Crew: Jamie, Peter, Malcolm, Geoff.
Forecast: Southerly 5 kts.
A great day for the first race of the spring series. A nice relief from the spring storms we’ve experienced in October.
With Malcolm and Jamie on board and our new no. 1 genoa hoisted, we sailed round to Evans Bay where Peter was waiting for us.
We tied up at the slipway poles. The wharf was busy with the Radio Controlled Yachts Regatta. Pretty competitive racing it seems!
Isabelle had just finished her first Evans Bay Junior Sailing class of the season.
The keelboats race course was announced; Start – Mark 10 Falcon Shoal (p) – Finish. On-water start and finish with the committee boat, Pania.
Jamie rigged up the maxi spinnaker ready for a downwind start and we motored out to Greta Point. Race officer Rick Martin was on Pania. We waited for him to hoist our green class flag.
After a small delay the flag went up and we set our race timer for the 5 minute countdown. Our plan was to cross the line on starboard tack ready for a quick hoist of the kite. Our timing was spot-on and we were hoisting the spinnaker as we sailed past Pania.
A great start but Usurper, Upcycled and soon Incantare, overtook us. (Maybe we should have cleaned our hull).
Peter did a great job on helm as we managed to keep ahead of Grenadier and Expresso in the light breeze and come up behind Incantare to steal their wind.
As we neared the top of the bay the breeze got very shifty. We did a gybe to keep the spinnaker filled. Then a few minutes later it turned again and another gybe was called for. Jamie was getting a good work out!
We rounded Pt Halswell expecting to have to avoid a big wind shadow but to our surprise we cruised through to a light breeze coming across Kau Bay. With the genoa quickly hoisted and kite down we got away nicely from Grenadier, Expresso and Incantare who were caught in a wind hole. “The hand of God“, Peter quipped.
Initially on a close reach and then close hauled, we made our course towards the Falcon Shaol light. Grenadier and Expresso sailed higher than Halo’s track and got ahead of us. On port tack we crossed close behind 88% Proof who were in the Port Nick race. They called “starboard” but we sailed clear behind them without needing to dip.
Now, do we go round the old Falcon Shoal light or the new one? It wasn’t specified in the instructions. We decided to follow Usurper round the new one. We noticed some other boats rounding the old light. Oh well.
We gybed round the mark and then hoisted the spinnaker out of the front hatch for the run back to Kau Bay.
With Peter back on helm we were sailing neck and neck with Incantare as we neared Pt Halswell.
We were doing pretty well until it was Halo’s turn to get into a wind hole. We came to a stop and drifted around for a few minutes until we were pointing in the wrong direction altogether. Argh!
Incantare and others steamed on ahead.
We quickly dropped the kite and eventually got back on course. Once we rounded Pt Halswell we were back in the breeze and sailed nicely close-hauled back down Evans Bay.
Jesse James, the big Ross 40, was sailing well and cruised past us.
After a couple of tacks we arrived to where we thought the finish line should be, near Greta Point. Strange, nobody could see Pania! Peter finally picked her out. We’d sailed too high. We quickly put in a tack and crossed the finish line near the pin.
On the sail back to Chaffers we enjoyed teas and coffees, muesli bars and Malcolm’s chocolate. A great day out on the water!
eStela Race Replay
(Expresso shows as Tamerlane).
https://estela.co/en/tracking-race/16331/ebymbc-spring-series-1-november-2025
Results
The club finally released the results on Monday after the sailing committee decided not to penalise boats that went around the new Falcon Shoal mark. Halo came 4th on handicap. 😀
Halo Log Book 