A light 8-knot westerly breeze greeted competitors early on, gradually building throughout the morning to deliver clean tactical racing, at least after a few early ‘hiccups’ by competitors. Both the Etchells and Sportsboat fleets were clearly keen to shake off the winter cobwebs, with the Etchells Class jumping the gun in Race 1 and the Sportsboats in Race 2, forcing general recalls. The race committee quickly asserted control, hoisting the Black Flag and delivering a cheeky broadcast reminder: “We’re not having any of that”. Red alerts across the Vakaros onboard displays lit up like Christmas Trees. 

With order restored, the restart saw well-timed starts across the board, and fleets spread quickly across Pittwater under a now-steady 10–12 knot breeze. The multihulls thrived in the conditions, lifting out of the water and charging past much of the competition with exhilarating speed.