2019 Easter Regatta enjoyed on the Gippsland Lakes

2019 Easter Regatta © Jacqui Crawford

Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club's Easter Regatta, though besieged by light and almost nil wind, proceeded over the weekend with all three races. With fleets of up to fifty-four boats, sailors came from all over including Western Australia to participate.

Saturday's Classic 30 mile race had to be shortened even before the start which eliminated the leg past point Turner and back. Though looking grim with lack of wind, gradually it built up to allow some good racing around Point King to the compass points in Eagle Point, on to Metung and then back on the south side of the island to the finish at Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club. Matt Stone on the Joker, a Mosquito cat with spinnaker, took first in the fleet on yardstick with a time of two hours and fifty-one minutes and forty seconds followed by Brakefree sailed by Gary Maskiell on a Mosquito cat seven seconds later. Fake News, a Thompson 7, sailed by Graham Alexander led the division two monohulls to victory.

Within the Regatta were two classes that raced in their own class, the International Dragons and the Mangnum Association boats. Joining the two GLYC Dragons were three crews who flew in from Western Australia to race with boats loaned to them by Terry Grundy from Metung Yacht Club. The Magnums join in each year for their own trophy racing as well as GLYC overall positions.

Sunday saw the ever popular Raymond Island Cock 'o Lake start in slow-motion mayhem with the fleet jockeying for position over the line yet having no wind power to get where they wanted to be. Fifty-four boats glided out of the line and meandered around the island counter-clockwise. Usually the race is aced by the catamarans, but this year Fake News, the Thompson 7 sailed by Graham Alexander, stole their thunder taking first and winning both the fastest boat around the island and also the fastest monohull trophy. Unfortunately, this year the course was changed to go counter-clockwise around the island, depriving onlookers along the straits of the beautiful spectacle of fifty boats with spinnakers gliding through the straits.

The Regatta wrapped up on Monday with the Lake Victoria Triangle with 29 boats on the race track. Sailing an Olympic triangle with a triangle, sausage, triangle, the fleet was aided by a somewhat fickle wind direction but more wind than on Sunday. Some close races within the cats and Dragons gave some exciting viewing for the race management and spectator boats.

Quiet Little Drink from GLYC sailed by Commodore Andrew Somerville took first in division 2. Gary Maskiell on Brake Free, a Mosquito Cat with Spinnaker, shot ahead to take first among the cats in division 4. Triple Espresso a large Corsair F28 Trimaran sailed solo in his class in all three Regatta races.

In the Dragon division, Sandy Anderson and her crew, all from WA, sailing on Imagination, beat Adios III, also a WA crew, by 42 seconds to take the win among the Dragon.

Despite the vagaries of the wind, the sailors expressed great appreciation for the race management of the regatta and the welcoming by the club of all who participated. They look forward to returning for next year's Easter Regatta.