Keay has Shagabull flying in harbour course event

Division 1 skipper Harold Keay pulled off a tremendous victory with a skeleton crew on Shagabull in last Saturday’s handicap start harbour course event.

There was a sudden change in wind direction just prior to the start and a new course was called.

This may have caused some skippers to start in the wrong direction and as a result gave away valuable time in rectifying their error but Keay was aware and started well.

Geoff Oliver in Excitabull was the limit boat but started incorrectly letting Keay surge well ahead.

Murray Deere in Wild One was a scratch boat and gave chase but couldn’t make inroads on the leaders.

The harbour was shrouded in smoke from landowners burning off before the November deadline and some skippers and crews had difficulty in finding the harbour marks.

Shagabull however maintained its lead over Excitabull and Wild One, going on to take the race in style.

Oliver sailed well throughout and the smaller boat gave a good account of itself to gain second place with Wild One being third.

Division 2 also sailed a handicap event and Karen Timmins in Grey Moose started to the east and lost all chance of getting a place.

Steve Lee was scratch boat and quickly gathered in both Neil Worrell in Zuri and Steve Brown in Mary Maitland.

Flasheart was just too quick and great spinnaker work saw them win easily and to record fastest time in a superb display.

The interest was then on the duel between Zuri and Mary Maitland.

On the last leg Zuri was slightly ahead but the wily Brown pipped Worrell over the line by a matter of seconds.

Flying Fifteens saw Aileen Lucas in Crazy starting two minutes in front of Simon Lucas in FForever Young.

In no time FForever Young had closed the gap and was just a few boat lengths behind but couldn’t get any closer.

It was a cat and mouse situation for the remainder of the race with Crazy holding on grimly to finish in front by a mere 11 seconds.

Vipers all started together in their event and Steve Dines in Fang had the better of Bruce Mattinson in Alice and Murray Howson in Chinese Moccasin.

After being a short, lively and quick race the Viper boys engaged in a further three heats which was dominated by Howson, winning all three in spectacular fashion.