The final race for Racing group B, produced a number of fantastic results which could potentially throw a spanner in the series numbers. Akatea and Snatch again did not start, their series scores will be counted across the four races they completed.
What followed in Racing group B’s final race was a battle that told three very different stories.
On the water: Daisy Duke versus the fleet
On line honours, Race 7 was decisive.
Daisy Duke stamped her authority on the division once again, stopping the clock in 1 hour 56 minutes 30 seconds. It was a dominant performance, built on pace and control from start to finish, and there was no doubt who owned the racecourse.
Behind her, the story was very different.
Mustang Sally crossed the line in second, but she did so 22 minutes and 36 seconds after Daisy Duke. That gap underlines just how far clear the leader sailed. Yet second place itself was anything but comfortable. Mustang Sally finished just two seconds ahead of Blackout, the pair locked in genuine boat on boat racing right to the line.
Further back, the fleet compressed again. Chain Reaction crossed in sixth on elapsed time at 2 hours 23 minutes 14 seconds, with Radix following just three seconds later. It was another example of tight racing through the middle of the fleet, even as Daisy Duke disappeared up the road.
Visually, this was a runaway. On the water, Daisy Duke versus everyone else.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Elapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daisy Duke | Matt Gottard | 01:56:30 | 1 |
| 2 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 02:19:06 | 2 |
| 3 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 02:19:08 | 3 |
| 4 | Men At Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 02:20:17 | 4 |
| 5 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 02:23:14 | 5 |
| 6 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 02:23:30 | 6 |
| 7 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 02:23:33 | 7 |
| 8 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 02:26:34 | 8 |
| 9 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 02:30:56 | 9 |
| 10 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 02:32:27 | 10 |
On EHC: one race, four boats
Once corrected times were applied, the picture flipped completely.
Radix claimed the EHC win in 1 hour 53 minutes 41 seconds, marking the first race win of the series for the boat.
Radix, Chain Reaction, Margaritaville, and Daisy Duke filled the top four on EHC, separated by just 1 minute 25 seconds.
Despite winning line honours by over 22 minutes, Daisy Duke dropped to fourth on corrected time, only 25 seconds shy of the win. The sailing was sharp, but the rating did exactly what it is designed to do.
The compression did not stop there. From The Farm in fifth through to Blackout in ninth, five boats were covered by just 2 minutes 4 seconds on corrected time. That is proper handicap racing, where every call matters and no one is sailing in isolation.
The tightest duel of the race came between Mustang Sally and Physical Favours, separated by just two seconds on corrected time. After nearly two and a half hours on the water, that margin is effectively a draw.
Race 7 in Line Racing B was the perfect illustration of the dual race reality. On the water, a runaway win. On corrected time, a knife edge contest. The fleet stayed remarkably connected despite the visual separation, with performance bands measured in seconds rather than legs.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:53:41 | 1 |
| 2 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:54:48 | 2 |
| 3 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:55:01 | 3 |
| 4 | Daisy Duke | Matt Gottard | 01:55:06 | 4 |
| 5 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 01:55:47 | 5 |
| 6 | Men At Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 01:56:43 | 6 |
| 7 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:57:24 | 7 |
| 8 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:57:26 | 8 |
| 9 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:57:51 | 9 |
| 10 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 02:02:25 | 10 |
On PHRF: seconds decide again
The PHRF result delivered a third version of the same race.
Men At Work 3 took the win on PHRF in 1 hour 54 minutes 45 seconds, earning victory through consistency rather than outright dominance. Chain Reaction followed 1 minute 12 seconds later, with Blackout arriving just 22 seconds after that, confirming a genuine podium fight decided by small margins.
Further down the order, the closest split of the race appeared again. Physical Favours finished sixth on 2 hours 1 minute 57 seconds, just one second ahead of seventh placed Apparition. It was another example of how fine the margins were once ratings came into play.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Men At Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 01:54:45 | 1 |
| 2 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:55:57 | 2 |
| 3 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:56:19 | 3 |
| 4 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:56:34 | 4 |
| 5 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:58:08 | 5 |
| 6 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 02:01:57 | 6 |
| 7 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 02:01:58 | 7 |
| 8 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 02:03:28 | 8 |
A race that showed everything
Line Racing B, Race 7, showed the full spectrum of competitive sailing. Daisy Duke delivered another commanding line honours performance. Radix converted consistency into a long awaited corrected time win. Men At Work 3 executed cleanly to take PHRF honours.
This race was won cleanly, but contested hard. The real fireworks were not at the front of the course, but in the compressed battles behind, where seconds decided places and every decision counted.
