The Fremantle Sailing Club, celebrating their 100th year, held the Rockwater Coventry Reef Race last weekend. This year, 30 yachts split across two divisions headed south through Cockburn Sound, out past Garden Island before rounding virtual marks around the not so virtual crashing waves and boat stopping rocks of Coventry Reef.

The forecast was to have a steady South Westerly swing into the West by mid to late morning for some excellent racing. Division 2 led the fleet with their graceful and uneventful start. Division 1 was quite the opposite. A five-boat bumper boat game where each boat used each other as a fender, as arms and legs were quickly withdrawn from the rapidly closing gaps.

Even the pair of Ghoulâs dressed up for Halloween on the start boat quickly retreated to the safety of the cabin as two yachts barged into the space they shouldn’t have been. Physics rectified this flagrant disregard for the rules of racing and physics with the tearing of fibreglass, transferring of paint and wrenching on stainless steel not designed for such loads. Bowsprits penetrated through pushpits as Bowman after Bowman vocally expressed their views on the situation at each other, and their skippers, to no avail.

At least the mid portion and pin end of the line was uneventful. Thankfully there were no serious injuries to boat or crew. The race continued and the navigators started plotting their way around the weakening breeze, with some doing a lot better than others. A gentle drift off Garden Island proved too much for some with several retirements who tucked sterns and motored home.

Those that stayed, rounded the virtual marks around Coventry Reef, a few boats shaving the virtual marks as there is no fear of hitting them and settled in on the longest leg back towards Rottnest Island before turning for home off South Mole.

Results are subject to Protests from the Great Bumper Boat start of 2020, however Checkmate had a cracking race, finishing second over the line and over nine minutes in front of Indian on handicap. Argo and Giddy Up enjoyed their usual tussle towards the finish with only 14 seconds separating third and fourth respectively. Division 1 PHS has French Kiss V taking podium followed by Checkmate and Argo. Division 2 IRC results has Enterprise, Crush and Atomic Blonde whilst in PHS, Baci, Corniche and Sagacious IV took home the pennants. Full results on sportspage.com.au