Musto Etchells Australian Mid-Winters Race 2 - Cream rises to the top

4:18 AM Fri 5 Jun 2009 GMT

'Fleet race 2 - Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship day 1' Sail-World.com /AUS &copy

In Race 2 of the Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship, sponsored by Queensland Events, David Clark's Fifteen was fast away at the pin end start followed closely midline by the Mark Bradford skippered Roni and Damien King's Barry.

At the top mark Alastair Gair was leading by three lengths from Damien King, with Roulette (Mark Johnson) in third. Roni (Mark Bradford) was fourth with early leader Fifteen (David Clark) next.

Having been quick to head to the right of the course, 1997 series winner David Rose (Fair Bump Play On) who had picked up some nice shifts as they approached the top mark, got caught out by the tidal rip and in the light conditions was pushed onto the mark. Their tenth place quickly turned to custard as they sat stalled against the yellow buoy. They finally managed to escape, do their penalty turn and reinstate themselves back into the fleet at a cost of 30 places.

The only consolation for the crew of Fair Bump Play On, was that they were not alone as the 'circle work' continued on back into the fleet.

Gair and his Valsheda crew held the lead as the fleet headed to the bottom mark and headed right to clear away from the gas of the fleet approaching the mark. Behind them were Bradford, Clarke, King and Johnson.

Conditions lightened as they worked their way to the top mark.

Gair extended his lead over the fleet. Sydney sailor and North American Champion crew Mark Johnson (Roulette) was second, with Damien King (Barry) in third. Vaughan Prentice on Funky Cold Medina was fourth.

With tidal set and the jury boat camped beside the buoy, competitors were careful to go wide around the mark.

The wind had dropped to six knots as Gair gapped the fleet down the last run to receive the winners gun.

Damien King's Barry edged ahead of Johnson and Vaughan Prentice, Funky Cold Medina, Tian Hua (skippered by Hong Kong sailor Simon Ellis), Fifteen, Resurgent (John Sheehan), Humpback (Peter Gardner), Bushfire (Jervis Tilly) and Waterloo Bay (Noel Paterson) completed the top ten.

Overall, provisionally after the first two races in the 2009 series New Zealand's Alistair Gair, Velsheda, with crew Anna De Fluiter, Dave Ridley and Drek Scott, with today's 2,1 leads, from Mark Johnson's Roulette 5,2, an excellent result for Johnson, Nik Burfoot and Chris Allen. Damien King is provisionally third, ahead of Dave Clarke and Vaughan Prentice.

by Al Constable