Nasty knots keep skippers on their toes as Simon Lucas in FForever Young earns his first victory of the seasonDes BeeckAlbany AdvertiserFri, 21 November 2025 10:00AM
Three Flying Fifteens competed in a harbour course event on Saturday in a south-wester that fluctuated between 16 and 19 knots.
The odd nasty gust reached up to 25 knots and that kept all skippers on their toes until it dropped to a pleasant breeze towards the end of racing.
Simon Lucas, the most experienced skipper in Flying Fifteens, has continued to be the quickest around the harbour courses but had failed to get a win under his belt.
However, that all changed on Saturday when he stormed around the course to lead throughout leaving Aileen Lucas in Crazy, and Eden Gray in Flying Flounder, unable to do any damage.
Crazy and Flying Flounder were having their own little battle for the minor places and although their spinnaker runs were fast and furious, they were not as quick as FForever Young which finished more than three minutes ahead of Crazy, which pipped Flying Flounder on the line by a mere four seconds.
It certainly was vintage racing from the wily master and his crew, Jason Pomery.
Four yachts in the mixed keelboats sailed the King George Sound event, and Brett Hawker showed the way with Jessie James as he held the lead for the entire race.
Josh Hughes had Joker sitting in second place from start to finish and not far off the transom of Jessie James.
Having his first competitive sail was Richard Hodgson in Escapade.
The big boat was having a great tussle with Alastair Knowlden aboard Ines, which showed some dash with a full main.
Hawker led the fleet out into the sound with Joker just behind.
Ines got ahead of Escapade and was looking good for a place on handicap, which proved the case when he was announced the winner of the Terry Bridge Trophy.
It was an excited skipper and crew who received their trophy and their first win since the new season opened.
Terry Bridge, a former commodore, presented his trophy and all the place-getters’ pennants.
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