Another Fiasco has a runaway win

by Ian Grant on 7 Jul 2008
Damien Suckling expressed his skill to helm Another Fiasco to a runaway win in the opening race of the 2008 Maurice Drent Boating Services trophy on the Whitsunday Sailing Club Pioneer Bay course last week.

The Another Fiasco crew winners of the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race Performance handicap title showed they were in a class of their own in the lazy and shifting breeze winning a rare line and corrected handicap double during the supreme test of light wind sailing.

They were in a class of their own generating the required boat speed from the unstable and fickle breeze to cleverly outpace their .872 rating.

Another Fiasco outpaced her rivals to secure line honours by a commanding 6 minutes 34 seconds over Treasure Vlll while handing the competitively strong fleet a sailing lesson to set an equally impressive corrected course time.

Skipper Damien Suckling has built a reputation as a clever tactician with his personal skill to ‘suss’ out the best options from the breeze that blows over the deck and this was clearly evident when Another Fiasco left her rivals struggling as they took control from the start.

There was no looking back when the Another Fiasco crew continued to build on their leading margin.

Winning on corrected handicap became a reality and their goal when Another Fiasco weathered the halfway buoy.

It became clearly evident her crew were on a mission as they chased the required boat speed to set a handicap rated course time that their rivals would struggle to match.

The crucial seconds were extended into minutes when Another Fiasco produced her best result of the season handing a light wind flogging to the fleet by outpacing her .872 high handicap correction factor to beat Wobbly Boot (Craig Piccinelli) by a runaway 4 minutes while Queensland Marine Services (John Galloway) claimed third another 11 seconds astern.

However in spite of being outclassed Wobbly Boot, Queensland Marine Services and Treasure Vlll remain in control of the overall progressive 2008 season points table.

Wobbly Boot nominated to contest the International Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week championship next month has retained her consistency over the past six months winning three monthly championship trophies to lead Queensland Marine Services by 9 points while Treasure Vlll holds third another five points adrift.

All three crews hope to have the tactical strategy and pace to challenge Another Fiasco when the go into battle for the major place points in the important second race of the Maurice Drent Boating Services trophy this week.