Gun Runner finished?

Captains Log 260313: Well, today’s twilight was different. Great southerly blow - 20 to 25 knots constant with gusts over 30 knots.

We hit the start late again, 5th from five starters. Finished 5th as well. Great winds for sailing. We had two reefs in the main and the #3 jib up. Nice and conservative for us but comparatively slow to the rest of the fleet.

Then there was a bump. Us on starboard, them on port. Racing pushes some into a serious close quarters frame of mind. All on board ok and excited by the event.

Editor’s note - Gun Runner’s skipper applied a very conservative sail plan based on his experience and confidence. Other yachts were a little more adventurous in their approach to the strong winds. This resulted in too much sail area and lots of broaching (where the yacht will leapt windward when overpowered).

As Gun Runner progressed down the course on a starboard tack, two yachts, racing each other, approached on a port tack. The mighty Gun had right of way and should’ve expected the two yachts to take action to avoid. One did, the other tried to but broached in the wind and collided with Gun Runner.

Below is the redacted protest form to give a picture of what happened.

The other boat’s skipper was extremely apologetic as you can imagine. The damage to Gun Runner’s rear port quarter is significant. At this stage Sailing On’s management committee is pursuing insurance options.

Thank you to the skipper for his responsible actions on the day and to the crew for assisting. For the moment though, it looks like Gun Runner has retired hurt for the remainder of the season.