Daisy Duke dominates Race 3 to signal Bay of Islands title intent

The fleet that lined up for Race 3 spanned a wide range of designs and lengths. Shaw designs anchored the smaller end, with Matt Gottard's Shaw 7, Daisy Duke, and Rob Hielkema's Shaw 6.5, Snatch, setting the baseline. Hans Wehmeyer's Thompson 850, Men at Work 3, joined Blackout and Physical Favours in the eight to under 9.5 metre bracket. The biggest concentration of boats fell in the 9.5 to under 11 metre range, where Chain Reaction, Radix, Mustang Sally, Margaritaville, and Apparition competed. At the top end, The Farm and Mark Malpass's Cookson 12, Akatea, brought length and power to the mix.

Race 3 in Racing B ran on the shorter Group B course following a rapid turnaround. Radix had crossed the finish of Race 2 at 12:07pm, leaving crews just 13 minutes before the 12:20pm Race 3 start. The pressure was on from the outset.

On the water, Daisy Duke pulled clear of the fleet without hesitation. The Shaw 7 built a decisive advantage and finished eight minutes ahead of Blackout, establishing a separation that was never in doubt. The battle behind her was a different story. From second through sixth, Blackout, Men at Work 3, Chain Reaction, Mustang Sally, and Radix were covered by just 43 seconds, racing as one tight group in pursuit of a boat that had long since gone.

The photo above is from an earlier BOISW.

EHC corrections reshuffled the order without disturbing the top result. Daisy Duke held first on corrected time, while Chain Reaction and Radix rose to second and third, separated by three seconds. The rest of the pack remained tightly bunched: second through sixth on EHC were covered by 1 minute 17 seconds, and Blackout and Apparition recorded identical corrected times, underlining how fine the margins became once ratings were applied.

PHRF produced the closest finish across all three scoring systems. Men at Work 3 claimed the win by two seconds from Chain Reaction, with Radix not far behind in third. Fourth through sixth were separated by six seconds, and the top five finished within 49 seconds of each other. For a shorter course raced in rain, those margins reflected genuine, sustained competition throughout the fleet.

Snatch and Akatea retired during the race. Matt Goddard and the Daisy Duke crew have made their intentions clear: they are here to win. Bring on Day 3, Race 4.