Racing group C took to the course for Race 4 under settled conditions, with no rain and a steady breeze allowing the fleet to stretch into a more even rhythm than the day before. While the course configuration may have differed from earlier races, the outcome once again highlighted how closely matched the division remains once handicap is applied.
The fleet got away cleanly at 10.40am, with Nautilass establishing control early and carrying that advantage through to the finish.
Nautilass leads on the water
On line honours, Paul King’s Nautilass delivered a composed and efficient race to take the win on elapsed time, stopping the clock at 1 hour 26 minutes 16 seconds. Young Magic followed just under three minutes later, with Ilex another two and a half minutes back.
Behind the leading trio, the fleet remained well connected. From fourth through sixth, Heartlight, Fifth Dimension, and Cotton Bud finished within just over four minutes, while the remainder of the fleet stayed engaged through to the finish, with no extended gaps forming despite the longer elapsed times.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Elapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nautilass | Paul King | 01:26:16 | 1 |
| 2 | Young Magic | Giovanni Belgrano | 01:29:04 | 2 |
| 3 | Ilex | Sefton Powrie | 01:31:33 | 3 |
| 4 | Heartlight | Roger Sims / Rhys Cole | 01:32:12 | 4 |
| 5 | Fifth Dimension | Ian Moore | 01:35:29 | 5 |
| 6 | Cotton Bud | Doug France | 01:36:22 | 6 |
| 7 | The Bondi Tram | Spencer Poborsa Cox | 01:43:46 | 7 |
| 8 | Opportunity | Dave Campbell | 01:44:10 | 8 |
| 9 | Farr South | Ian Templeman | 01:45:42 | 9 |
| 10 | Platupus | Bill Clifton | 01:49:19 | 10 |
| 11 | The Racoon | Paul Smith | 01:52:07 | 11 |
| 12 | Nexus | Cees Romeyn | 02:06:07 | 12 |
Young Magic reshapes the podium on handicap
Once the times were corrected, the order changed decisively.
Under EHC, Young Magic claimed the win, converting a second place finish on the water into first on corrected time. Heartlight followed in second, with Nautilass dropping to third despite leading on elapsed time. The top four on EHC were covered by just over three minutes, underlining how little separated the front of the fleet once ratings were applied. Thirty seconds between Cotton Bud and Fifth Dimension shows the fleet is still pushing each other.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Young Magic | Giovanni Belgrano | 01:04:56 | 1 |
| 2 | Heartlight | Roger Sims / Rhys Cole | 01:06:06 | 2 |
| 3 | Nautilass | Paul King | 01:07:38 | 3 |
| 4 | Ilex | Sefton Powrie | 01:08:01 | 4 |
| 5 | Cotton Bud | Doug France | 01:09:17 | 5 |
| 6 | Fifth Dimension | Ian Moore | 01:09:48 | 6 |
| 7 | Farr South | Ian Templeman | 01:11:08 | 7 |
| 8 | Opportunity | Dave Campbell | 01:11:21 | 8 |
| 9 | The Bondi Tram | Spencer Poborsa Cox | 01:12:57 | 9 |
| 10 | Platupus | Bill Clifton | 01:18:03 | 10 |
| 11 | Nexus | Cees Romeyn | 01:22:44 | 11 |
| 12 | The Racoon | Paul Smith | 01:23:52 | 12 |
PHRF reinforced the same result at the top, with Young Magic again taking the win. Ilex climbed into second under PHRF, while Nautilass remained firmly in the mix in third. The reshuffle highlighted the differing strengths of the boats across the two handicap systems, but also the consistency of Young Magic’s performance relative to her rating.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Young Magic | Giovanni Belgrano | 01:05:12 | 1 |
| 2 | Ilex | Sefton Powrie | 01:09:29 | 2 |
| 3 | Nautilass | Paul King | 01:10:18 | 3 |
| 4 | Fifth Dimension | Ian Moore | 01:13:54 | 4 |
| 5 | The Bondi Tram | Spencer Poborsa Cox | 01:15:39 | 5 |
| 6 | Nexus | Cees Romeyn | 01:23:52 | 6 |
Fine margins define Racing C
Race 4 reinforced a familiar Racing group C theme. Nautilass remains a reference point on the water, but Young Magic continues to extract maximum value once corrected time is applied.
As the series progresses and conditions remain settled, the margins are narrowing. In Racing group C, the results are shaping but still there is little room to give time away.
