Intergalactic Series Race 3 - Jan 17 2014

 We started in a dying southerly with Aaron and James sneaking over the line a meter in front of James and Hamish, with Rowan and Malcolm tucked down to leeward. Nick and Maria were close behind and soon caught up on a little southerly puff. Drifting out towards Parsons, Aaron lost steerage and did a 360 with the kite backing, and with some superb boat speed and tactics, Rowan picked up a nice little gust and got out into the incoming easterly. Aaron closed the lead down to 50 meters by the top mark, but misjudged the wind shadow created by an almost stationary trailer sailer and ended up in the drink. James and Hamish hung up a few acres of kite, and made a valiant bid for the gun, taking the lead by the port entrance but muffed the jibe and went for a swim. Rowan stormed through with a couple of slick jibes and got through the finish in one piece. Aaron and Jimmy caught up with the building easterly and got through the line before Hamish could drag his huge kite out of the water. Nick and Maria finished fourth. 

We got a second race in with a solid 20 knots on the start line. It was a bit much for Hamish and James. Nick and Maria showed their commitment by getting through the line, but pulled out before things got too bad. Aaron and Jimmy took off around the course with no problems, leaving Rowan and Malcolm to cruise around in second.