Casey Stays Ahead After Tricky Third Day in Brisbane

The race committee had to shift the course twice as the wind veered through 50 degrees, forcing late starts and a compressed schedule on the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron race area.

Day 3 Racing Summary — concrete moves on the racecourse

Two makeup races were run on Wednesday to recover Tuesday's lost racing, with a more optimistic forecast in the morning that turned patchy as the day progressed. Brendan Casey (AUS) retained the overall lead for the Porsche Centre Brisbane 2026 Finn World Masters after posting a win and a mixed finish across the two races. Rafa Trujillo (ESP) sits second overall and Karl Purdie (NZL) holds third. A fleet of 107 Finns from 16 countries is competing.

Race 4 — side lanes bite

Race 4 proved tricky, with boats that hugged the sides coming in deep. Casey rounded the first mark with a solid margin, followed by Matt Visser (AUS) and Fabian Lemmel (GER). The preferred second upwind saw crews favoring a middle-right lane; a few boats worked their way back through the fleet, but the top three held position through to the finish.

Race 5 — shifting wind and a late finish

Wind shifts forced the committee boat to reset the course twice before the final race could start. When the breeze settled just enough, boats that had chosen the right side rounded the first mark ahead, with Rob McMillan (AUS) initially leading, followed by Karl Purdie and Filipe Silva (POR). Purdie managed to fend off Trujillo at the top mark and claimed the race, while Casey struggled in traffic and finished around 15th.

What this means for competitors and event logistics

With two races scheduled for Thursday and a forecast predicting strong winds, the race committee faces another delicate balancing act between safety and completing the schedule before Friday’s conclusion. Late-afternoon sea breezes and quick veer events require rapid course moves and precise committee-boat positioning to keep starts fair. Crews are having to make split-second tactical calls while shore support, coaching launches and charter logistics shuffle to accommodate delays.

Notable equipment and heritage stories

Kerry Spencer sailed the only wooden Finn in the fleet — a 1966 Raudaschl timber hull with a Bruder mast and traditional sail— and reported surprisingly competitive performance in the lighter, smoother conditions on day three. The wooden rig delivered a different feel: quieter in the water and easier on the body, which for some sailors can be a welcome contrast to modern carbon setups.

Top ten after Day 3 (5 races)

Who to watch

• Brendan Casey — consistent fast starts and ability to play shifts.
• Rafa Trujillo / Rafael Trujillo — strong upwind pace and race-craft.
• Karl Purdie — smart mark-rounding and stays in the top end.
• Kerry Spencer — unique timber Finn showing vintage rigs can still surprise.

Organizational notes for visiting teams

Teams arriving with charter boats or coach launches should plan for flexible berthing windows at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron marinas and build in extra time for pre-race tuning. Shore-side logistics — from fuel deliveries to transport for support crews — have been tested by the late-afternoon shifts; expect similar operational considerations for the remaining days.

Ahead of the 2028 venue vote, the Annual Masters Meeting chose Pula, Croatia as host, signalling renewed international activity for the class. That decision has consequences for travel planning and equipment transport in future campaigns — something yacht owners, charter operators and logistics teams should note well in advance.

Wrap-up: After a day of shifting breezes and two make-up races, Brendan Casey holds the lead in the Porsche Centre Brisbane 2026 Finn World Masters, with Rafa Trujillo and Karl Purdie close behind. Race committee resets, late wind veers and a striking timber-boat performance by Kerry Spencer made Day 3 a classic case of small margins deciding big outcomes. With tricky forecasts ahead, teams, charter operators and shore crews will need to stay nimble to secure berthing, manage transport and finalize gear before the event finishes on Friday. In short: yacht fans and anyone interested in charter, boat rent or yachting activities should keep an eye on the leaderboard—this one’s still up for grabs on the sea, in the marinas and out on the ocean and gulf, whether you’re into superyacht cruising, fishing, sunseeker spotting or good old-fashioned sailing fun by the beach and clearwater lakes.