Just over a week ago we finished sailing Airlie Beach Race Week (ABRW ) on the new REO 7.7 Sports boat, our first major regatta and indeed first races since she arrived on our shores. We also had the Ratcliff boys (Luke Ratcliff helm) sailing the smaller REO 7.2 which they’d purchased from us just before the regatta.
The first race was a tight lead to Double Cone Islands and return, with the race starting in a light 5 knot breeze and then building to about 8 to 10 knots. It was a good opener for the REO 7.7, which is designed to sail downrange much better than the REO 7.2. The line we picked to the island ended up being better than the other sports boats in the fleet, who had started higher up the starting line than us. We ended up winning the first race that the REO 7.7 had competed in by about 2 minutes.The rest of the races were sailed in mainly 15 to 20 knots with some bigger gusts. In the windward/ leeward courses there were lulls down to 5 knots with lines of pressure near the top marks. There were also a couple of long distance passage races sailed in roughly 15 to 20+ knots, and these conditions were what the REO 7.2 was designed for!
Luke Ratcliff, his brother Paul, William (Paul’s son) and friend Geoff picked up on how to sail the boat very quickly indeed. They won five of the races, and were second in another two but retired from one long race after they found they had missed a passing mark. Prior to retiring the results showed they had won the race. All this, after William had stood on Paul’s shoulders to rig a line around the spreaders to replace the lower shroud that had broken. They would have lost between five to ten minutes whilst doing this sailing upwind. It is a testament to the boys and the boat that it is a potent package in strong winds.
On the REO 7.7 we had improved our crew work and the precise tuning of the boat as the regatta progressed. We sailed consistently throughout the week and ended up within a few points of a podium finish which was very pleasing for her first competitive outing. This boat has plenty of potential and we look forward to the coming sailing season with excitement!
