The second race of the RAYC Gold Cup series, incorporating the Roy McDell Memorial, was held on Saturday 13 October - and it was fresh! A reduced fleet of 14 yachts in the monohull division took the alarming forecasts in their stride and braved the conditions, with deep reefs and small headsails the order of the day. The fleet got away from the start off Orakei Wharf at 09:05, into a strong nor'westerly and the promise of a long and hard slog up to the first mark at Navy Buoy off Whangaparaoa Peninsula. The yachts would have been sent reeling when a front and associated squall blasted its way across Auckland at around midday. The wind swung to the nor'west after the front, leaving the boats with a hard sail home once around Rakino and Motutapu Islands.
Here are some photos from the start:
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| Kim McDell's Zamzamah during pre-start manouevring |
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| Truxton (Chris Skinner) sporting her smallest headsail |
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| Farrago II (Cam Maher's Farr 38) |
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| Akatea heads off from the start to weather of Outrageous Fortune and Starlight Express |
Ponsonby Scow retired about half way through the race, the conditions exposing a serious gap in the sail wardrobe - the lack of a no.4 jib. She was joined by John Muir's Absolute Leisure and Urban Cowboy, with just 11 boats completing the course.
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| Gray Dixon's Ponsonby Scow powers away from the start |
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| Farrago II follows the Scow on port after the start |
The first yacht home, Equilibrium,finished the 30 mile course in just under 4 hours, followed by Akatea. Starlight Express finished 3rd on line, 18 minutes behind Equilibrium, and took first place on PHRF. Outrageous Fortune has taken the overall lead on PHRF, with Equilibrium in second and Whitebait third. The reduced fleet means that many of the 27 yachts entered in the series will now have to count this race as their discard.
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| Starlight Express finishing off Orakei Wharf |
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