Top of the Gulf 2012, day 4. Ending not with a bang, but a whimper

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 8 May 2012 The weather forecast got it right up to a point. There were the overnight thunderstorms, and a very grey and threatening breakfast time. A major rainstorm immediately to the north of the racing area was pushing out plenty of wind, and the major decision was whether to take full oilies or just a jacket. It looked pretty ugly, but ugly in terms of boats being thrown around the racecourse often makes for some dramatic pictures. And besides, there was the prospect of some serious racing at the top of the Platu class as Nataya (Rolf Heemskerk) and The Ferret (Chris Way) resolved the dead heat on the scoreboard for the Coronation Cup.

So off we went. Just as the storm moved away – and took all the breeze with it. Not just some, mark you, but ALL. Not a breath left behind. The scheduled start time of 1100hrs came and went, and in the jillabout glass-out some crews opted for a swim and others started broadcasting music over the VHF.

Fast forward to 1300hrs: N over H, all go home, and the Top of the Gulf 2012 was all over bar the shouting.

A quick look through the Platu scoresheet in the aftermath of yesterday’s protest shows that Nataya and The Ferret were tied on 17 points apiece for the Coronation Cup. Further examination shows that (after a discard) both boats had scored three firsts, two seconds, one third and one fifth, but with The Ferret having fired the last bullet in the series. On the face of it, game, set and match to Team Easy Tiger from Australia, but now the Wise Men are at it in The Room again and we are waiting for a decision on a re-opened protest concerning The Ferret’s OCS yesterday.

Remaining results:

IRC 1
1 Hi Fi 1,2,13*,3,1 (7)
2 Karasu 3,5*,1,1,4 (9)
3 Kukukerchu 2,1,6,8*,7 (16)

IRC 2
1 Magic 1,2,1,1,2* (5)
2 El Coyote 3*,1,2,2,1 (6)
3 Dynamite 2,4,3,3,4* (12)

IRC 3
1 Navy 1 1,1,2,1,2* (5)
2 Hi Jinks 3,4*,1,3,1 (8)
3 Navy 2 2,3,3,2,3* (10)
Cruising
1 Kirifiki 1,1,1,1* (3)
2 San Sanook 2,2,2,2* (6)
3 Reef Knot 3,3,4*,3 (9)

Ocean Multihulls
1 Sweet Chariot 1,9*,2,1,1 (5)
2 Fantasia 2,1,5*,2,2 (6)
3 Free Wheeler 3,2,3,6*,3 (11)

Sportsboats
1 Crime Scene 1,1,1,1,1,1* (5)
2 Pornstar 2,2.5,3,2,3,4* (12.5)
3 Brace Brace Brace 7*,2.5,3,2,3,4 (14.5)

Full results: www.topofthegulfregatta.com