Folks,
David Elliot sent me this report and I thought you guys may enjoy the read.
All I can say is, I enjoyed it, and I'd like to thank David for taking the time to write it and allow me to post it.
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A big day on the Fox Hat.
Here is a story about a little adventure. Adventures are what make life fun; this was an impromptu one and they’re the best of all.
My 12-year-old son Henry and I sail a Taipan 4.9 sloop, rigged with spinnaker. In this guise it conforms to the new International F16 formula. The 4.9 are a very fast 16-foot catamaran, especially in moderate breezes and flat water. The advent of the kite allows the boat to compete in long down wind legs on an equal footing with some of the bigger more powerful catamarans.
On Sunday the 13th of October the second leg of The St. Helena Cup was being run over a course around a southern section of Moreton Bay. Moreton Bay is an open piece of water about 50 kilometres long by 30 wide, tapering to an apex of scattered islands.
As we rigged up at the club for a day’s round the buoys racing, we noticed many big boats of all descriptions leaving the habour. We were told they were heading to the start of the St. Helena Cup, which was to be in an hour or so. Now the week before we had a big multi vs. off the beach cat race and we flogged the big boats mercilessly. This was so enjoyable I was all for doing it again. However there was a difference; last weekend they were mainly large oldish, cruising cats. It was hardly fair to race, an outright racer like an F16 against them. This week the competition was the cream of the Queensland racing fleet.
The wind was warm and light from the north, out of a lightly overcast sky. I felt that in 8 to 10 knots of breeze, with a forecast top of 15 to 20 we could do it. Henry was not so sure, but like a good boy (and crew) did as his dad told him. We did not know the course, but knew it could be done in 3 hours or so, and that the multis started 15 minutes behind the monohulls. The plan was simple follow the big monos round and have fun.
At the committee boat there were about 120 monos, maybe more. They ranged from 20-foot trailerables, Etchells, sports boats, high performance yachts and even the 66-foot maxi Bobsled. The gun went in 12 knots and we waited for them to clear off.
I don’t know how many multis there were (maybe 20), but there were two other fast ones to watch, the 30 foot ultra-light cat Team Raider and the flying 30-foot tri Ducks Nuts skippered by the mercurial Sean Jackson. Sean has always thought that more sail area is better. With Dux Nuts he had more sail area than half the fleet put together.
It was port-biased line and the three of us were at that end, the rest of the multis weren’t there and were never seen by us again. In the 12-knot breeze we sailed up the first leg of 5 km and rounded the windward mark, just ahead of Duck’s Nuts, we were already amongst the tail of the mono fleet.
The next leg was a shy reach of 3km and we planned to take the line of monos to windward. We went past the most amazing line of fibreglass you have ever seen. I think we passed 80 boats on that leg. If they were doing 7 knots, we were doing 12 or 13. That is blast! We now were at the seamark and the long run beckoned; Dux Nuts was only 30 meters astern, Team Raider 200 further back.
The breeze was now up to 15 knots as we headed into the middle of Moreton Bay. The kite went up and we set about trying to catch the front monos. The run must have been about 8 km; we took it easy sailing deep and neither of us on the wire. The bay looks big and the Taipan small, when the nearest land is 12km away. By the bottom mark, there were only six in front, one of which was Dux Nuts. The chop was up to .75 of a meter, which in a Taipan is considerable, when competing against 45, 50, 52 and 66 footers to windward. The beat lasted an hour in a freshening wind to 20 knots. We were now 15km or so from land and feeling small. At the top mark, The Tri had a good lead of three minutes or more, we rounded with Team Raider having an outside overlap and showering us with spray off his lee bow. The big monos were way back now.
Through remaining on the wires we were able to squirt around the frightening bows of the big cat and into clear air. Once there we threw up the kite and galloped off after the distant Tri. Team Raider hauled up a masthead kite, but in a tactical error had dropped 200 meters astern. The big cat was now flying after us in the 20-knot stormy wind. I was trying to stay on the wire in the back straps but the boat was bucking in the tight chop. I think I was getting tired; Henry stayed on the windward hull and played that kite.
There was a crack and the top of Raider’s mast blew away with his big kite. It was now a race of two and we had made ground on the Ducks Nuts. The kite was dropped at the next mark and a furious broad reach, two on the wire followed for another 2 or 3 km. It was wild but we were now back in more sheltered waters.
All that remained was a short beat of a kilometre or so in the gusting 22-knot breeze to the finish. Dux Nuts beat us by 90 seconds or so, the rest of the 140 strong fleet were nowhere in sight. We had given the maxi Bobsled 15 minutes and beaten him by at least 20 minutes. It was great fun and a great adventure. There are those who would think it irresponsible to tackle such a race in a small boat; but our Taipan is sound and in perfect order. We never pushed the boat too hard and always sailed within ourselves.
We set the kite, ran home and put the boat on the trailer, showered and had a late lunch. We then watched the first of the monos and multis come into the harbour and sail to their pens. That was unreal finish to a top day of shellacking big boats.
Dave Elliott
