Five boats lined up for Race 5, marking a return to full fleet racing after Vixen Racing rejoined the division. She had stood down for Races 3 and 4 to complete a winch replacement, and her return meant the final result could be settled cleanly on the water.
The standings heading into the day were well defined. Wired had been dominant on line honours, taking three consecutive wins and setting the pace throughout the week. The handicap picture was equally clear, with Equilibrium leading on both EHC and PHRF on the back of consistent results, while Explore Racing remained close enough that a favourable final race could still shift things her way.
Wired extended her unbroken line honours record in Race 5, crossing the finish in an elapsed time of 1 hour 2 minutes 5 seconds to lead the fleet home once again. Explore Racing was next, finishing just over four and a half minutes later, with Equilibrium arriving 43 seconds further back. Georgia One crossed in 1 hour 17 minutes 19 seconds, and Vixen Racing completed the course just under 11 minutes after her.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Elapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wired | Rob Bassett, Brett Russell | 01:02:05 | 1 |
| 2 | Explore Racing | William Goodfellow | 01:06:39 | 2 |
| 3 | Equilibrium | Graham Matthews | 01:07:22 | 3 |
| 4 | Georgia One | John Muir | 01:17:19 | 4 |
| 5 | Vixen Racing | Sharon Ferris Choat | 01:28:09 | 5 |
Under EHC, Explore Racing took the race win, with Equilibrium second and Wired third. Equilibrium's second place continued the run of reliable results that had carried her to the top of the series standings, while Wired's third again highlighted the familiar trade-off between outright pace and what the EHC handicap rewards.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explore Racing | William Goodfellow | 01:07:39 | 1 |
| 2 | Equilibrium | Graham Matthews | 01:09:56 | 2 |
| 3 | Wired | Rob Bassett, Brett Russell | 01:09:58 | 3 |
| 4 | Georgia One | John Muir | 01:11:50 | 4 |
| 5 | Vixen Racing | Sharon Ferris Choat | 01:20:08 | 5 |
PHRF produced the tightest margins of the three scoring systems. Wired came out on top, with Explore Racing finishing under 20 seconds behind in second and Equilibrium only a further four seconds back in third. All three boats sailed close to their numbers, and the corrected times left minimal separation between them. Georgia One finished fourth under both handicap systems, while Vixen Racing placed fifth, rounding out her return to the racecourse after the mechanical issues earlier in the week.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wired | Rob Bassett, Brett Russell | 01:08:18 | 1 |
| 2 | Explore Racing | William Goodfellow | 01:08:35 | 2 |
| 3 | Equilibrium | Graham Matthews | 01:08:39 | 3 |
| 4 | Georgia One | John Muir | 01:10:17 | 4 |
| 5 | Vixen Racing | Sharon Ferris Choat | 01:20:13 | 5 |
With the final race still to come, the series will soon resolve to overall totals, where speed, consistency, and the ability to convert results will determine the final standings.
