Thursday, July 9, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
FHC Day 4 report
Another race of 2 hours like yesterdays would not have provided such an opportunity so a new course, #9, was devised starting off sailing to the north along the eastern coast of Ovalau Island and then round a turning mark to sail back the same way thus avoiding the light winds in the lee of the mountainous terrain.
Slight delay to this morning’s start – who took the mark boat to go fishing yesterday afternoon and left it anchored too close to the shore and thus high and dry!?!?! Fish!!!!!
A break in the clouds gave a brief spell of sunshine as the teams rigged and headed off after an all clear running start which was very keenly contested. Only half a mile after the start Nicole and Kerli Corlette, who were second overall going into the day, capsized and were relegated to DFL as the fleet beat to windward through the Moturiki Passage and out into the open ocean swells.
After an exciting beam reach with 16 knot winds along the edge of the breakers our combatants gybed twice running through Gava Passage, with breaking surf on either side, to emerge into the flat calm lagoon within.
The barrier reef runs half a mile offshore with waters of 60’ depth, except there are some Bombies per the Fish (really….?) , and Levuka town gybe mark was to be placed within the lagoon somewhere between Levuka and the NE tip set at a position such that the leaders would be rounding it at 10:30 Hrs thus allowing the length of the course to be adjusted on the water.
“Boring” – Aaron Worral and Bradley Wilson were yet again first round the turning mark and hardened onto a twin wire beat past the town quay with a two minutes lead over Philp and Dugdale with their slender 5 second lead over Engwirda and Wilson.
Last minute entrant and Hobie newcomer Stephen ‘Irish’ Breem and Xiaomara Rosenbaum had erred on the side of caution and retired before running through the Gava Passage. Gybing into the narrow strait however had been easy compared with beating back out and passage claimed one victim, the Aussie partnership of Geoff and Rose Rowden, who dismasted just as they were clearing out.
They drifted back through the gap, thankfully clear of the white water either side, and after passing their sails and mast into one of the support boats they were taken under tow and back to Leleuvia – a sad way to curtail sailing in excellent conditions.
The remaining 13 Hobies successfully cleared out to sea again and went back past the Moturiki reef and through a gate set to the north of Leleuvia – except Moape and Ovini, the Fiji Youth team, who were sadly later disqualified for missing the gate completely.
A 7 nm run to the WNW and starboard round Qata island leaving only a 7 nm beat back to the finish. Worral had had a 5 minute lead over second placed Engwirda after almost three hours of racing when they passed through the Leleuvia gate.
By the finish, though, Worral had extended his lead to just over 16 minutes, now over local sailors John Philp and Charlotte Dugdale, who had in turn squeezed in just ahead of Engwirda & Slater.
You had your chance to catch up on Azza and the Dog guys, but instead he’s now extended his overall lead to 1 Hour, 1 Minute and 24 Seconds – only a disaster such as a dismasting would snatch overall victory from this team.
Nicole Corlette sailed a steady race after her early capsize picking through the fleet recovering to 6th place today but she dropped to third overall, 2 minutes and 40 seconds behind Matt Sheppard and Altaire Mandell. Only 3 minutes ten seconds behind them however Engwirda and Slater are hot on their heels and in the hunt for a podium position, themselves struggling to claw back having gone right on the Tuesday!!
38 nm back to Suva tomorrow – the south easterly trade winds are allegedly forecast to hold for tomorrow so the leaders could be home within 3 hours. It should be a blast home and fingers crossed that we do so in sunshine!!!
FHC Day 3 report
Where is the sun?!?!?!
At least the rain stopped after breakfast....
Conscious of the long day everyone had had yesterday the Race Management team had come up provisions to shorten some of the set courses and at 07:30 made the call to send everyone round the shortest course - a 17 nm figure of 8 course around Cagala, Leleuvia and Nasautabu Island Reefs.
The early morning easterly winds swung to the SE and built to 12 knots for the running start from Aristo-Cat our committee anchored just off the resort. Flat sheltered seas for the fleet until around Cagala Island then a 4.5 nm beat in winds of up to 15 knots across to Daveta ni Kalavo (Rat Passage).
Worral lead Engwirda through this pass and out into the open Pacific Ocean for the first time. David Lovell and Nick King were in third place just ahead of Grahame Southwick - however true to his nickname, of the 'Fish', Southwick and his crew lost their balance in the waves within the entrance to the pass falling from the trapeze and capsizing in the process.
