Close cruising

Press, 13 November 1985, Page 41

Close cruising

Photo-finishes were the order of the day in the Banks Peninsula Cruising Club’s harbour event for keelers and trailer yachts at the week-end. One of the closest was the cruising division where three yachts crossed the finish line in the space of one second, two of them dead-heating, after almost three hours of racing. Forty-two yachts contested the event, held over a harbour course in 15 to 20-knot southwesterly winds. The cruising division continues to attract big entries — 17 yachts on Saturday — though fleets of 13 and 10 yachts in the first and second divisions respectively are good entries for this early stage of the season. Some yachts are still on the hard and others were not racing on Saturday because they were using the time to prepare for the club’s Lyttelton to Akaroa race which will be held on Friday. Results from the week-end were:-

First division- Line honours: Southern Fun, McMillin Group. Handicapped: Granny Apple, M. Field and B. Waif 1; Aparangi, D. Gallagher and R. Johnstone, 2: Bootlegger, K. Drayton and B. Hanlon, 3. Second division.- Line hon-

ours: Rainbird, A. R. Guthrey. Handicap: Cadence, B. and J. Edwards, 1; Rainbird, 2; Rainbow 111, J. Cotton, 3. P.H.R.F. rating.- Line honours; Granny Apple. Handicap: Cadence, 1; Rainbird, 2; Granny Apple, 3. Cruising division.- Line honours: Avion, B. Burt. Handicap: Swiftsure, B. Meads, 1; Avior, 2; Medina, A. Inglis, 3. Trailer yachts.- Line honours: Coquette, W. Lewis. Handicap: Coquette, 1; Half ‘n’ half, R. Kay and M. Sydow.