Benn Smith’s victory in doubt as protest flies at Long Distance Comet Race

St. George’s Harbour delivered a mix of beauty and bite on Monday, but the champagne finish turned to committee-room tension after Benn Smith crossed first by a wide margin, only to find the sweet taste of victory soured by a protest from Maxwell Curtis.

The drama unfolded at the narrow exit of St. George’s Town Cut, where long-distance races out of the east end are rarely won but often lost. With the 17-member fleet compressing as boats aimed for the first mark off North Shore, Curtis, with Wesley Tucker crewing, and Smith [Christian Ebbin] arrived overlapped, with Curtis seemingly in favoured position and holding right-of-way.

As the channel pinched, Curtis appeared to execute a legal luff, closing the door to protect his lane and clear air. Smith, sailing fast, refused to yield despite having nowhere to go and the rocks of the channel close at hand.

Both held their course. The two hulls touched. It was light contact, no damage, but decisive contact nonetheless.

Under the Racing Rules of Sailing, when a right-of-way boat is fouled, the offending boat must take a penalty turn “as soon as possible” once clear of other boats. Rule 44.2 is clear: one tack and one gybe, performed promptly. Curtis had immediately hailed “Protest”. Smith was not readily seen to respond with a penalty turn. Instead, he bore away onto North Shore and opened up his legs, sailing away from the fleet towards the finish off West End Sailboat Club, crossing acres ahead and appearing to secure a third successive win, and fourth in the last five years.

That gap now means nothing until the protest committee rules. The core of Curtis’s protest is twofold: Smith is accused of failing to keep clear when Curtis purportedly had the right of way while exiting the channel, and of failing to take his penalty.

On the water, the optics were brutal for Smith. Even if the initial contact was marginal, not taking a turn when the right-of-way boat clearly protests is considered poor race etiquette in any club fleet. In a channel as tight as St. George’s, there is little room for “let the committee sort it out later.” The expectation is you spin, get it done, and race on. Smith’s decision to sail on and build a lead will be central to the hearing.

For Curtis, it was a textbook execution of rights and procedure. He held his course, gave Smith room to keep clear, and followed the hail-and-flag protocol. Whether he lost a winning position because of the incident is less relevant than whether Smith broke a rule and failed to exonerate himself.

It is unclear when the protest hearing will be held; however, it appears straightforward that if the committee finds Smith to have transgressed the rules, he will be disqualified from the race.

That would hand the win to Alan Frith and crew Sarah Frith, who pipped Curtis at the finish for what appeared, at the time, to have been a race for second place.

A disqualification of Smith would also bump Quinton Simons onto the podium, after he had crossed the line fourth.

Heavy conditions made for a more than three-hour journey of attrition, taxing for all competitors, and the finish line a welcome sight, with boats operating on the limits of what recommended specs.

Remarkably, only three boats failed to finish, with at least one capsizing, that by Antoine Wingood, who in ignominy yet added to his lore.

Edward Cross Long Distance Comet Race Results (Unofficial):

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