Race Report Sunday 17 May 2026

Winter Championship / Point Score Races 7 & 8

Photos by Grant Lovelady and Kirk Marcolina

Double Bay Fleet Battles Through Harbour Drift-Off

More than 35 Laser sailors turned out at Double Bay Sailing Club on Sunday morning for a difficult and at times frustrating day of racing on Sydney Harbour. Sailors arrived to overcast skies and low cloud hanging across the harbour following overnight rain, while race officials headed out early were met with glassed-out conditions on the course area. It did not look promising.

Despite the lack of breeze, the large fleet launched enthusiastically, hoping the forecast would eventually deliver enough pressure for racing. After a bit of juggling by the race committee with the courses, two races were completed from the scheduled three-race program.

Race 1 (R7) provided and shift to NE but extremely light and tactical sailing, with competitors desperately searching for patches of pressure and favourable shifts around the harbour course. It then turned into a reaching course as the breeze rotated back to the WNW. 

Despite early promise in Race 2 (R8) with the new breeze, conditions deteriorated even further as the breeze almost completely disappeared across large sections of the course, leaving sailors drifting slowly toward the finish line in fading pressure and unstable wind patterns. The conditions became so difficult that only a handful of boats managed to finish within the 15-minute time limit window before the remainder of the fleet was scored DNF.

While the lack of wind prevented a full racing schedule, the impressive turnout once again highlighted the strength of Laser/ILCA sailing at Double Bay.

- Grant Lovelady, PRO