Nash Advisory VX One Australian Nationals at Royal Brighton Yacht Club - Day 3
by Nic Douglass 17 Jan 22:02 NZDT
15-18 January 2024
A morning Melbourne rain storm delivered different conditions for day three of the Nash Advisory VX One Nationals. The wave state and shifting breeze saw close and exciting racing across the three races, with a different winner taking each.
Race eight started in the last of the morning rain, with the cloud effect creating fast lanes across the course. It was the local crews who dominated the start of the race, with the first five around the top mark sailing out of Royal Brighton Yacht Club. It was a race with plenty of opportunity for making up places though, and in the end it was leader AUS334 Mimi, skippered by Lucas Couper, managing to hold out AUS319 Dollop by less than a boat length, who were mid fleet at the first mark.
"I am going to frame that footage", said Lucas Couper of the photo finish. "What a race!"
Race nine saw the breeze shifting further south and the start line moved further offshore. The downwind runs again gave plenty of opportunity for movement, however it was a more familiar top mark precession, with AUS332 Mack One out in front by some distance, leading to the finish. It was as though they were sailing on a different race track at times.
"It's not over yet", said Mack One skipper Franklin of the regatta with the tough conditions of today. While they are out in front, Brett Whitbread's team are nipping at their heels with one more day to sail.
Race ten threatened to be the windiest race of the series, but it didn't hold. It was again an up and down frontal affected track. AUS330 Pipeline Drillers got out in front on the first beat, and managed the fleet exceptionally well to take their second bullet of the series.
The weather for tomorrow doesn't look sailable, but as Dave Williamson, member of the organising committee said at the daily presentation, "it's a forecast, not a promise".
With one race to sail the Championship is still undecided and the top ten is all to sail for.
Full results can be found here.
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