After a day’s delay in finalising results, Nico van Wieringen’s modified L26 Blue Tango II emerged victorious at a hotly contested Shane’s GBYC Gaul Regatta, held between Friday 28 and Sunday 30 July at Gordon’s BayYacht Club. Blue Tango II was pushed all the way by Denis Cochrane’s Royal Flush, who were initially declared winners after an error of scoring for a single race.
Blue Tango II has succeeded in beating Cochrane’s custom Lavranos-designed Royal Flush, which has dominated local racing since her return to competition this year. Despite a difficult opening day that included a retirement, Cochrane and his youthful crew (Henning Kock, Stephen Cochrane, Edmund Tough, and Josh Young) steered Royal Flush to within a point of overall victory. The two yachts shared all line honours and all victories for the entire seven-race event.
Day 1 brought a strong blustery north-wester and choppy water, with conditions deteriorating throughout the day. Blue Tango II drew first blood, winning the first three races, while Royal Flush had to settle for two second places and a retirement, struggling without enough weight on the rail.
With Day 2 being cancelled due to poor weather it was all to play for on Day 3. Four more races were held, with Royal Flush winning three and scoring one second place, while Blue Tango II scored one win, two seconds and a did-not-start. The did-not-start was inconsequential: Van Wieringen and his crew, Christo-Louis Rust and Goretti van Wieringen, had done enough to scoop up the overall victory.
