Lighter breeze for Whitehaven Passage race
'Cougar 11 - Audi Hamilton Island Race week 2008'
Andrea Francolini / Audi © Click Here to view large photo
Wind monitors have confirmed the record fleet competing for class honours in the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week Whitehaven Beach Island Passage race will experience lighter winds and calmer seas today.
The gradient which bent a brute 25 -30 knot trade winds into the Whitsunday Islands for races earlier this week has shifted to provide more manageable sailing conditions.
However the tacticians, navigators and skippers will need to apply special attention as the wind which varied between 9 to 18 knots during the dusk to dawn period overnight is expected to shift over an irregular pattern between the south and east compass bearings during today.
Several highly respected tacticians who 'blotted' their log books with a series of errors during the Baynham Island race yesterday can expect to face an equally demanding tactical test when the sails are tensioned and the duel begins for the important championship points.
The crews who dominated the 'slug fest' against the sail destroying winds will need to read the best tactical options from the wind that blows over the deck today to protect their reputations and points.
Special interest will focus on the battle for championship points in the highly competitive Grand Prix IRC class where only four points separate the Victorian yachts Cougar (Alan Whiteley) and Living Doll (Michael Hiatt) and their New South Wales rivals Quest (Bob Steel) and the Ray Roberts helmed Quantum Racing.
All four crews are very evenly matched with Living Doll rated as the slight favourite to take the major points in what promises to be another exciting boat on boat match race between the TP52 class sloops Cougar and Quest and the almost identical Cookson 50's Living Doll and Quantum Racing.
Similar interest will surround the contest for line honours after Andrew Short claimed the Baynham Island race trophy to break the stranglehold of the match racing Black Jack (Mark Bradford) and Wild Oats X (Mark Richards).
by Ian Grant 
Curl Curl, NSW
