Racing Group B returned to the water for Race 4 in conditions considerably more forgiving than the previous day. The rain had cleared, leaving a steady breeze of 16 to 20 knots that allowed the fleet to settle into a rhythm almost immediately after the 10.35am start. All twelve boats got away cleanly, and from that point the racing was tight throughout.
Daisy Duke was first to the finish, as she had been before. Matt Gottard's Shaw 7 crossed the line in 1 hour 12 minutes 34 seconds, and the margin she put between herself and the chasing fleet made a clear statement about her pace in moderate breeze. Behind her, the contest for the next positions was considerably closer. Blackout and Men at Work 3 were separated by only 17 seconds at the finish, with Akatea pressing hard just behind them. From second place through to fifth, the entire spread of elapsed times amounted to little more than three minutes, underlining just how closely matched the midfield is despite Daisy Duke making the front look straightforward.
Further down the fleet, no boat fell away badly. The gaps were somewhat wider than those seen in the rain-affected races earlier in the regatta, but the overall picture remained competitive throughout the field.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Elapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daisy Duke | Matt Gottard | 01:12:34 | 1 |
| 2 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:18:17 | 2 |
| 3 | Men at Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 01:18:34 | 3 |
| 4 | Akatea | Mark Malpass | 01:19:29 | 4 |
| 5 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:21:27 | 5 |
| 6 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:26:22 | 6 |
| 7 | Snatch | Hana Hielkema | 01:28:28 | 7 |
| 8 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:29:09 | 8 |
| 9 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:30:20 | 9 |
| 10 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:30:54 | 10 |
| 11 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 01:34:11 | 11 |
| 12 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:34:48 | 12 |
The corrected-time results told a different story, as has become something of a theme in Racing Group B. Under EHC, Men at Work 3 converted their third place on the water into a race win. Blackout followed in second, with Akatea completing the podium. The three were separated by just over two minutes on corrected time. Daisy Duke, despite her dominant performance on the water, found that her line honours result did not survive the application of ratings, dropping her back into the middle of the fleet.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Collapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Men at Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 01:04:49 | 1 |
| 2 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:05:08 | 2 |
| 3 | Akatea | Mark Malpass | 01:07:05 | 3 |
| 4 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:07:12 | 4 |
| 5 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:10:23 | 5 |
| 6 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:11:35 | 6 |
| 7 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:11:43 | 7 |
| 8 | Daisy Duke | Matt Gottard | 01:12:56 | 8 |
| 9 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:13:00 | 9 |
| 10 | Snatch | Hana Hielkema | 01:13:47 | 10 |
| 11 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 01:14:24 | 11 |
| 12 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:16:02 | 12 |
PHRF scoring produced a similar picture at the front of the fleet. Men at Work 3 claimed the win again, with Blackout once more in second. Mustang Sally moved into third under this system, the one notable change from the EHC order. Both Men at Work 3 and Blackout featured consistently across both handicap systems.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Collapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Men at Work 3 | Hans Wehmeyer | 01:04:16 | 1 |
| 2 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:05:27 | 2 |
| 3 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:08:15 | 3 |
| 4 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:12:02 | 4 |
| 5 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:12:16 | 5 |
| 6 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:13:27 | 6 |
| 7 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:14:27 | 7 |
| 8 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:18:01 | 8 |
Race 4 continued to sharpen the identity of Racing Group B. Daisy Duke remains the benchmark for raw speed on the water. Men at Work 3 continues to find corrected-time success through efficiency and clean sailing rather than outright pace. Blackout sits comfortably in contention across every scoring format, making her one of the more consistent performers in the group.
With settled weather expected to hold, the gaps between the leading boats are slim enough that the remaining races could yet reshape everything.
