What a great start to the 2011 Simrad SSANZ 50 mile double handed race.

Course.

12 Multis entered and the whole fleet were still together after 15 miles due to the initial drifting conditions.
It was a good start with This Way Up first off the line but the issue for the fleet was soon to become picking our way through the 172 monohulls ahead that were parked up off Browns Island in no wind!  

It was a lottery to reach the bottom end of Waiheke and Taiping was well ahead with Voom and Borderline out to South of Tamaki Strait in some good but dying pressure.
The 30knots+ winds predictions were not far behind though as by midday the fleet started to get into some good pressure and brought the wind down with them. All the hard work Taiping had put in was lost as the rest of the fleet came in from behind.

The multis left the mono’s in the distance as they rounded the corner into the Eastern passage.

It became a reaching dual as boats fought to get ahead with the fickle winds and strong gusts testing the best of the tacticians. Akarana Express did a beautiful bows down maneuver with rudders clearly visible just past Pakatoa Island. 

Once past Gannet Rock it was a beat up to Rakino and around Rangitoto with squalls and some brief, rather painful driving rain.
There were some dramas at the finish line with This Way Up just getting past Exodus by 19 seconds and Rental taking Voom by just 6 seconds!

A great race and a big thanks to SSANZ!

SSANZ Web Page

2011 B&G Simrad 50 Provisional Results