Midnight Rambler (Ed Psaltis) has thrown down the gauntlet in his bid to retain the Tasmanian AMS Rating Championship, sailed as part of the Banjos Shoreline Crown Series Bellerive Regatta in Hobart.

Psaltis leads the racing keelboat group on AMS on six points with four wins from five races and carries a six-point lead over Fish Frenzy Whistler (Drew Latham) on 12 points and Jazz Player (John Dryden) on 17 points into the last day of sailing on Sunday. Competition is tighter on PHS handicap with Quest (Vaughan Lynch) leading on 22 points from FilePro (Tim Gadsby) and War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith) both on 24 points.

Conditions were more consistent than forecast, with a gentle sea-breeze filing in later in the day. Nearly 100 entries are contesting the regatta which features keelboats, sportsboats, and an off the beach class.

Ultimate Challenge (Peter Jenkins) is having the ultimate regatta leading Division One of the Performance Cruising Division on PHS handicap on three points with Masquerade (Tony Harman) on eight points, while Harman turned the tables to lead on AMS on four points from Jenkins on six points.

Detail First (Scott Broadby) continues her good form to lead Division Two on AMS handicap on three points while Twitch (Twitch Syndicate) leads on PHS handicap on 12 points.

Dynamo (Stephen Davidson) leads PHS Performance Cruising on eight points and Sundance (Don Bailey) leads Division Four on six points. Tiger One (Glenn Myler) leads the Production Cruising Division on three points from Moshulu (Brendan Grant) on six points. SB20 Tasmanian Champion Ambition (Chris Dare) leads the SB20 fleet on one design with four wins from five races, while Cook Your Own Dinner (Felicity Allison) leads on PHS.

Light winds are forecast for Sunday with up to three races left to sail in most groups.

by Jane Austin