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12:53 AM Fri 13 Mar 2009 GMT
Skip Lissiman reports from the Audi Etchells Worlds, being sailed on Port Phillip, Melbourne.
Yesterday was a milestone for the race committee and the competitors.
The race committee completed the six races to constitute a series and for the competitors - with six races completed we can discard our worst score.
So the score board has had a reshuffle with all those 'shockers' that you were prefer not on the score card with little brackets around them as the discard score.
Overall scores. www.yachting.org.au/site/yachting/event/18897/overall_1_1.html
With three races to go - the wind today again looks light - but it did yesterday too and we had plenty of wind - up to 25 knots in the gusts - so see what happens.
With rain earlier and big cloud bands of warm tropical air moving in from the NW the weather models all struggled with the conditions yesterday, so it was very much a head out of the boat and see what is coming.
Eventually we got away after the obligatory general recall in about 22 - 25 knots of NW wind and 2:45pm.
The new medium-heavy jib (North Sails GM model) finally got run up the forestay and boy was it fast..
I have telling the crew all week 'They are always fastest straight out of the bag' - Brand new, so we haven't had a sail with the jib until the race yesterday.
So how did we go?
Somehow we got bunched up in second row at the start near the centre of the starting line committee boat and tacked to port. Being the give way boat we took a heap of sterns on the starboard tack procession.
Half way up the first beat we fouled a starboard tack yacht that we could quite cross on port tack, so did our 360 degree penalty turn to exonerate our foul and still got around the top mark in 15th place in the 86 boat fleet.. So must have gone the right way, on top of being fast.
After breaking the jib tack wire a third of the way up the last leg to windward to the finish line we finished 15th, certainly a 'keeper' on the score card.
Graeme Taylor from Geelong was the winner for the day, just pipping John Bertrand with Stuart Childerley from the GBR third.
Today - Friday is sunny and forecast for light winds again - less than 10 knots from the south.
With two races scheduled it will be a long wait on the water.
Safe sailing - Skip Lissiman
The team of BANDWAGON would like to thank our sponsors SLAM sports wear, Club Marine boat insurance, Ronstan for their support.
by Skip Lissiman
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