Sunday, March 27, 2016

The 2016 Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race from Start to Finish



                                     Good Friday dawned with just a whisper of breeze,
                       and the sound of groans from crews as another slow race loomed on the horizon...

                       not very exciting to drift along doing three to five knots alongside Fraser Island ..

                                     however... it is what it is... Can't change it , so deal with it!
 
                                                   Our PCSC teams were ready for anything !!
 


                                                                  very loud..... but ready!
 


                       Delivery crew Mark took the ute home ... now that's another story..


                                            Out on Bramble Bay  it was a perfect day for a picnic..
                                            ...or a cruise, or fishing, or a seafood lunch aboard,

                                                                                

                                   Samurai Jack was sailing in the new Two Handed division...


                                                                      Not so bad for that ...


                                                          Black Jack was the hot favourite
                                                                            


                                                      South Passage was going to be motoring we feel..


                                                    The Fat Controller had plenty of friends aboard


                                       we captured Quest at the finish as well..
 




                                                       the multi hulls looked colourful,


 


                                                               Black Jack had their man aloft


                                                Keeping watch on the little guys ... perhaps..

 
and their were plenty of mid sized yachts .. like Restless


                                                           Decadence done up in green



                                                              and the last boat out of the bay ..


                                                             The yachts lined up ..




                                                   and on one side of the line ...


                                               and the other side of the line


                                                 Black Jack sailed away in 3 - 5 knots of breeze ...


                                 with Fat Controller and Karumba hot on her heels



 
.. bit she is hard to catch ...
 

















                                                        after a farewell to Restless ,
                                               we turned our attention to the Multi hull fleet
 


                                                who had moved their start line closer to Shorncliffe Pier ,


                                                                 eventually we tracked them down,

 
 
 
just in time to see No Problem turn to gently sail out of Bramble Bay.

 
.. and then it was back home to wait until Black Jack arrived in Gladstone
 


 





 










                                                        16 hours later, Karumba finished,
                                        followed by the rest of the fleet over the next 12 hours

                                                      but we did go out to meet No Problem ,
                                       and found a few others on their way down the harbour,

                                             We got quite excited when we saw the first spinnaker ..

 
and then we thought.. that looks very familiar ..

                                                                             
                                                    and chasing them down .. was Quest,




                                                              followed by B52




                                                                      Carbon credits



                                                                     and Samurai Jack


                                                             before No Problem came along




                                                     everyone together for a happy crew shot ..







 
across the finish line
 

                                                              and that's another Easter .. done and dusted!