Race Report - Saturday 27 September 2025

Spring Point Score, Races 3 & 4

All photos by Craig Sheers

Saturday’s racing kicked off in a light (building to moderate) north-north-westerly. This being one of the least common wind directions on Sydney Harbour, the race management team had to get creative with a leeward mark a stones throw off a point piper palace and weather mark to the north of Clark island, flirting with the busy channel. 

Race 3 of the Spring Point Score series was underway with clean starts for both fleets. Scott Hunter led the ILCA6’s most of the race until Sara Bruce overtook him in the last lap to win line honours. Healy Ryan and Julian Taylor tussled for the lead in the 7’s the whole race, with Healy coming out on top at the end. On the jazzman, we had plenty entertainment, providing AFL Grand Final score updates to finishers, whilst parrying the ever-present opinions on how the racecourse should be changed. 

Change the course we did. The now moderate breeze had shifted to the North, demanding a course shuffle that had the weather mark further right, just South and East of Bradley’s Head. The 4’s and 6’s were keen, too keen, to get on with it. Assisted by an ebbing current pushing them over the line, general recall! Straight to black flag. That showed them. They got away clean this time, as did the 7’s. After close racing in shifty conditions, the same young guns from the previous race took line honours. The back of the fleet saw close racing too, with position changes even on the final beat to the finish. It seems everyone was keen to get in for what would be a crazy second half of a grand final game… except Tim Heath who enjoyed an extra hour of training after racing- an example to us all.

Thanks to our race team Craig Sheers PRO assisted by yours truly, and Ryan Aldrich with Conor Kellett on the RIB. Thanks also to Van Allen for organizing the canteen in Paul’s absence, with Shirley and Massa Kume.

- Campbell Patton, LtRaR