As always, September heralds the beginning of the new sailing season after the long summer break and it was the Cruisers who went out on North Sound to do battle in Race 6 of the Harbour House Marina Cruiser series. Sunday September 7th saw seven boats with full crew jostling for position on a spinnaker start.

Light inconsistent winds getting increasingly lighter brought the sensible decision of race committee to shorten the course for the first time this season, allowing all to enjoy a wonderful BBQ and America’s cup live action at the club afterwards.  Tactics on the upwind leg determined finishing places with the youth team crew and head coach Raph on board “Shanti” rounding the 1st mark in 5th position staying the furthest south and taking advantage of the shifts to almost catch the eventual winner “Blue Runner”.

“Cheers” powered her way into third place from its Cuba bound course to make a clean podium sweep for the three J boats. Mark Lewis paraded his new 44 foot Jeanneau for the first time and left the fleet wondering how she will perform in stronger winds.

Race Officer, Peta Adams, summed up the racing. “The conditions were not those favoured by most cruisers but it meant strategy was the key. Picking the best course to sail, looking for the slight advantage in wind shifts makes all the difference. The start of the race was the most keenly contested we have seen in the series so far”.

The next cruiser race is scheduled for October 13th.