Sunday, 22nd December 2019
The abandonment of race 13 late in the afternoon brought out a range of emotions in the skippers and crews of the 36 participating yachts. A sense of relief, disappointment and frustration all emerged after sailing in some difficult and changeable conditions. The temperature climbed into the high 30’s and the light and variable breeze decreased as the afternoon wore on. Observations at Fawkner Beacon showed the breeze averaged only about 6 knots for the afternoon – the lowest for a WW race this summer and by 1730 it had dropped to 2 knots. After a 15 minute delay to the start, the fleet took an average of two and a quarter hours to complete the first 3 legs of the course – that’s an average speed of less than 2 knots. Four yachts had already announced their retirement before reaching SYC 4 and a further 17 yachts (about 58% of the fleet) were to join them as the afternoon continued. Read more…