Ten boats registered for the 2020 O’Neal & Mundy Commodore’s Race on Saturday 19 December. It was a day of shifty winds and rain squalls but a cracking day for a yacht race!
Starting in Road Harbour, the Cruising fleet were away first, racing to Hog Valley Green, around Pelican and the Indians before returning to Road Harbour to finish. Miles Sutherland-Pilch’s Beneteau First 44.7, Odyssey charged around the course to take line-honours and the overall win. Second home was the IC24, Latitude 18, skippered by RBVIYC Coach Rob Lind with one of his students and her family as crew. Six year old Piper Bailey joined our sailing program this summer and took the helm downwind in her first ever race! Unfortunately, they were just pipped at the post on corrected time by David Lake’s Hunter 30 Wicked Winch who claimed second by just 1 minute and 22 seconds.
Sam Talbot, quarantining on Bavaria 36 Maverick, joined the fray and came in fourth with Don Pietrowski aboard Pirate Flag finishing fifth. Laurens Blok and Robin Tattersall on Sequitur unfortunately had to retire when they blew out the headsail early in the race.
The racing fleet sailed a slightly longer course which included rounding Dead Chest before heading to the finish from the Indians. Technical issues forced the Flying Pig to pull out so two trimarans and the Melges 24, Firewater made up the fleet. The bright orange Whoop Whoop, skippered by Kevin Wrigley, was the first home, arriving into the harbour in a heavy rain squall after two hours and ten minutes of racing. Nathan Haycraft at the helm of Ting a Ling was second and Henry Leonnig’s Firewater third.
Thank you to O’Neal & Mundy for sponsoring the race, PRO Bob Phillips, Mandi Atack for the photographs and all the sailors who took part.
That’s a wrap for our 2020 racing calendar, we’ll see you back on the water in January for the 2021 Halyard Challenge.
Check out our photos on Facebook – there are some dramatic squally pictures well worth a look!
Results
Multihull / Racing
1. Whoop Whoop, Kevin Wrigley
2. Ting a Ling, Nathan Haycraft
3. Firewater, Henry Leonnig
4. Flying Pig, Gilbo Simpson (DNC)
Cruising
1. Odyssey, Miles Sutherland Pilch
2. Wicked Winch, David Lake
3. Latitude 18, Rob Lind
4. Maverick, Sam Talbot,
5. Pirate Flag, Don Pietrowski
6. Sequitur, Laurens Blok (RTD)
