Change in breeze brings mixed fortunes

Subic Bay Freeport, 12 April 2012 - Despite the grim looking weather forecast, the relative seamless change from the morning land breeze to the afternoon sea breeze, allowed the race committee to complete two scheduled races for the IRC Classes and one passage race for the PY Cruisers. Once again the fluctuating wind strength at strategic parts of the course determined the race placings and overall results. At the end of the day, only a few minutes here and there separated the yachts, indicating how close the racing was.

Neil Pryde's Welbourn 52 Hi Fi and Sam Chan's TP52 Freefire continue to duke it out at the front of the fleet with several lead changes but Hi Fi's lower IRC rating gives them an advantage when the handicap is applied.

The breeze change-over at the end of the first race played into the hands of the 40 footers, with Simon Powell"s A40 Sell Side Dream coming out on top and Fred Kinmonth / Nick Burns Mills 40 EFG Bank Mandrake calculating out in front of Pryde's Hi Fi in third.

The opposite occurred during the second race as Pryde's Hi Fi leapfrogged Chan"s Freefire for first place by 29 seconds after Freefire led throughout the race. Apparently the 40 footers had their time on the leaders at the top mark but the wind faded away as they approached the finish line and lost their advantage. Fred Kinmonth / Nick Burns Mills 40 EFG Bank Mandrake held on to claw back into third place. This left Pryde's Hi Fi with two wins and one third place on the top in the overall stakes with Mandrake in second, wedging between Chan's Freefire in third.

The nippy Farr 25's gave Jun Avecilla's Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star C! Calibre ROX a hard time in the light airs. They easily moved along upwind and picked up speed quickly on the little waves downwind. Avecilla's Selma Star capitalized on the breeze change-over and never looked back to record their first win. The two Platu's were evenly matched and went around the course within hailing distance of each other. Emerson Villena's Body Shot managed to get his nose in front of Ridgely Balladares Frantic to finish second and third, respectively.

In Race 2, the tables were turned and Balladares Frantic held their time to score their second win of the series over Villena's Body Shot and Avecilla's Selma Star restrained in third place. This left Balladares Frantic in top spot on the IRC Cruiser Class leaderboard with Selma Star only one point behind.

The PY Cruising Class embarked on a 13nm tour of Subic Bay for their passage race. After enduring the change-over and going through thick and thin, David McKenna's Jeanneau 42 Rapparee XXX breasted the finish line in 3 hours 10 minutes to claim line honours, 12 minutes later Viggo Ligon's Beneteau First 31.7 Selma followed suite and after handicaps were applied, they edged Rapparee XXX by one minute and 19 seconds to record Selma's second victory in as many days.

Racing continues tomorrow and the schedule calls for a passage race but PRO Jerry Rollin has left his options open and will base his decision on the prevailing wind at the start time. By AY MultiMedia