Covert Operation in the windier conditions last week.
Camera IconCovert Operation in the windier conditions last week. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Sailing: wind picks up to help smaller boats claim handicap honours

John BirdJoondalup Times

WITH a 24 nautical mile race ahead of them and a weak southerly breeze, it looked like Hillarys Yacht Club members would be all at sea for the Marmion Reef race on Sunday.

Fortunately after the first hour a moderate sea breeze filled in from the south-west and with spinnakers billowing out in front the Hillarys yachts surged north from Scarborough to Ocean Reef.

While the bigger, faster racing yachts were finished in just over four hours it was the battlers who took the handicap honours in division 1.

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Only a boat length separated Hard Evidence (Des Riley and Marshall Fox) and Perle (John Bird) at the finish line, however on handicap they were first and third respectively while Ian Conboy on Sandrine was second.

Fastest on the day was Surfer Rosa (Roric Smith).

On IRC handicap, Bill Gilbert on Jack Tar took the honours.

In division 2 Bart Brouwer and Graham Atkinson on Covert Operation added another double of first and fastest to their collection.

Helga (Mark Taylor) was second and Volant (E.Janssen, K.Scheckel, F.Hagemann, K.Meta) third.

In division 3 Stephen Okeefe in Comfortably Numb relished the conditions beating all but one of the division two boats to be first and fastest with Sensei (Brett and Lynda Bailey) second.

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