Cruising divisions enjoy conditions - Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

7:55 AM Sat 22 Aug 2009 GMT

'Hamish and Michelle Petrie's 23 tonne Beneteau 57 Ngak Ngak struggled in today's lighter breeze, even without the pottery kiln on board.' Sail-World.com /AUS &copy Click Here to view large photo

While the IRC classes stretched out over the 22 nautical mile Lindeman Island course on day one of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, the remaining divisions enjoyed the best of the breeze which steadily built from just shy of five knots to a respectable 10 knots.

Cruising divisions 1, 2 and 3, Performance Racing 1 and 2 and IRC passage 2 divisions sailed an amended shortened course, the latter having their race cut short at Cole Island due to unfavourable tide and light airs.
Regatta director Denis Thompson commented 'the cruising fleets had the best of the day, just great sailing with tide underneath in a building breeze'.

Hamish and Michelle Petrie's 23 tonne Beneteau 57 Ngak Ngak from Pittwater on Sydney's northern beaches struggled in today's lighter breeze, even without the pottery kiln.

While it's typical for cruising boats to offload the extras such as dive gear, the Petries reckon they are the only crew contesting Audi Hamilton Island Race Week that has offloaded a kiln. Skipper Michelle is a keen artist and while cruising has taking advantage of the many deserted beaches between Sydney and Queensland to fire off her ceramic sculptures.

Ngak Ngak's was a late entry after the Petries were 'hugged' by a whale off Hervey Bay. The couple were enjoying a whale watching cruise and figured it wasn't going to get any better than when a whale playfully touched the boat so continued onto Mackay and from there, well it was just a short hop across to contest the 26th edition of Race Week.

Sailing with only five on board, Ngak Ngak is due to lose a crewmember on Wednesday, just before the Trade Winds are expected to turn up the wind dial at Australia's most awarded keelboat regatta.

The Cruising and Performance Racing Divisions represent generations of Australian boat building including classics such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours winner from the early 1980s, David Molloy's IOR heavyweight Condor to the luxury Hanse 540 Pandora with Olympic 49er sailor Ben Austin amongst the crew.
Tomorrow the cruising and performance racing divisions will enjoy a round-the-islands course while the IRC grand prix classes will short tack over two windward/leeward races.

by Lisa Ratcliff

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Cruising divisions enjoy conditions - Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

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