Stephen Brown in Mary Maitland edges out Ian Johnston in Cambio

Division 2 skipper Ian Johnston — in his newly acquired yacht and having his first competitive sail — almost caused an upset in last Saturday’s King George Sound event.

Johnston bought Footloose from Bob Giles and renamed it Cambio which means change in Spanish.

Another skipper, Peter Bane, was having his first sail in a year aboard Dunluce and although a bit rusty, he completed the course.

Three division 2 yachts began the King George Sound race and were joined by Murray Howson’s Viper Chinese Moccasin who zipped away from the other three and went for a training sail before heading back to the club after tearing around the harbour at breakneck speed.

Stephen Brown began the race under spinnaker but Johnston was able to stay with him and they both sailed out into the sound side by side with Johnston also with a spinnaker hoisted.

Bane had opted to go JAM with Dunluce and found himself well behind. When they sailed back into the harbour only a few metres separated Mary Maitland and Cambio.

Johnston was really putting the pressure on Brown who responded with a quick burst of speed nearing the O’Keefe buoy and went on to win narrowly after 2½ hours of match racing with Johnston. Cambio took second place and Bane placed third.

Flying Fifteens held a harbour course match race and in the light 12-knot southerly Aileen Lucas in Crazy got away from arch rival, Simon Lucas in FForever Young.

The light conditions usually suit Crazy but not in this race and FForever Young was able to catch and pass, going on to win by nearly two minutes in a masterly display.

It was match racing at its best and both skippers and crews enjoyed the competition. Two Hansa skippers conducted two short-course harbour heats and Chris Oldham in Bluebird was successful in both by a wide margin.

The septuagenarian enjoys his sailing no matter what sort of boat and on Saturday showed no mercy to Rachael Hodgson and Seb Stone in Limeburner.

Being the lighter boat Oldham was able to get ahead quite quickly and was never headed.

Hansas are a special design, mainly for people with disabilities, having a joystick rather than a tiller.