Instinct declared Cairns-POM regatta winner

By HENRY MORABANG
THE yacht Instinct was declared the winner of the Coral Sea Rally for 2017.
It capped a fantastic event for skipper Luke Byer and his crew.
Byer said his yacht left Port Moresby on the evening of Sept 14 to join the other yachts in Cairns for the race.
The four onboard experienced 3-4-metre seas and winds from the south east ranging from 25-35 knots on the trip south which tested the endurance of both the boat and the crew.
“We finally arrived in Cairns on the afternoon of Sept 19, flying the PNG flag,” Byer said.
After a few days rest in Cairns, which included re-provisioning the trip to Moresby, Instinct commenced the Coral Sea Rally at 11.45am on Sept 23.
Byer said his boat sailed out through Trinity Passage and into the Coral Sea.
He said the conditions were much more favourable on the return trip as the seas were kinder and the wind had abated somewhat and was coming from behind the boat.
Instinct kicked along nicely and generally averaged around 6-7 knots.
Byer said Port Moresby was a very welcome sight on the afternoon of Sept 26 when the boat crossed the finish line at 2.40pm.
He added that a very warm welcome followed at the Royal Papua Yacht Club and the exhausted crew were happy to be back on dry land.
Byer said the RPYC held a Coral Sea Rally barbeque last Wednesday evening which was a great opportunity for the crews of the other competing yachts to meet and share their stories of the race.