First and third places on a day of boat busting conditions were enough to keep Richard Lynn and the Gordon crew at the top of the leader board on the second day of the Dragons’ Prince Philip Cup, the class’s Australian Championships.
Both races were a three way contest, with Grant Alderson’s French Connection and Willy Packer’s Scoundrel still serious challengers for the overall lead at the halfway stage of the regatta.
With an early sea breeze building rapidly to over twenty knots, with gusts nudging over twenty five knots it was a boisterous day on the Swan River. Of the twenty four entries only seventeen finished the day, with broken halyards and blown running backstays the main causes of retirements.
Richard Lynn and his team of Ethan Prieto-Low and Adam Brenz-Verca won the first race of the day, before finishing a close third in the second. “It was the same mix at the front of the fleet in both races,” Lynn observed, “In the first race we got the early lead and managed to control the race from there. In the second race Grant got ahead early and was able to keep control.”
The French Connection crew of Alderson, Emma Shand, Matt Maxted and Alice Travlos finished third in the first heat before winning the second. Always economical with words, Grant commented, “in the second race we started at the pin and went left, did a few tacks and led at the first mark.”
With two second places to show for a hard day’s sailing Willy Packer, Julian Harding and Jock Packer on Scoundrel are just two points behind French Connection. “In the first race Richard sailed a really good first downwind leg and got away from us,” said Willy, “then he just played it safe.”
But for a snagged jib on the last tack of the race it could have been a photo finish between Scoundrel and French Connection in the second race. Approaching the finishing line from opposite ends it was hard to call who would get there first, but as Packer threw his boat into a tack to cross the line the headsail snagged on the mast and he was unable to complete the tack while Alderson claimed the victory.
This series, hosted by the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club looks likely to go down to the wire. Losing a seventh place in his score line when the discard kicks into the results will be a big boost to Packer if he can maintain his run of top two scores.
https://rfbyc.asn.au/dragon-australian-championship-2025
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