A 2.5 nm beam then broad reach in the ocean swells just outside the reef to a gybe mark on the northern end then a screaming twin wire tight port reach of 4.5 nm back inside the protected waters inside the reef again. 3 marks had been laid on the southern and western extremities of Leleuvia Reef which was a run then a final short reach into the finish.
Worral and Wilson completed the course in 1:47:18 - an average speed of 9.5 knots for the complete course. Second and third also stayed the same with Engwirda and Lovell respectively.
Meanwhile Geoff and Rose Rowdell placed 4th just ahead of the daughter and father partnership of Nicole and Kerli Corlette who with that were elevated to second place overall just 26 seconds ahead of New Zealanders Matt Shepherd and Altaire Mandell.
The leading Fijian crew are Kaveni and Mika who are only 52 seconds behind 4th placed Bob Engwirda and Slater.
One more Leleuvia race tomorrow before Fridays 35nm passage back home to Suva. With a 40 minute lead, after 3 bullets, Worral and Wilson and looking comfortable but with only 12 minutes and 3 seconds separating second from sixth place the second place overall is wide open.
Let's hope for some sun tomorrow!!! (and wind too of course....)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
FHC Day 2 report
Seas were calm and following winds of 5 knots or so as the Challengers soon rounded the reef heading to the north. However counter currents and softening breezes were to dominate the 14 nm leg to Naigani Island.
Several teams made a bee line to the east seeking some protection from the adverse currents along the Moturiki coastline however local teams who ran over the Smith Reefs and their extensions a mile offshore were to secure the early lead. Aaron Worral, winner of the previous days leg, was third from last with Bob Engwirda another 50 metres behind him.
Event Chairman Grahame 'Fish' Southwick was the first to clear the northern tip of Moturiki and 2 miles later was looking pretty with a 500 metre lead on the fleet half way into the first leg heading north and to the east of the rum line. However a group of 4 boats split off slightly left of track attracted by the rain clouds on the mainland coast. As the winds started to gently swing to the left the winds dropped off for the bulk of the fleet whilst the breakaway group, comprising local sailors Matt Shephard & Altaire Mandell and Kavena & Mika together with Australians Nicole & Kerli Corlette plus Aaron Worral and Bradley 'Little Dog' Wilson were able to maintain their progress albeit in softer breezes.
Race Officer Jerry Rollin and his team were aware that the fleet would be struggling to sail the full 30 nm course around Naigani Island but could find no way to reduce the length of the course within the SI's and the first opportunity to shorten was at the gate to the west of the island.
At the gate the winds dropped off and even swang to the North East briefly and the sunny skies of the morning had already clouded over. As Worral and Wilson approached the gate flag 'Sierra' was hoisted together with two long sound signals indicating a shortened course as the leaders maintained momentum and ghosted through the gate at 13:59:37 in a NE wind whilst the other three of the breakaway group sat in doldrums just 100 metres from the finish.
After what must have been an agonizing 13 minutes eventually the wind filled in from the south allowing the Corlettes to claim second place just over half a minute ahead of Kaveni who was in turn only 2 seconds ahead of Shephard - and Fish was still a speck on the horizon in 5th place...
It was almost half an hour later before he crossed the line, still 500 metres ahead of the rest of the main fleet. With the breezes picking up quickly from a cloud system closing in from the south the final 6 boats all finished within 150 seconds of each other after 5 hours and 40 minutes of racing whilst 4 retirees had already called it a day and turned round before reaching the gate.
And then came the best sail of the day!!! Winds picked up to 16-18 knots as the frontal system passed and the sailors were twin wire beating for home but with only 3 hours of daylight and 14 nm to go. Torrential downpour as the front passed over and then the winds shut down leaving the last few floundering before they were taken under tow with the last two making it back to Leleuvia around 30 minutes after sunset.
It continued drizzling late into the night but this could not dampen the spirits of the Challengers as Fish had promised everyone it would be sunny again tomorrow!
you heard it here first......
a beautiful bird joined us on the island today + has stated philippine's desire to host the next hobie 16s worlds
just be warned.....book your holidays around feb next year
just be warned.....book your holidays around feb next year
day 2: results
still drizzling this morning + hopefully it will clear up later in the day.
there is a couple of errors to the results above that will be amended with day 3 results. they are: the skipper for boat#02 is nicole corlette, her dad kerli is the crew and boat#54, the skipper is david silvester + the crew is pip pietromonaco. david was also the skipper during the air pacific south pacific championship
over + out
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