Winds fail to stop winning Gambit
STRONG easterly winds, sometimes gusting to 35 knots, allowed half of the starting fleet of 26 to finish the 10th edition of the Tag Heuer-Aberdeen Boat Club Four Peaks race under the record set last year by Mark Leese and his crew aboard Xiabu Xiabu 5.
Frank Young and his five crew aboard Gambit surged over the finish line shortly before three o'clock yesterday morning after scaling four peaks and navigating through four-metre swells for over 90 nautical miles.
The 15-hour and 15-minute performance carved an amazing six hours off the race record and it wasn't until the final run up Violet Hill and then to the finish in Repulse Bay that Leese and his crew were denied victory again and a second race record.
Gambit finished a mere 20 minutes clear of Xiabu Xiabu 5 with the third-placed Sky Song a further 37 minutes back.
Two-time winner, Vic Locke and his crew aboard Bugis were officially fourth, another 30 minutes back.
Only one minute separated Gambit and Xiabu Xiabu 5 when they passed through the Mt Stenhouse checkpoint on Lamma Island with the Leese crew holding the edge.
But in the slog to Repulse Bay and the final checkpoint at Violet Hill, Young had turned the one-minute deficit into a race-winning 13-minute advantage.
The heavy conditions took a heavy toll on the fleet with Aurora, Farr Fetched, Shikari, Scot Free, Lan Ying, Gale Force and Shogun II all pulling out with a variety of gear or sail damage.
