Wild and windy start to the 2013 Port Nicholson Regatta

Day 1 - 2013 Port Nicholson Regatta RPNYC Events

Day 1 - 2013 Port Nicholson Regatta © RPNYC Events

Race one and two were windward leeward courses laid at the top of Evans Bay. The final race of the day was a harbour course featuring a tight reach two thirds of the length of Wellington harbour, which proved to be a favourite amongst all the sailors.

Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club vice commodore Paul Davies summed up the day’s sailing as ‘there were more broaches out there today than at an antique fair’.

At the end of day one it is hard to go past the performance of Flying Boat who lead on all three handicap systems for their division A, and Illusions who lead on both handicap systems for division B. Also putting in an outstanding performance on day one was Georgia who was uncatchable all day in the strong winds.

After three races the provisional leaders in the various handicap systems in the two divisions before protests are:

Div A IRC
1. Flying Boat 4pts
2. Gerogia 5pts
3. Wedgetail 12 pts

Div A PHRF
1. Flying Boat 4pts
2. Gerogia 5pts
3. Blue Magic 12 pts

Div A General Handicap
1. Flying Boat 5pts
2. Gerogia 5pts
3. Blue Magic 13 pts

Div B General Handicap
1. Illusions 5pts
2. Real Deal 7pts
3. Titus Canby 13 pts

Div B PHRF
1. Illusions 6pts
2. Real Deal 6pts
3. Titus Canby 7pts

Day 1- 2013 Port Nicholson Regatta © RPNYC Events

Not all the action on day one was happening on the yachts. In the first two races there was as much action for the support boats as for the race boats.

First up came the call that one of the sailors had fallen overboard. He was recovered quickly by the yacht concerned and brought to shore then off to hospital as a precautionary measure.

Then came the call that a sailor on another yacht had been hit with a glancing blow by the spinnaker pole which meant another trip out to the track to bring her ashore for treatment.

Then came the call that Magic Trick had lost her rudder. Back out to tow her home to the marina for repairs.

Then came the call that one of the sailors on Kia Kaha had injured himself in a fall during a tack. Back out to pick him up and off to hospital to check out his ribs and collar bone. After transferring the sailor a stray sheet fouled the prop on Kia Kaha so one more tow back to Chaffers Marina was required.

It has been a busy day for sailors and race support alike. Racing gets underway tomorrow at 10.00AM with another three races scheduled.