Keel boats participating in the Teakle Classic Lincoln Week Regatta set out today on what was a short two-hour passage race across Boston Bay, finishing in the beautiful Spalding Cove.
Competitors stretched their legs with a northward tight reach in front of the town and past the Melges Nationals course, then turned and headed south mid-morning as the breeze fell away.
Colloquially known as Megga's BBQ Race in honour of club legend Geoff “Megga” Bascombe, the race ended in the Lincoln National Park, where more than 250 sailors congregated for the traditional beach barbecue.
Secret Mens Business ended up coming away with the overall IRC win for the day in what were challenging conditions, closely followed by Caillin Howard and David Oliver's Aikin Hames Sharley in second and Mike and Mark Welsh's Wicked in third.
However it wasn't without controversy as Magic, racing from the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, was scrubbed out after a protest hearing.
Meanwhile on the AMS rating system, Aikin Hames Sharley took the race win in division one, followed by Wicked in second and Paul Martin's The Tribe in third.
In division two, Kim Williams Melges 32 Rock N' Roll sailed really well to take out the overall win, followed by Matt Stephens and his team on Lincoln Mentor in second and Grant Eckermann's Speakeasy in third.
The PHS handicap results created some interest with Aikin Hames Sharley coming away with a division one win, followed by Bob Schahinger's Clockwork in second and The Tribe in third.
In division two, Phil Kelly's Sand Castle II took out another well-deserved race win, followed by John Sibly's Astrid in second and John Hookings and the team on Happy Hookers II in third.
The sailing gods shined on Lincoln Week, as light drizzle cleared just as the arriving boats dropped anchor in the cove for the barbecue, with sailors eager to enjoy some fellowship ashore and the barbecue meals prepared by the Port Lincoln Rotary Club.
– Harry Fisher
