Page 9 - Panamuna Details Oct 5 2020

RACE ROUND PORT PHILLIP

"PANAMUNA" WINS IN RECORD TIME

Towards evening conditions were such that
T HIS year’s Race Around Port Phillip, for the most yachts were able to make goodtime, and
Panamuna, steadily' increasing her lead, round-
Lady Nelson Trophy, will be remembered for ed No. 2 Wilson Spit Buoy—the most westerly
three reasons: a record fleet of 29 contestants; mark of the course, in the vicinity of Corio Bay -at
scratch boat PanamUna’s record course time 8.5i p.m.
The wind now lightened a little but remained
of 14 hours 10 minutes and 20 seconds; and reasonably steady, although Geoff Garland,
the remarkable performance of the tight little owner-skipper of Seasprite, the smallest com-
bunch of five Dragons, who outsailed practi- petitor in the race, later reported that, while
sailing up the West Channel against an ebbing
cally the entire fleet, to take 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th tide with spinnaker and mainsail set, he and his
and 7th places on handicap. crew were somewhat surprised to find themselves
With six of the 35 entries scratched, the 29 being overtaken from astern by a large black
competitors made an impressive sight when unlit buoy, which had the audacity to contact
the signal for a mass start was given at 11 with Seasprite plumb in the middle of her tran-
a.m. on Saturday, March 1, off Royal Brighton som. Fortunately, the wind improved sufficiently
Yacht Club, which sponsors the race. to make it unnecessary for Seasprite to anchor,
A light sou*westerly breeze and smooth sea and she progressed thereafter in a forward direc-
soon had the entire fleet well on their way tion.
towards the first mark of the 86-mile course— The wind continued moderate for some time,
the Hovcll Pile Bight, approximately 25 miles but freshened gradually soon after midnight, en-
away to the south. abling Panamuna to cross the finish line off Royal
After two hours’ sailing all the yachts were Brighton Yacht Club at 1.10 a.m., and helping Record Breaker “
close-hauled on the starboard tack, heading her set a course record which should stand for a
towards the south-eastern shores of Port Phil- few years. throughout the small hours of the morning,
lip Bay. Bert Finlay’s 35-foot waterline harbor and this enabled all classes to chalk up fast
racer Panamuna had moved out freely ahead As the scratch boat's crew got set. for a spot of times. The entire fleet were home and dried
of the fleet, while the Dragons were having a celebrating, the rest of the fleet were strung out by noon on Sunday, and only two yachts—
great tussle with each other, and with B- over a good half of the course. Worane and Wild B-classers Benecxa and Maluna — failed to
Classers Landfall and Worane, for leadership Goose, having broken away from the Dragons, complete the course.
of the group of yachts following Panamuna. were making good time approaching the Wcrri-
By 2.30 in the afternoon the wind freshened hee coast; the Dragons, led at this stage by Dada-
and veored to the south, making it a dead ntli, had rounded Wilson Spit Light and were When handicaps had been adjusted,
muzzier to the first rounding mark. The last somewhere oft' Wilson Point, in close company Panamuna’n winning margin was reduced
10 miles of this beat to windward were covered with B-classers Kaiyhiti and Failie II. Tam from 3i hours to just over 20 minutes; com-
in a nasty sea. and against a flooding tide. O'Shanter was just about, to round Wilson Spit plete results were as follows:
Panamuna rounded Hovcll Light at 4.21 p.m., Light, with Daydream some 25 minutes behind Panamuna (scr.), 1; KamuUa (4h. 36m.
and her crew eased sheets to make for the next her. 40s.), 2; Marie-Louisc II (4h. 36m. 40s.), 3.
mark—the Bowen Pile Light, situated near Worane was second boat home at 4.45 a.m., Won by 20 min. 20 sec., with 9 min. 15 sec.
Port Phillip Heads. followed 13 minutes later by A Class sloop Wild between second and third. Then came Dada-
Goose: fourth was the Dragon KamuUa, who ndi, Leander V, Raiohiti II, Sapphire, Ilukt,
came in at 5.50 a.m., followed within the space of Wild Goose, Worane, Fairlk: ll, Tairline II,
Next boat round, at 5.41, was Jock Stur- 55 minutes by Dragons Marie-Louise II, Dadandi Currawong, Daydream, Tam. O'Shanter,
rock’s Dragon KamuUa, followed 2 minutes and Leander V, in that order. B- classers Zara, Valkyrie, Seasprite, Scimitar, Lur- linc
lated by fellow-Dragon Drtdandi, dnd by the B V/arttna and Rawhili II finished in. the middle Ellen, Warana, Content, Baton, Marie-
Class cutter Worane, another- seven minutes of the Dragon bunch. Louisc, Landfall, Hiawatha, Seafarer.
later. By that time, however, Panamuna had
already rounded Bowen Light (at 5.47 p.m.) Some of the smaller and slower craft were still 3 7 S E A C R A F T May.1952
and headed north for Pope’s Eye. The rest of as far back as Bowen Pile Light when Panamuna
the fleet wore well behind, still working their finished; but the breeze remained steady
way towards the south channel.