2011 Batemans Bay Regatta

The 2011 Batemans Bay Regatta will be held on April 9th and 10th.  Traditionally the Batemans Bay Regatta is held on the weekend closest to ANZAC Day. However, in 2011 ANZAC Day will be on Easter Monday. Holding the regatta over Easter would clash with NSW Championships in several classes so the regatta will instead be held two weekends earlier. NSW schools break up on April 8th, giving NSW based sailors the opportunity to have an extended family break in Batemans Bay.
Home » Durras Race - SAILING REPORT

Durras Race - SAILING REPORT

“Batemans Bay Sailing Club held its final sailing event of the year on Saturday with the running of the annual Durras Race. This course runs from a start line off Snapper Island to the Marine Park middle mark and hence to a mark off North Durras and return. This means all points of sail are experienced as well as the spectacular coastal scenery. A good fleet of twelve yachts faced the starters Peter and Lynn Connell and James Gardiner aboard the mighty “Cape Fear”. A moderate southeasterly breeze afforded an upwind leg from the start to the middle mark. The start was keenly contested. “Fractious” (Tim Devlin) jumped the gun at the start and failed to restart. This was a pity for the “Fractious” crew as they subsequently sailed very well.

The breeze backed towards the east after the start so the boats which went left did best. “Wishful Thinking” (Andrew Bain) went hard left and led around the middle mark. There followed a two sail reach to North Head where “Black Velvet” (Peter Walsh) picked up ground with some brave rock hopping. Most of the fleet set spinnakers on the leg to Wasp Island. The tight reach favoured those boats setting asymmetrical spinnakers such as “Wishful Thinking” and “Fractious”. “Ghoster” (Lachlan Brown) did well by heading offshore into slightly more wind. Across Beagle Bay the breeze dropped. Getting out of the Bay into the south east swell with very little breeze proved a struggle. “Apostrophe” (Tim Davis) nearly ended up on the bricks at Wasp Island when she lost steerage way while very close in.

Between Wasp Island and Flat Rock Island was a hole in the breeze which “Wishful Thinking”, “Apostrophe” and “Ghoster” fell into. The latter was even overtaken by a basking fur seal. “Black Velvet” miraculously sneaked through, perhaps propelled by the updraft from the skipper’s Hawaiian shirt, and got away to handy lead. This whole group got into some good breeze after clearing Flat Rock Island. The rest of the fleet were stuck in Beagle Bay for much longer. After the breeze came back it was an uneventful fetch back to North Head. Once the boats were back in Batemans Bay they set spinnakers for an enjoyable beam reach to the finish line at Casey’s Beach.

Results

Performance Handicap 1st “Ghoster” 2nd “Black Velvet” 3rd “Apostrophe”

IRC Measurement System 1st “Black Velvet” 2nd “Ghoster” 3rd “Wishful Thinking””