Al and Tony (3854) will lead the way around. The winds on this weekend were very kind to Al who never once had to tack at this mark despite regularly tacking a hundred or more yards away with a view to "underlaying". Meanwhile, an interesting battle over second place is in the making. Jim McIntyre (l) is about to ...  - click here for larger image

... starboard Jim Heffernan while Al is off towards the offset mark where he and Tony will start their run back to the start/leeward mark. Note the minimal rudder turbulence as Al has heeled to windward to encourage SHADES to bear away without  needless use of rudder. Jim Mac is about to tack to go with Jim H but will need a great tack to avoid falling into Jim H's backwind. Did he get that perfect tack?

No. 1904 should probably have tacked a couple of boatlengths earlier and postponed the confrontation with 1066 instead of succumbing to the overwhelming temptation to make the port boat give way. He would then have been to leeward and ahead of Jim as both converged with Richard J. (yellow hull) In this small fleet, the theoretical 1904 (to leeward/ahead of 1066) could then have tacked off Richard's bow and barely to leeward of his track which had Richard fairly easily laying the mark (see next pic). Instead, Jim H. (1066) got the opportunity but failed to seize it. With Richard J coming along on starboard, Jim H (1066) played it safe, well fairly safe, as he just crossed the starboard tacker, Richard, but ended up behind Richard after the 1066 tack towards the mark. (see next few pics)