12:11 PM Sat 2 May 2009 GMT
On Thursday Ray Roberts and the likely lads from Quantum Racing clapped eyes on a Platu for the first time. On Friday they scored 3, 2 in a highly competitive fleet of 14 boats that includes current Raimon Land Platu Series champion and holder of the Coronation Cup, Scott Duncanson, and is well-stacked with SEA Games medallists, local competitors, and some highly-experienced Singaporean Platu sailors. Today they went out and blitzed two races back to back, leading from start to finish and never really looking threatened.
Today's racing started in an unusual northerly 8-10 knots, with a bit of chop to make things more interesting. The first race of the day started from a line with a heavy pin end bias, and the smart money went that way. Roberts didn't win the start, but threaded a neat course through the fleet to take the lead before the first top mark.
Race Officer Jerry Rollin today opted for courses with shorter legs but more of them - 'A 1.5 nm beat in a Platu, against the tide, is a long way, so we brought today's courses back to a mile for the smaller boats on the race course. And anyway, more legs means more corners, and that puts a higher premium on crew work and boat handling.'
There were no complaints from competitors - Roberts said he was feeling 'a bit bruised' after two three-sausage courses in breeze that built to more than 18 knots by the start of the second race, but fast racing made for an early return to Ocean Marina where there was cold beer waiting.
In the absence of Jelik (Frank Pong) and HiFi (Neil Pryde) the IRC Racing 1 fleet is looking a little depleted, but has definitely left the door open for CYCA Commodore Matt Allen's IRC-optimised (and very well-sailed) Beneteau First 44.7 Ichiban to clean up. With tactician Michael Spies whispering wisdom in the helmsman's ear, and Mrs Lisa Allen firmly in charge of the foredeck, Ichiban cleaned off two races from two starts, adding to a double first yesterday for a clear sheet for the regatta so far.
Pascal Leray's Breakaway is running hard to catch up, but is a full six points down after four races.
Today was also a 'double first' for Peter Dyer's Firefly 850, Sea Property, in the multihull class, a great recovery from a recent experiment with 'upsidedown sailing' in Chalong Bay, Phuket, which has left the rig with an unusually pronounced 'pre-bend'. Khun Radab Kanchanavanit's graceful and almost classic Cedar Swan (King's Cup 2009 multihull champion) is only one point behind on aggregate, and then after that comes a gaggle of Corsairs. David Wales' C750S The Sting led the fleet after yesterday's racing, but was dismasted in the first race today - but even with a DNF and a DNS on the card for today is still lying sixth in a fleet of ten boats!
Other sailing 'entertainment': Kipsan Beck's diminutive sportsboat, Pornstar, is racing with the big boys in IRC 1 - and in the case of Intrigue (80'), Lawana (51') and even Ichiban (44') that really does mean Big Boys when you are a Shaw 6.5!
Today the Pornstar was first sandwiched on the start line - we guess there might have been a wind shadow effect somewhere there - and then suffered the indignity of being trawled across the race course, having been hooked a loose runner on Lawan.
It makes a good pic, but we are happy to report that Pornstar 'got away' safely.
For full results go to www.topofthegulfregatta.com
by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
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