EAGLE NEWSLETTER 2008

Lunchcutter II and Mata Hari end in a photo finish.Winds were weak in port but there was no question of an AP wait as the fleet headed out to Kuah Harbour for another up- and down-wind heat, the last in the eight race (for most boats) series. The course was laid nearly east-west with windward and leeward marks two miles apart. Again Fireflies were given two rounds with the Racers, largely to keep them from buzzing the committee boat in their tempting tutus, but the rest of the fleet did a single circuit of the four-mile track.

The Racing class got caught up in a jam as the competitors blocked JELIK from the line before heading up half on starboard and half on port tack. TWIN SHARKS, which was rumoured to be going nicker-less today, got over first in the Fireflies start but the pin was still lying over as they passed. LUNCHCUTTER II and MATA HARI raced each other across first in the IRC/PC class and TROPICBIRD cut a sleek image pulling up just behind. THAI INTERNATIONAL got over early during the Sports start and had to do a 360 as the others pulled away and JELIK rounded the top mark.

The Fireflies get ready to start the final race.The day seemed to be full of individual duels as TWIN SHARKS attempted to best MOTO INZI for overall honours and the Racers paired off in mini-jousts. The pink tutus got 10 seconds ahead of their nemeses at the bottom mark going all the way out west to take advantage of the easterly wind in imitation of JELIK. And on the way back up QUANTUM RACING seemed to be trying to clip FULL METAL JACKET to the windward mark as ZUHAL and HI FI crisscrossed in mock sword play. Meanwhile the sports and cruising boats under spinnakers seemed to float by as a backdrop and the Premier Cruising class reached leeward behind LUNCHCUTTER II. The wind had fallen to about 5 mph by the time MOTO INZI beat TWIN SHARKS to the top mark and X CATRIOT led the Multis around the leeward buoy . After that things got busy at the turn as the IRC Classes, the Multis and the Club Cruisers lead by SOFA SO GOOD all came through together. At the same time Lunchcutter slipped round the eastern mark leading Sports boat RAIMON LAND, IRC-1 PHOENIX and JELIK down the home stretch.

At the Orange flag though, Jelik slid through with ease leading LUNCHCUTTER II and then MATA HARI vying for Premier Cruising honours and RAIMON LAND with her self-proclaimed top-notch navigator winning over her Sports boat class. Then the finishers looked like couples in a wedding promenade with 99 DEGREES EAST escorting LONGTZE LANGKAWI across and IRC-winning PHOENIX doing the same for LONGTZE PREMIER followed by a train of Platus, almost in numerical order. And as SOFA SO GOOD rounded the top mark for the Clubbies the rest of the fleet streamed in with TROPICBIRD well within the pack.