Please select your home edition
Edition
PredictWind - Wave Routing 728x90 TOP

Mandurah Race: Perfect one day, better the next

by Bernie Kaaks 15 Mar 2018 15:35 UTC
Mike Giles' Endorfin being monstered by Argo and Weapon of Choice in the return race © Bernie Kaaks

It was a bittersweet occasion for offshore sailors last weekend, returning to a spot barely ten miles from where their popular colleagues Rob Thomas and Paul Owens died two weeks earlier in a capsize during the Bunbury and return ocean race.

There were no problems this time. South easterly and easterly conditions made for an easy race in both directions. In the race from Fremantle on Saturday, Garth Curran's Walk on the Wild Side set the pace, the Inglis 58 carving out the distance 14 minutes ahead of Alan Stein's GP42 Dirty Deeds to finish first in YAH handicap. Dirty Deeds however, took first place on IRC and backed that up with another win in the return race on Sunday. The use of a staysail gave the boat superb reaching performance. In the return race Dirty Deeds was recalled but sailed past all boats except Walk on the Wild Side before reaching the Peelhurst rounding mark. She caught and passed Wild Side on the next leg of the race, a square run from Peelhurst to Horseshoe Reef.

The square run caught several skippers unawares. The breeze was typically in the 15 knot range, but as often happens in this weather pattern, there were some big bullets as well. Anthony Kirke and Andrew Nuttman's Enterprise was first to go, losing her grip and falling into a Chinese gybe. They recovered quickly, but narrowly behind them, Paul Arns' Obsession, worried about the close proximity of Enterprise on one side and Chris Higham's Argo on the other, followed suit with a spectacular Chinese gybe of their own. It took some time to regain control, by which time Argo gleefully flew past both yachts with her big white kite in perfect trim. Argo continued her good form to finish second on IRC, a repeat of her Saturday performance.

At the other end of the fleet, Ryan Binedell combined with Reuben Rosolin in the S97 Low Flying Duck. Competing in the double handed division, the little boat outpaced Bruce Beattie's Radford 47 Lizard to the top mark on both days and set an IRC time on the return which gave the boat first place overall.

The Beneteau 34.7's Dynamic and Wyuna enjoyed close competition on both days, finishing second and third on IRC on Saturday and improving to first and second on Sunday's return. Phil Somerville's S&S34 Huckleberry knocked the pair out of first place on Saturday and finished third n the return race.

After the tragedy of the last ocean race on the West Coast, this was a cathartic return to ocean racing for many and there were emotional moments at the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club on Saturday evening as sailors paid their respects.

Related Articles

Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Cagliari day 2
Today in Cagliari, the awards ceremony for the stage winners At the Regatta Village, preparations are under way for the closing ceremony of the Cagliari stage scheduled for this evening at 9:30 pm, preceded by a concert by the Banda della Brigata Sassari. Posted today at 10:28 am
Course des Caps Update: A promising start!
The eleven crews have begun their grand tour around the British Isles The Course des Caps - Boulogne-sur-Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, which set sail from the shores of northern France, marks the first race of the 2025 season and kicks off the new edition of the IMOCA Globe Series Championship. Posted today at 8:42 am
Cape 31 Med Circuit Round 3 at Sanremo
Stig claims first Cape 31 victory The third round of the 2025 Cape 31 Med Circuit wrapped up this weekend in Sanremo, serving up three days of sunshine, spectacular racing, and classic Italian flair. Posted today at 7:56 am
18ft Skiffs: Queensland 18 footer history
Decades of successful ideas and achievement Queensland's revival over recent seasons, which resulted in a two-pronged attack by experienced and young teams in new skiffs at the 2025 Giltinan world championship Posted today at 6:46 am
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D2
A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task on the second day of racing at the GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand, Sweden. Posted on 1 Jul
Europe Masters & Youth Championships Preview
Racing starts tomorrow at Haying Island Sailing Club Sitting in the sunshine at Haying Island Sailing Club - a perfect 13 knot sea breeze kicking in and 130 Europe's getting ready for a week of racing - what more could a sailor want? Posted on 1 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais - Practice Day
Will Platoon Aviation's big breeze, big pressure experience prove key to their fourth world title? Of the three past and present world championship winning crews which completed their final practice today in typically muscular 25 knot breezes and big waves out of Cascais, Portugal it was Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation which showed best today. Posted on 1 Jul
Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago. Posted on 1 Jul
LA28 sailing venue decision driven by politicians
The LA28 Olympic "dinghy" events will be sailed off the largest container port in the US The decision to stage the Los Angeles "dinghy" events alongside a working container port appears to have been a determination by local politicians. But other big changes to reduce the Sailing Olympics are pending. Posted on 1 Jul
Freestyle Pro Tour Paros day 3
The return of Super X Day 3 at the FPT Paros 2025 was a slower one - with a lay day with no wind anticipated and a late skippers meeting at 13:00 to assess the conditions, there wasn't much initially filling up the schedule. Posted on 1 Jul
Zhik 2024 DecemberExposure MarineArmstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - BOTTOM