1 Race 5, J70 State Championships 2 Conditions: Wind 5-10 knots from South East, flat sea, ebb tide had just begun, running east to west. 3 As 1856 approached and began to round the top mark for the first time she was sitting in 3rd place. 4 Mark 1 was anchored in a water depth, estimated by RC at 5-6m 5 The mark tackle consisted of a sentinel weight approx. 1m below the mark, 10m of line and 1m of chain and anchor. 6 As 1856 passed approx. half a boat breadth to windward of mark 1 the anchor line rope from the mark fouled on her keel. 7 1856 pulled the mark from her leeward side, around the bow to release, then re-rounded the released mark, and took a penalty turn. 8 Mark 1A (the hitch mark) was configured in an identical manner to Mark 1. 9 Shortly after rounding mark 1 (attached to 1856) sail no 400 became similarly entangled in the tackle to Mark 1A. 10 Prior to becoming so entangled 400 was sitting in 7th place 11 In Race 6 which followed in similar conditions the RC anchored both marks 1 and 1A in the same vicinity using a 5m rope line, with no difficulty. 12 1856 finished in 17th place in race 5 13 400 finished in 14th place in race 5 14 Use of the tackle as configured in the conditions and water depth which may have been less than that estimated, permitted the rope line to lay, enabling entanglement by boats passing or rounding in close proximity to the marks. The slack rope was difficult to see and avoid by the lead boats. 15 The following boats, were able to avoid both marks as 1856 and 400 were engaged in disentagling themselfves from the marks. Ensuring they took a wider berth on the marks. 16 No other boats became entagled at marks 1 and 1a.
| 