By Ian Grant.
World champion Sydney helmsman Peter Sorensen and his experienced crew on The Philosophers Club are under a serious threat to surrender the lead in the Meridian Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week IRC class championship.
The 2008 Audi Australian IRC champions seemed poised to set up a strong win after they gained a perfect 1-1 result when they showed their tactical experience of racing in the stronger winds which prevailed during the first two races.
But their hope of maintaining a strangled hold on the prestigious championship trophy came crashing down when The Philosophers Club failed to produce a competitive boat speed in the light windward/leeward races on Pioneer Bay.
“We have never been known to race well in winds below 12 knots and that showed when The Philosophers Club struggled to be competitive finishing with a below par 6-4 “ A disappointed Peter Sorensen said.
They were simply no match for the cleverly sailed Victorian yacht Nutcracker which forced her way back into contention when her clever skipper Rob Davis revelled in the challenge to claim two impressive race wins.
After four races The Philosophers Club with her 1-1-6-4 score leads Nutcracker 5-5-1-1 under the count back rule with skipper Peter Sorensen expected to face a test of his tactical racing experience serious over the Whitsunday Sailing Club courses later today (Tuesday)
“Hopefully there will be some real grunt in the breeze which will suit us but if the breeze backs off we could be in trouble”. Sorensen said.
Meanwhile the struggle to win the championship vacated by the Victorian skipper Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll racing team rests with the strength of the wind velocity where a breeze above 12 knots favours The Philosophers Club while the Nutcracker challenge rests with a lighter wind forecast.
This sets the stage for an interesting tactical dog-fight between the two evenly matched crews who share the same 12 point scores just 3 points or 3 places ahead of the smaller Mooloolaba yacht the Gary McCarthy skippered Brilliant Pearl,