Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship Race 4

1:16 AM Sun 7 Jun 2009 GMT
Race 4 of the Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship, sponsored by Musto, started this morning in bright sunshine and 13 knots of breeze.

Race officials set the leg length at 1.4 nautical miles on a north-nor-west heading. The 54-boat fleet had a clean start and 85-90 per cent of the fleet chose the port layline and headed left, off towards the beaches of Mooloolaba.

Although choppy at the start line, the sea became smoother as they headed to the top mark for the first time.

Mathew McCann's Carabella IV was first around, followed by Jervis Tilly's Bushfire, with The Nurse (Ross Lloyd) in third.

Echo Beach (Tom Woods), Fair Bump, Play On (David Rose), and Fifteen (David Clark) completed the top six.

Series leader Mark Johnson (Roulette) rounded in 11th place. The big surprise was Alastair Gair (Velsheda) the Day 1 leader, who only managed 24th position. No doubt Gair will sail back into the top of the fleet placings before the race ends.

The sun was shining and the breeze had built to 14 knots as the fleet sailed parallel to the spectacular Sunshine Coast beaches, back to the bottom mark.

At the top mark for the second time, The Nurse had moved into first place, with Barry (Damien King) now up in second and Bushfire third. Mark Bulka's Critical Balance was fourth, Rapscallion fifth and Johnson sixth. Alastair Gair was well back in the fleet in 15th place, although he had improved several places during the leg.

Race officials lengthened the last leg to 1.8 nautical miles and the fleet was very closely bunched as it headed towards the finish line in 14 knots under sunny skies.

The Nurse held its lead to cross the finish line ahead of Barry, Carabella IV, Bushfire, Critical Balance and Roulette.
Velsheda finished 16th.*

With the start of Race 5 approaching, it appears the pressure is on both Damien King and David Clark to produce a winning finish, thereby beating Mark Johnson to the coveted Winter Championship title.

* Placings are provisional and subject to change.

The warning signal for Race 5, also sponsored by Musto, has just been fired.

More to follow.

by Al Constable