The 2026 Wednesday Night Racing season, hosted by the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, kicked off in dramatic fashion as Crossfire secured the first victory of the campaign in a closely contested battle on the water.
Conditions for the opening night provided a technical challenge for the fleet, but it was Crossfire that handled the pressure best. Demonstrating superior boat speed from the starting gun, they were the first vessel to cross the line, recording an elapsed time of 43:37. Once the handicaps were applied, their corrected time of 48:06 was enough to secure the overall win on the night, setting a high benchmark for the rest of the season.
The race for the podium was decided by the narrowest of margins, with Airforce pushing the leaders until the final leg. Airforce was the second boat to physically cross the line with a time of 51:00, and their corrected time of 48:16 earned them a well-deserved second-place finish. Only ten seconds separated the top two boats after the calculations, highlighting the competitive nature of this year's fleet.
Passion occupied the third spot on the podium after a disciplined performance throughout the evening. They crossed the line in 51:46, which translated to a corrected time of 48:59. While they remained within striking distance of the leaders, they ultimately had to settle for third place as the wind shifted during the closing stages.
Further down the leaderboard, Scatteraction claimed fourth place on the night after recording a corrected time of 49:22. The battle for the remaining spots in the top five was equally fierce, with Menace eventually rounding out the top flight. Their corrected time of 50:10 ensured they stayed in the hunt for season honors as the fleet looks ahead to the second round of racing next week.
Wednesday Night Sailing 2026 Race One
48:06 Crossfire
48:16 Airforce
48:59 Passion
49:22 Scatteraction
50:10 Menace
50:11 RS 21 3 LEACH
50:27 Lorato Makato
50:42 Jitterbug
51:02 Back in Black
51:52 Solna II
52:17 Fat Tuesday
52:21 RS 21 6 SAVAGE
52:52 RS 21 1 NEAME
53:22 Encore
53:23 Privateer
54:40 Tiburon
55:27 Celerity
56:19 Lix
56:50 Falcon
57:50 RS 21 5 FRANK
58:06 RS 21 4 REID
58:12 Shogun
58:29 Shadow
1:01:18 Swoon
1:02:23 Severn
|
