by Mick Gwilliams
Rear Commodore - Port Douglas Yacht Club

Heat 6 of the Port Douglas Yacht Club Championship contested on Sunday had under 10 knots of breeze for the fleet to work with. The light air proved a challenge for skippers and crew as the yachts jostled for position at the start.

Doug Ryan on Magic took the early lead ahead of Vic Petrus on Whitecap closely followed by series leader Tim Preuss on Ann Sea and defending Club Champion Mick Gwilliams on Ice.

The windward mark one nautical mile from the start was easily visible across the calm seas but how to get there quickly proved to be less apparent as the fleet split wide apart on varying tacks.

The boats converged on the top mark with Magic ahead by several boat lengths as the yachts turned downwind. A combination of colourful spinnakers and huge genoas emerged to push the yachts along in the dying breeze but on the second lap it became clear there would be insufficient time to complete the three lap course and a shortened course was announced.

Magic held onto the lead taking line honours and corrected time followed by Whitecap, Ann Sea and Ice. Whitecap has narrowed the gap from Ann Sea from 5 points to 4.

The final two heats will be run on December 11th when the Spring Series and the 2010 Club Championship will be decided.

In other sailing news, local Port Douglas sail maker and dedicated race sailor Malcolm Richardson took his giant Nacra 36 catamaran down to Lake Macquarie in New South Wales last week for the 2010 APC Logistics Multihull Regatta.

In a fleet of nine in the Division 1 Series for high performance boats over 6m in length with an OMR (Offshore Multihull Rating) greater than 0.9 Richardson proved to be the stand out performer.

Achieving three firsts, two seconds and a third on elapsed time in the six race series was a magnificent effort resulting in three first place positions on handicap corrected time.

Considering the big Nacra carried the third highest handicap in the fleet it was a remarkable achievement to take out the Division 1 series ahead of some of the country’s elite high performance sailors.

With two boats tied for first place after the final race it was Richardson’s three firsts that allowed him to take the series win culminating in a very successful conclusion to the long trip south.

Distance is no obstacle in seeking the thrill and the fun of sailing for Richardson who regularly travels interstate and overseas to compete.