After some overnight rain and a balmy morning, registration was completed, right on start time 11:00am a 12 to 14 knot east to southeast breeze kicked in to send the fleet off from the start line south of Carlo point.

Heading to Garrys anchorage on K’Gari (Fraser island) with favourable wind, tide, sea state and weather would see all boats complete Leg 1, at Mark A Inskip Point –  up went the spinnakers for the run to the finish off Fig Tree Creek south of the overnight stopover in Garrys Anchorage.

The fleet of 87 boats that finished Leg 1 were all safely all anchored and rafted up before sunset.

The next day boat 455 retired before the race and headed safely back to Tin Can Bay.

There was sufficient wind to start the race on time at 7:30am with a following tide up to Mark B.

Mark B is about where the tide from the north and the south meet so the fleet entered the outgoing tide for the remainder of what was judged by most as a wonderful spinnaker run down the Great Sandy Strait to Mark G where the spinnakers were dropped for a brisk two sail reach to the finish at EU2.

Unfortunately boat 127 broke it’s spinnaker halyard at the start ad subsequently retired to limp safely home under jib, main and motor.

There is keen rivalry each year between the multihulls and the sports boats to see who is first home. This year the first boat home as a Multihull 555 Peter Hackett which took 4 hours and 55 minutes to complete the course well outside the record of 3 hours and 52 minutes, the first monohull 101 David Lambourne completed the course in 5 hours and 20 minutes, also outside the record of 3 hours and 48 minutes.

The boat which made the best use of the time on the water was a Creel 18 which took 10 hours and 55 minutes to complete the complete the 84 kilometre course. All the boats were signed off by 3pm. The conditions were perfect and great weekend of sailing was had by all competitors.

Thanks to the efforts of volunteer marine rescue organisations CG Tin Can Bay, CG Sandy Straits, VMR Hervey Bay, Finish boats, HBSC course patrol boats and community start patrol and mark boats and their owners, skippers and crew the 41st Bay to Bay was conducted safely and to the satisfaction of all and all look forward to the 42nd Bay to Bay in 2023!