No wind to help boats over the line

It was tough to catch a break throughout Saturday afternoon and evening for all remaining boats in the M2KI.

Expected to be over the line in time for dinner, competitors were held back by lack of wind, with a number of crews – Biddy Hu II, Magazan 53, Dell Era, and Geomatic - making the tough decision to pull out of the race. Weekend Option begain its traipse home to Melbourne late in the night.

Magazan 53 will be disappointed that lack of wind forced them to head home Photo: Magazan 53

The shore crew, waiting for a faith restoring glimpse of a sail on the horizon, began talk of naps and energy drinks - the expected influx of hungry sailors coming very much later than they had planned for.  

With almost no wind to speak of it took until midnight for frustrated crews to start arriving. 

eXtasea snuck in just before the clock ticked over to Sunday before Primitive Cool just missed out on a Saturday finish. Wicked was next, the first in a torrent of six boats – Chikara Outlaw, Jazz Player, Halcyon, Addiction and Tevake II – to arrive within an hour of each other.

Finally the race committee jumped to attention after, as Mark Seager reported, “whittling all available sticks” for more than twelve hours after Scarlet Runner arrived. 

Hats off to Alien and Matrix, who stuck it out until the early hours of this morning to come in within a minute of each other.

A couple of boats remain stuck out in the Bass Strait east of King Island, and we await their arrival to start looking over official results.

Another Biddy Hu II report gives those of us back on land an indication of how quiet it was out on the water yesterday evening. 

E

Updated 10/3/2013 at 7.30am