Hot and close competition in Whitsundays

3:41 AM Mon 15 Dec 2008 GMT

'Brandy Creek Ferry' Multihull Rendezvous

The competition to win the December Charter Yachts Australia trophy on the Whitsunday Sailing Club courses is very much like the weather hot and close.

A variable 15-18 knot Easterly breeze did very little to cool the tropical humidity and 29 degree temperature when the three class fleet again became engaged in a close and intense tactical duel for the important points.

Keith Roberts upstaged his multihull class rivals when he and his Wild Thing crew combined to master the warm conditions to claim a 20 second corrected time win over the Graham Matthews skippered Brandy Creek Ferry.

Both skipper and crew combined cleverly to produce the required persistent attention to sail trim and strategy to sail above the .985 handicap rating paving the way for Wild Thing to generate the boat speed to claim an important class win and take control of the points table with a 1 point advantage over Sirrocco (Bob Thompson) with a further penalty point to Brandy Creek Ferry.

While Wild Thing holds the upper hand both Bob Thompson and Graham Matthews remain well in the hunt to change the progressive points table when they compete for the important third race points on Pioneer Bay this week.

Peter Mitchelson again demonstrated his tactical racing skills when he steered his Nolex 25 Lorna Rose Too to her important 46 second win over arch rival Rob Davis in Breakaway.

Davis has proved to be the pacesetter in Division 3 winning his share of the monthly trophies while the Lorna Rose Too crew have remained consistent with a high percentage of minor places over the past 12 months.

Last week's handicap win clearly indicated that the Lorna Rose Too crew are capable of match racing Breakaway for the Charter Yachts Australia trophy.
However the challenge will remain close with the Lorna Rose Too crew needing to reproduce another high standard tactical strategy in the important thirds race of the series this week.

Mitchelson normally produces his best races when under pressure and he can expect to face some intense tactical attention from the Breakaway crew who are equally determined to protect their reputation.

Lorna Rose Too with her 3-1 score heads into this week's tactical contest as the leader however the Breakaway crew believe they can improve on their consistent 2-2 score when the sails are tensioned for the private class match race.

Wobbly Boot, Rising Farrst, Africa, Surefoot and Queensland Marine Services will also become the key players to win the Division 2 class series.
Craig Piccinelli who has already steered Wobbly Boot to four monthly titles over the past eleven months has plans to add some Christmas cheer to his end of year celebrations with the December trophy.

His 4 second win over the Terry Archer skippered Africa last week has allowed Wobbly Boot to hold the progressive lead while the pressure mounts against skipper Craig Piccinelli and crew with only four penalty points separating the top five crews.

by Ian Grant

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Hot and close competition in Whitsundays

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