Our teams for the Port Stephen’s Cup this year were Ivan and Denis, Steven Davis and Michael. We were lucky that Sailability Port Stephens was able to lend us the two boats that used to be ours, so that there was no need to organise a team to pack or tow boats.
We arrived bright and early on Saturday morning in bright sunshine and a pleasant breeze on the dam, but by the time the race started, the breeze had virtually dropped to nothing, making sailing in a race very difficult. Local knowledge came in very handy, and the local teams of Jason and son, and Richard and Mel soon put some distance away from the rest of the field.
It was not until the third race that Denis and Ivan figured it out, and then they were away, ahead of the rest of the field. This resulted in a third place for this team, with Michael and Steve not finishing in the extremely light conditions.
The Sunday opened in ominous conditions, and by the time the doubles started, the rain was pelting down, the thunder was deafening, and the wind impossible for our small boats, so the Sunday race was cancelled. This did not put a dampener on the week-end however, as the company was excellent, the food fantastic, and a beautiful atmosphere of friendliness made it quite hard to leave.
