Report by Sue & Warwick Crossman

RPAYC’s globe-trotting DF65 sailors have been at it again, this time with a week-long regatta at Musket Cove Resort on Malolo Lailai in Fiji.

A plan was hatched during the NSW DF65 Championships in May to organise a regatta in Fiji and six months later ten sailors and their partners headed off to the island paradise. Phil Burgess worked on the travel and accommodation package while Rod and Kerry Waterhouse used their contacts at Musket Cove to organise the activities, including the DF65 regatta, Hobie 16 match racing, snorkelling on the reef, and they even squeezed in a round of golf.

Some tropical rain over the first two nights and mornings quickly cleared to “post card” perfect conditions for the DF65 racing, complete with warm turquoise water, palm trees and an island bar for beers, cocktails and some post race bar karate.

Rod Waterhouse devised a unique scoring system where the Day 2 results were worth double points and the Day 3 results were worth triple points. Some of the more experienced sailors helped others tune up their boats. Dave Burke in particular was very generous, sharing his experience from years of DF65 racing in England. Not surprisingly he also finished top of the scoreboard at the end of four days of racing. One full round of Hobie 16 match racing was run across the first four days too, with the final match between Kerry & Rod Waterhouse and Kel & Phil Burgess. Team Burgess put up a brave fight but were simply no match for the two Hobie legends, Kerry & Rod.

Day 5 was reserved for the teams event where sailors were paired according to their finishing places after the previous four days, with 1st and 10th place making up one team, 2nd and 9th place another and so on. After five team races Phil Burgess & Dave Hewett took the top spot by the narrowest of margins.The DF65 sailing was then wrapped up with the ladies taking the controls for one final race that was dominated by Chris Jacobs who led at every mark for a comfortable win.

As expected it was a great week with a terrific bunch of Pittwater sailors, with many hours spent under the frangipani trees or by the pool planning to make the next trip for our club’s largest one design and arguably most active fleet, even better next year.