Our first look at the Racing C fleet
Ten boats raced in what was originally Division 3.
Racing group C brings together a genuine spread of boat designs and sizes. At the small end of the fleet are the light, reactive boats. Paul Smith’s The Racoon, a Shaw 550, sits alongside Roger Sims and Rhys Cole’s Heartlight and Giovanni Belgrano’s Young Magic, both Young 88s.
Moving into the middle of the fleet are Spencer Poborsa Cox’s The Bondi Tram, a Ross 930, and Ian Templeman’s Farr South, a Farr 920.
The upper medium group includes Doug France’s Cotton Bud, a Farr 10.20, Ian Moore’s Fifth Dimension, a Beneteau First 36.7, and Paul King’s Nautilass, a Beneteau First 36. At the top end, Dave Campbell’s Opportunity, a Beneteau Oceanis 40.5, and Sefton Powrie’s Ilex, a Brin Wilson 44.
It was a diverse fleet, and that variety showed once corrected time came into play. Small boats and larger cruisers were all in the mix, underlining just how competitive Racing Group C proved to be.
No runaways
Racing Group C delivered a stretched fleet on the water that snapped tight once the numbers were crunched. From the first finish to the last, less than ten minutes separated the field, yet the story only really began once handicaps came into play.
Line honours belonged to Nautilass, the Beneteau First 36, with Paul King bringing her home in 44 minutes 14 seconds. It was a decisive win on elapsed time, but unlike other groups, not a runaway result. The Racoon, a Shaw 550, crossed just 1 minute 15 seconds later, with Young Magic and Ilex close enough behind to keep the pressure on. The leading quartet were spread over less than four minutes, while the midfield told an even stronger story.
From fifth to ninth, boats finished in a steady procession, rarely more than half a minute apart, underlining how evenly matched the fleet was once the leaders had cleared away.
| Result | Boat name | Skipper | Elapsed time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nautilass | Paul King | 00:44:14 | 1 |
| 2 | The Racoon | Paul Smith | 00:45:29 | 2 |
| 3 | Young Magic | Giovanni Belgrano | 00:47:56 | 3 |
| 4 | Ilex | Sefton Powrie | 00:48:06 | 4 |
| 5 | Heartlight | Roger Sims / Rhys Cole | 00:49:04 | 5 |
| 6 | Cotton Bud | Doug France | 00:49:37 | 6 |
| 7 | Fifth Dimension | Ian Moore | 00:50:35 | 7 |
| 8 | Opportunity | Dave Campbell | 00:51:19 | 8 |
| 9 | Farr South | Ian Templeman | 00:51:55 | 9 |
| 10 | The Bondi Tram | Spencer Poborsa Cox | 00:53:44 | 10 |
| 11 | Platus | Bill Clifton | 00:54:13 | 11 |
Seconds in it
Then EHC turned the race on its head. Opportunity, the Beneteau Oceanis 40.5 sailed by Dave Campbell, climbed from eighth on the water to take the win on corrected time, edging The Racoon by just 12 seconds.
This was a close race, the top six boats were covered by just over two minutes on corrected time, and positions five and six were separated by a single second. Racing does not get much closer than that.
| Result | Boat name | Skipper | Corrected time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opportunity | Dave Campbell | 00:33:06 | 1 |
| 2 | The Racoon | Paul Smith | 00:33:18 | 2 |
| 3 | Nautilass | Paul King | 00:34:12 | 3 |
| 4 | Young Magic | Giovanni Belgrano | 00:34:59 | 4 |
| 5 | Heartlight | Roger Sims / Rhys Cole | 00:35:11 | 5 |
| 6 | Farr South | Ian Templeman | 00:35:12 | 6 |
| 7 | Ilex | Sefton Powrie | 00:35:53 | 7 |
| 8 | Cotton Bud | Doug France | 00:35:55 | 8 |
| 9 | Fifth Dimension | Ian Moore | 00:37:32 | 9 |
| 10 | The Bondi Tram | Spencer Poborsa Cox | 00:38:28 | 10 |
| 11 | Platupus | Bill Clifton | 00:39:15 | 11 |
PHRF told a slightly different story. Young Magic, the Young 88 sailed by Giovanni Belgrano, emerged on top. But the gaps were wider. Nearly a minute separated first and second, and by fifth place the spread had blown out to more than four minutes.
| Result | Boat name | Skipper | Corrected time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Young Magic | Giovanni Belgrano | 00:35:05 | 1 |
| 2 | Nautilass | Paul King | 00:36:03 | 2 |
| 3 | Ilex | Sefton Powrie | 00:36:30 | 3 |
| 4 | Fifth Dimension | Ian Moore | 00:39:09 | 4 |
| 5 | The Bondi Tram | Spencer Poborsa Cox | 00:39:10 | 5 |
This was not a race dominated by one boat. Racing Group C is wide open. With one more race today, let’s see if they can close the gaps.
