A J/99 winner of the Flinders Islet Race
September 28th, 2022 news Non classé Sailing AdventuresLast week, the J/99 ‘Rum Rebellion’ won IRC and line honours Two Handed division at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Audi Centre Blue Water Pointscore series Flinders Islet race.
The crew told us about their experience:
The 2022 edition of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Audi Centre Blue Water Pointscore series Flinders Islet race was run, with Shane Connely’s J/99 Rum Rebellion sailed by Graeme Dunlop and Tony Sutton winning two handed line honours and the two handed IRC win – a testament of how good these boats are in all conditions.
Upwind in messy seas and downwind in light breeze the J/99 shined. Picking the shifts, sailing high and fast to the island and getting some nice deep angles on the way home was key to the win.
The race itself was relatively straightforward and risk averse. A southerly breeze filled in before the start making for a fast downwind start and the team on Rum Rebellion elected to two sail reach out of the harbour to conserve energy and protect the inventory as we knew the next few hours beating into a southerly was going to be tough.
Sailing out of the heads mid fleet, Rum Rebellion went offshore in 17 -22 knots with TWDs of 170-195 degrees chasing current and waiting for the SE shift. Tacking back to shore on the SE shift allowed the J/99 to take advantage of current and set up a nice lay line into the islet. A SW shift with a rain cloud forced a couple of tacks at the island and both the Sunfast 3300 and the Sydney 36 ended up in front.
Rounding the island and heading out to sea into pressure, the team then waited for more SW which came as expected and the team gybed back in. Getting some nice pressure off a localised rain system, and then the land allowed the team to sail deep angles and avoid having to gybe back out to sea.
Setting up a drag race with the Sydney 36 on the way into the harbour, some smooth gear changes, and the right sail selection allowed them to cross the line around a minute before the competition.
A great race for the J/99 and the team are looking forward to the rest of the series.
Final Results for the Rum Rebellion:
- 1st IRC Two Handed
- 2nd ORCi Two Handed
- 2nd PHS Two Handed
- 2nd IRC Overall Corinthian
- 3rd IRC Overall Div 2