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The Coastal Classic according to Share Delight

Like the All Blacks – we didn’t win……………unlike the AB’s, we know why!

It was a picture postcard just after the start to this years Classic with pulses of brightly coloured kites heading out passed North Head. Share Delight got a clear start in by Devonport Wharf out of the tide and was first 1020 out into Rangi Chanel. The forecast had promised a fast race and many crews were poised to break the record to Russell. Unfortunately the unstable weather of the previous week continued and even the expert meteorologists had differing opinions as to the forecast.

Just after Rangi light the wind deceased and most of the fleet was drawn over to the East to keep sailing while a few of us persisted along the Rhumb line. At Tiri Passage we had idled through the hole and enjoyed the new SW wind first. We then looked at our weather predictions and debated throwing it away but choose to keep monitoring it for a bit longer.

The “east” fleet drew back in behind us after Flat Rock and our weather monitoring showed the prediction was becoming more and more accurate. Do we cover our opposition or go with the weather? Well after years of being conservative we decided to take the risk (no lotto ticket for us this week!) and continue on outside the Hen & Chicks.

You can see what happened….Hughie dumped on us and sent another new stronger breeze from the West so all the boats inside of us sailed passed – including Ambience, Max Headroom and Azure. This was our weather prediction but not until around 9amish Saturday morning! We had a great ride at night with the big kite on in big seas surfing along at 15+ knots. Pity we could not have held it for longer before we had to harden up to get back on course for Cape Brett. The night was clear with a thousand Milky Way stars and consequently very cold.

Max Headroom and Azure carried their kites to the Cape and had a very close race to the finish. Inside the Bay, the breeze was getting lighter and on the nose, making the outgoing tidal flow significant.

Azure won the Farr 1020 race at 0417 hrs by 1min 15s ahead of Max Headroom, followed by Ambience 20 minutes latter followed by Share Delight, Rainbow IV, Rawhide, L’Avanti and the V Team

Congratulations to Pete Strathdee and his crew on Azure

We had an enjoyable Farr 1020 gathering ashore at the Swordfish Club where Trevor Dunn presented the plaques and the usual banter and race debriefs were discussed before the Air NZ Final rugby game was televised.

As it turns out we all had a fast ride home with up to 40+ knots Westerly’s off Bream Head and the multi’s unofficially broke the records on the way!

This was our 11^th Coastal Classic and it looks like we will have to ‘do it just one more time’

Mike & Sheryl Lanigan – Share Delight