoisted their spinnaker and soon sped past us.
Grenadier, ahead of us, still had their mainsail reefed and didn’t have a kite up. We caught up with them by the time we entered Evans Bay.
We crossed the finish line at 1542 hrs, just 43 seconds ahead of Grenadier!
Halo Log Book 