17/05/2026
Match Racing – Quarry Lake – 17 May 2026
With nine skippers loaded into the matrix, match racing got underway at Quarry Lake in very light and challenging conditions. The standard two-lap course format was initially in place, however races were taking longer than expected and the event quickly began running behind schedule. To keep things moving, racing was temporarily reduced to single-lap races.
The forecast 5kt south-easterly arrived in fits and starts throughout the morning, forcing a reversal of course direction as conditions shifted around the lake. When the breeze strengthened later in the session, we returned to two-lap races for most of the final round.
As anyone sailing Quarry Lake knows, light conditions can create a lottery at times and this event was no exception. Holes and puffs appeared across the course all morning, with the luck factor playing its part. Sometimes you found pressure exactly when needed, while other times boats parked up unexpectedly. Despite this, several races were extremely close, with boats finishing only a couple of metres apart after battling around the course.
We welcomed our newest club member, Peter Newfield, to the fleet, sailing his striking black and red Boat 29. This was Peter’s first experience sailing an RC yacht, and being thrown straight into a match racing event made for a tough introduction! Early on we discovered some issues with his radio setup, along with the discovery that the boat was taking on water. Once the radio issues were sorted the boat behaved much better, leaving only the task of tracking down the leak — a common Seawind issue that many of us have encountered.
Peter received coaching and support from several members throughout the event and, with a bit more time on the water, he will no doubt be up to speed soon.
Meanwhile, Mike G suffered a loss of a different kind when his famous Angry Bird drain plug made an escape and went overboard. Last seen drifting across the lake, no official search party was ever deployed, so this may well be the point where we say goodbye to Angry Bird. No doubt Mike will find a worthy replacement.
As expected in close match racing, there were several infringements throughout the event including mark contacts and a few port/starboard incidents. Most proved costly.
One memorable race involved Boat 113, which clipped the start/finish mark while entering the box and incurred a penalty. However, after a very close contest with Boat 185, the penalty was effectively neutralised when 185 later picked up a port/starboard infringement of its own. Boat 113 went on to finish just ahead of 185 in a tight finish.
Boats 23 and 85 provided some entertainment at the top mark, performing a brief dance and tango while trying to determine the correct rounding direction. After some discussion and assistance from nearby skippers, normal service resumed and they continued on their way.
Another interesting encounter came between Boats 33 and 94. While I did not personally witness the battle, reports suggested that it was a well fought duel with Boat 33 making life difficult for 94, however George ultimately claimed victory in that match-up.
George had a great day and posted 4 wins to place 1st. Chris, Brian & Bruce shared 2nd equal on 3 wins each with Dan in 3rd scoring 2 wins.
The event also marked our farewell to George, who heads off to Dorset for the winter. George will return around mid-October and we look forward to seeing Boat 94 back on the water when he returns.
Our next event sees us back at Onepoto for Autumn Fleet Racing #6, taking place Sunday 24 May. Hope to see everyone there!
