Strathfield Pittwater Coffs Race fleet almost home

by Al Constable on 4 Jan 2005 A busy night in the 24th Strathfield Pittwater Coffs Radio Room, above Coffs Harbour Yacht Club and out on the finish line, as the softening southerlies flicked to a strong north easter and the fleet have the breeze to come in fast.

From the 62-boat fleet, there have now been 49 boats crossed the finish line, with two retirements.

After The Cone of Silence, the 31 foot, 60 footer crossed the line at 16:37, she was followed by the Elliott 56 Future Shock at 17:04, five minutes ahead of Andy Offord’s Farr 40 Marsim Weapon, with Richard Hudson’s 45 footer Pretty Woman 19 minutes behind, then another little boat the Farr 36 Inner Circle Rum, better known at the Rumboat.

The busiest time of the night was from 2000 to 2100 when the Beneteau ia 47.7 Honeysuckle, just crossed ahead of the Sydney 39 CR Hussy, the Beneteau 44.7 AfterNOON and the nine Sydney 38 One Design’s led by Conspiracy.

At sea this morning still is Stewart Menday’s Lake Macquarie Cole 43 Fiddlers Green, the Flying Fish crew on the Beneteau 40.7 First Fish, Peter Helm’s Isolde, Darren Digney and his Coffs Harbour crew aboard Mistress Again, Graham Friend’s Radford 15 metre Sea Quest, another Flying Fish entry Sunfast One, a Sunfast 36, Ross Gandyne’s Northshore 38 Time Out, Dave Thomas’ veteran IOR Turkey Shoot, Richard Barron’s Northshore 38 Willyama, Peter Whitford’s Sydney 32 OD Wirrajurnd (pronounce we are adjourned- but say it fast) and the Bavaria 38, who sailed south on Boxing Day and then saw the error of her ways David and Andrea Mackay’s Athena.

Overnight there was a second retirement, when Graham Thompson’s J35, reported rig damage.

A few minutes ago the second Coffs Harbour boat Mistress Again notified race authorities of her retirement. She is now motoring to Coffs Harbour.