A COURAGEOUS decision was made by Port Macquarie Yacht Club's race committee saw the running of the Naval Association Port Macquarie to Laurieton event last Saturday.
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Four-metre seas and wind strengths up to 25 knots from the south were forecast, but luckily for those in the race it didn't eventuate.
The race committee's call was vindicated when the reduced fleet of seven yachts found the conditions more favourable than the forecast, with winds on the Saturday event variable and peaking at 18 knots.
One and a half metre seas were faced with the forecast four metre swell almost completely absent.
The Bird Rock start was well contested with Zig Zag winning the start, closely followed by Enticer, Ice Fire, Indian Pacific, and Kookaburra ll with Revelation and Woftam trailing the field.
By the lighthouse, Zig Zag had increased its lead, with Kookaburra ll moving in to second place, Enticer moving in third with Indian Pacific holding station but closing the gap on the leading yachts.
With a steady southerly blowing and small seas, skippers had to calculate whether to stay inshore or go offshore would best suit the run to the Laurieton finishing line.
Kookaburra ll experienced gear problems just past the lighthouse and dropped back through the fleet.
Meanwhile, Zig Zag had decided to stay mainly offshore, while her principal rival, Indian Pacific stayed mainly offshore.
The larger and heavier Indian Pacific handled the conditions on the day slightly better, and when the yachts converged from opposite tacks off Laurieton, it was Indian Pacific that took line honours by the narrowest of margins.
Kookaburra ll recovered to work her way through the fleet finishing third across the line just ahead of the fast finishing Ice Fire.
The yacht Fleet overnighted and Laurieton, and the following day, the MRPM return event to Port Macquarie was run winds remaining southerly but lighter and easier seas.
Zig Zag again won of the start, followed by Kookaburra ll, Indian Pacific, Ice Fire, then, Enticer Revelation and Woftam.
With spinnakers set, Zig Zag again stayed mainly inshore, Kookaburra ll elected to sail the rhumb line, while Indian Pacific went off shore.
On the return leg, Zig Zag maintained its lead and reversed the previous day's result crossing the finish line ahead of Indian Pacific, with the unlucky Kookaburra ll suffering a spinnaker wrap around the head stay in the homeward run and finishing third across the line.
