A race for second in the 2009 Suzuki Marine Fiji Hobie Challenge
by Anthony Duchatel on 3 Jul 2009
Aaron Worral - 2009 Suzuki Maine Fiji Hobie Challenge Anthony Duchatel
Its a race for second in the 2009 Suzuki Marine Fiji Hobie Challenge. Aaron Worral and Bradley Wilson (AUS) take a commanding lead after four days. An early capsize relegates fellow Australian Nicole Corlette, the only female skipper, back to third place.
'Give us a long course to give us some chance of catching Azza and the Dog' was the plea from the assembled teams at the end of day 3.
This is just what the race committee did with more than 15 hours sailing for some. The fleet got away to a clear downwind start early on day 4.
Disaster struck Nicole and Kerli Corlette, who were second overall going into the day, when they capsized and were relegated to last as the fleet beat to windward through the Moturiki Passage and out into the open ocean swells.
After a beam reach with 16 knot winds along the edge of the breakers the leaders gybed twice running through Gava Passage, with breaking surf on either side, to emerge into the flat calm lagoon. Aaron Worral and Bradley Wilson were first round the turning mark and hardened onto a twin wire beat past the town quay with a two minutes lead over Philp and Dugdale with their slender 5 second lead over Engwirda and Wilson.
The teams then set out to sea again and back past the Moturiki reef and through a gate set to the north of Leleuvia after which there was a 7 nm run to the WNW and starboard round Qata island leaving a 7 nm beat back to the finish.
Worral and Wilson extended a 5 minute lead over second placed Engwirda at the Leleuvia gate to just over 16 minutes, now over local Fiji sailors John Philp and Charlotte Dugdale, who had in turn squeezed in just ahead of Engwirda and Slater.
Nicole Corlette sailed a steady race after her early capsize picking through the fleet recovering to sixth place today but she dropped to third overall, 2 minutes and 40 seconds behind Matt Sheppard and Altaire Mandell.
Only 3 minutes ten seconds behind them however Engwirda and Slater are hot on their heels and in the hunt for a podium position.
The last leg - 38 nm back to Suva tomorrow – in forecast south easterly trade winds should see the leaders home within 3 hours.
The race is on for second and third, only a disaster will prevent Aaron Worral and Bradley Wislon taking out the Challenge.
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