Racing Group B delivered another tight, telling contest on Day 3 at Bay of Islands Sailing Week, with Race 5 reinforcing just how fine the margins are across this fleet.
Racing was sharp and tightly contested. On the water, Blackout continued its excellent series with a clean, decisive line honours win. Kevin Peet’s crew crossed just 20 seconds ahead of Mustang Sally, with Akatea a further six seconds back. The top three finished within 26 seconds after more than an hour and forty minutes of racing.
Behind them, the race stretched out slightly, but not dramatically. Apparition slipped into fourth on the water after losing touch with the lead trio, while Chain Reaction and Margaritaville completed a tightly packed second group. Radix, The Farm, and Physical Favours all stayed in the fight to the finish, albeit without the raw pace to challenge at the front.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Elapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:41:48 | 1 |
| 2 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:42:08 | 2 |
| 3 | Akatea | Mark Malpass | 01:42:14 | 3 |
| 4 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:48:24 | 4 |
| 5 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:49:32 | 5 |
| 6 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:49:48 | 6 |
| 7 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:53:14 | 7 |
| 8 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 01:54:09 | 8 |
| 9 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:57:21 | 9 |
Three tight seconds between first and second on EHC
Handicap results reshaped the story. Under EHC, Apparition converted consistency into a deserved win, correcting out just three seconds ahead of Mustang Sally. Blackout, despite taking line honours, dropped to third on handicap. Chain Reaction and Akatea followed closely. The middle of the fleet remains evenly matched.
Corrected times for the top five under EHC were separated by just over two minutes, with the first three split by less than 50 seconds. This is not a division being dominated by any single design or crew.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:25:32 | 1 |
| 2 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:25:35 | 2 |
| 3 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:26:20 | 3 |
| 4 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:27:24 | 4 |
| 5 | Akatea | Mark Malpass | 01:27:43 | 5 |
| 6 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 01:29:02 | 6 |
| 7 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:29:29 | 7 |
| 8 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:29:34 | 8 |
| 9 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:33:04 | 9 |
Blackout won PHRF, adding this to its list of firsts. Mustang Sally stayed close throughout, finishing 30 seconds on second. Apparition again proved reliable on handicap. The spread behind them opened slightly.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:25:06 | 1 |
| 2 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:25:35 | 2 |
| 3 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:26:43 | 3 |
| 4 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:28:30 | 4 |
| 5 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:33:11 | 5 |
| 6 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:34:39 | 6 |
| 7 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:34:49 | 7 |
There was attrition too. Men At Work 3 and Snatch both retired during the race, while Daisy Duke, so influential earlier in the series, did not start. Word out of Snatch is that the winds were at the top end of what Snatch prefers to sail in, potentially causing damage to sails; we still need to find more details to understand the full story.
With points tight and no runaway leader, and Daisy Duke and Men At Work 3 potentially unable to sail tomorrow, Racing Group B is shaping into one of the most compelling battles of the regatta. Bring it on!
