The fleet spanned a wide range of sizes. At the small end were the Shaw designs, with Daisy Duke, Matt Gottard’s Shaw 7, and Snatch, Rob Hielkema’s Shaw 6.5, setting the early baseline. The eight to under 9.5 metre group featured Men at Work 3, Hans Wehmeyer’s Thompson 850, alongside Blackout and Physical Favours. The largest concentration sat between 9.5 and under 11 metres, with Chain Reaction, Radix, Mustang Sally, Margaritaville, and Apparition. At the top end were The Farm and Akatea, Mark Malpass’s Cookson 12, bringing length and power into the mix.
Race 3 in Racing B was sailed on the shorter Group B course after a rapid turnaround. Radix finished Race 2 at 12:07pm, leaving barely 13 minutes before the Race 3 start at 12:20pm, giving crews little time to reset before lining up again. This immediately set the pressure.
Daisy Duke shows she’s here to win
On line honours, Daisy Duke sailed away from the fleet yet again. The Shaw 7 opened a decisive gap and finished eight minutes ahead of Blackout, establishing a clear separation on the water. Behind her, the race tightened immediately. From second through sixth, Blackout, Men at Work 3, Chain Reaction, Mustang Sally, and Radix finished inside 43 seconds, effectively racing as a single group once the leader had escaped.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Elapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daisy Duke | Matt Gottard | 00:38:03 | 1 |
| 2 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 00:46:03 | 2 |
| 3 | Men at Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 00:46:05 | 3 |
| 4 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 00:46:42 | 4 |
| 5 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 00:46:45 | 5 |
| 6 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 00:46:46 | 6 |
| 7 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 00:47:33 | 7 |
| 8 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 00:47:40 | 8 |
| 9 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 00:48:15 | 9 |
| 10 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 00:48:36 | 10 |
| DNF | Akatea | Mark Malpass | – | DNF |
| DNF | Snatch | Rob Hielkema | – | DNF |
The photo above is from an earlier BOISW.
Chain Reaction and Radix fight it out on EHC
EHC correction reshuffled the order but preserved the same split. Daisy Duke remained first on corrected time. Chain Reaction and Radix climbed into second and third, separated by just three seconds. From second through sixth on EHC, the fleet compressed into 1 minute 17 seconds, with Blackout and Apparition recording identical corrected times, underlining how narrow the margins were once ratings applied.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daisy Duke | Matt Gottard | 00:38:03 | 1 |
| 2 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 00:46:42 | 2 |
| 3 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 00:46:46 | 3 |
| 4 | Men at Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 00:46:05 | 4 |
| 5 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 00:47:40 | 5 |
| 6 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 00:46:03 | 6.5 |
| 6 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 00:48:15 | 6.5 |
| 8 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 00:46:45 | 8 |
| 9 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 00:47:33 | 9 |
| 10 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 00:48:36 | 10 |
| DNF | Akatea | Mark Malpass | – | DNF |
| DNF | Snatch | Rob Hielkema | – | DNF |
Men at Work 3 steps up, only 2 seconds in it
PHRF delivered the tightest finish of all. Men at Work 3 took the win by two seconds from Chain Reaction, with Radix close behind. Fourth through sixth were separated by only six seconds, and the top five finished inside 49 seconds. For a shorter course raced in rain, those margins reflected sustained overlap across the fleet.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Men at Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 00:46:05 | 1 |
| 2 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 00:46:42 | 2 |
| 3 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 00:46:46 | 3 |
| 4 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 00:46:03 | 4 |
| 5 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 00:47:40 | 5 |
| 6 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 00:48:15 | 6 |
| 7 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 00:46:45 | 7 |
| 8 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 00:47:33 | 8 |
| DNC | Deep Purple | Philip Hart | – | 11 |
| DNC | Sham Pain | Jk Kennsington | – | 11 |
Snatch and Akatea retired during the race.
Daisy Duke’s skipper, Matt Goddard, and crew have made their intentions clear; they are here to win! Bring on Day 3, Race 4.
