After the weather of the past few weeks, Sunday 10^th February dawned with clear skies and very light breeze for the Whitsunday Sailing Club’s Lady Skippers series. With two races planned, it was sailing paradise for the six boats who participated. Unfortunately, a seventh boat withdrew at the last minute.

The first race started in a 5 knot northerly breeze, with Infarrction, skippered by owner Carol Roberts, starting from the pin end, while the rest of the fleet fought for the boat end of the starting line. Once the fleet got away for a 3 lap race, Overdrive (Darlene Reid) and Twister (Tanya Jarvis) took the lead, with Shiraz (Fiona Cook) close behind. Having been squeezed out at the start, Crossbow (Caroline Werner Stange) had some work cut out to recover. In a constant light breeze, the racing was close, and with high stakes, the girls all sailed well. First home was Overdrive, however the corrected time honours went to Twister, with Shiraz second and Overdrive third.

Come the second race, and the breeze was still a light northerly, as again Infarrction went for the pin end of the starting line. A clean start by everyone ensured another close race, with Twister first around the windward mark ahead of Overdrive and Crossbow. However, by the end of the first lap, the breeze was down around zero, as the boats coasted around the second lap before the course was finally shortened just as a light south easterly breeze appeared. Again, Overdrive had a small lead over Twister, with the rest of the fleet bunched together in a tight finish. On corrected time, Anthea (Di Forster) took the honours in the second race, with Crossbow second and Shiraz third.

Overall results were tight, with both Twister and Shiraz finishing on 5 points each, with Twister taking the honours on a countback. Anthea and Crossbow also finished on equal points, with 7 points each. Again, Anthea’s win in race 2 gave her the advantage on a countback.

Discussions back on shore were mainly around the various experiences, as these were the first races for several of the ladies. All agreed that it was a great day, and are looking forward to the next series in October.