Three boats failing to finish and a fourth scratching from the start sheet added an extra layer of drama to an already tense day in Racing Group B at Bay of Islands Sailing Week. Race 5 only tightened the screws on a division where no one has yet broken clear at the top.
On the water, Blackout continued its excellent series, taking line honours with a clean, decisive win. Kevin Peet's crew crossed 20 seconds ahead of Mustang Sally, with Akatea a further six seconds back. The first three boats home were separated by just 26 seconds after more than an hour and forty minutes of racing.
Apparition was next to finish, having lost contact with the leading trio during the race, while Chain Reaction and Margaritaville rounded out a compact second cluster. Radix, The Farm, and Physical Favours all sailed through to the finish without threatening the front-runners.
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Elapsed Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:41:48 | 1 |
| 2 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:42:08 | 2 |
| 3 | Akatea | Mark Malpass | 01:42:14 | 3 |
| 4 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:48:24 | 4 |
| 5 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:49:32 | 5 |
| 6 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:49:48 | 6 |
| 7 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:53:14 | 7 |
| 8 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 01:54:09 | 8 |
| 9 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:57:21 | 9 |
Handicap calculations turned the story around, as they so often do in this fleet. Under EHC, Apparition came out on top, correcting out just three seconds ahead of Mustang Sally. Blackout, despite taking line honours, dropped to third on corrected time. Chain Reaction and Akatea followed closely. The corrected times for the top five were separated by just over two minutes in total, with the first three covered by less than 50 seconds. This is not a division being dominated by any single design or crew.
EHC – Racing Group B, Race 5
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:25:32 | 1 |
| 2 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:25:35 | 2 |
| 3 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:26:20 | 3 |
| 4 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:27:24 | 4 |
| 5 | Akatea | Mark Malpass | 01:27:43 | 5 |
| 6 | The Farm | Mike Bennett | 01:29:02 | 6 |
| 7 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:29:29 | 7 |
| 8 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:29:34 | 8 |
| 9 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:33:04 | 9 |
Under PHRF, Blackout reclaimed the top step, adding the handicap win to its line honours result. Mustang Sally remained close throughout, finishing 30 seconds back in second, while Apparition once again proved reliable on corrected time. The spread through the rest of the fleet opened a little more under this system, though the top positions stayed closely fought.
PHRF – Racing Group B, Race 5
| Result | Boat Name | Skipper | Corrected Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackout | Kevin Peet | 01:25:06 | 1 |
| 2 | Mustang Sally | Bob Still | 01:25:35 | 2 |
| 3 | Apparition | Marcel Vroege | 01:26:43 | 3 |
| 4 | Chain Reaction | Graeme Lucas | 01:28:30 | 4 |
| 5 | Radix | Paul Rudling | 01:33:11 | 5 |
| 6 | Margaritaville | Finn Topzand | 01:34:39 | 6 |
| 7 | Physical Favours | Ryan McCready | 01:34:49 | 7 |
The day was not without its casualties. Men At Work 3 and Snatch both retired before the finish, and Daisy Duke, a boat that made its presence felt earlier in the series, did not start. Word out of Snatch is that the conditions were at the upper end of what Snatch prefers to sail in, with possible sail damage, though the full picture is still emerging.
With Daisy Duke and Men At Work 3 potentially unable to take the start line tomorrow, the points table could shift considerably. No runaway leader has emerged, margins are razor-thin throughout the fleet, and every race is genuinely open. Racing Group B is shaping into one of the most compelling battles of the regatta.
