Living Doll and Wired - Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week 2008 Peter Campbell © [by: Peter Campbell]
New Zealand sailors took first day line honours today at the 2008 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week being sailed in the Whitsundays of tropical Far North Queensland, but handicap honours went to the Victorian boat Audi Centre Melbourne.
Wired, Rob Bassett's canting keel Bakewell-White 52, obviously faster than she was a year ago, sailed away from the fleet to get the gun by more than 12 minutes from compatriot Pussy Galore, Anatole Masfen's Cookson 50, also from Auckland.
However, with her high rating of 1.401, Wired could not hold her time on the Corby 49 Audi Centre Melbourne, the former Flirt owned by Chris Dare from Melbourne's Sandringham Yacht Club and helmed by newly elected Yachting New South Wales President Roger Hickman.
The well-sailed Corby 49 is provisional winner of IRC division 1 of the 19 nautical mile Cone Island - Armit Island Race, with a handicap margin of 43 seconds from Wired, third place going to another Victorian boat, Chris Hiatt's Cookson 50, Living Doll.
Wired got an early break over the rest of the fleet on the frustratingly light breeze that dogged the IRC fleet on the two nautical mile beat to windward.
Smart tactical sailing saw the Kiwis hoist their code 0 spinnaker to close-reach out into the Passage, seeking the wind. 'We knew there was breeze out there and we sailed in that direction rather than the more direct rhumbline course down to Cone Island, ' skipper Bassett said.
'Once we got out in the Passage between the mainland and the islands, we had 14 knots and went charging north at 14 knots under spinnaker.
'We were far ahead at Cone Island and when we crossed the line back off Airlie Beach we had a margin of more than 12 minutes from our fellow Kiwis on Pussy Galore,' Bassett added.
Bassett, a member of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, said that since last year's rather disappointing IRC result at Arlie Beach Race Week they had worked on the boat's rating back in Auckland. 'The boat is now much more balanced now and obviously faster,' he added.
Winning owner/skipper Chris Dare said he and the crew had been frustrated by the early light winds but once out in the trade winds, the Corby 49 had sailed fast. 'Coming back (from Armit Island) we took some long tacks and that paid off to give a narrow, but satisfying win on corrected timer,' Dare said.
Michael Hiatt (Living Doll) from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria described the Cone Island - Armit Island Race as a 'tough one' adding that his Cookson 50 had been stuck in a hole before they reached the trade winds. However, an eventual fast spinnaker run and a good beat back to the finish saw Living Doll take third place on corrected time,
Steve McConaghy, tactician aboard Ray Roberts' Quantum Racing said it was a 'a horrible way to start the regatta... but once we picked up the sou'easter we regained lost ground to round Double Cone Island with Pussy Galore and Living Doll.'
However, it was not good enough and Quantum Racing, the pre-regatta favourite following her recent Sydney Gold Coast Race win, had to be content with a sixth on corrected time.
Last year's overall IRC winner Arajilla, skippered by Geoff Pearson from Middle Harbour Yacht Club, with Olympian Neville Wittey calling the shots, scored an impressive win in IRC Division 2. Second place went to another MHYC boat, the Sydney 38 Zen (Gordon Ketelby) and third to Secret Mens Business 1, now owned by Robert Curtis from Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.
As the IRC divisions slowly worked to windward in a light south-westerly breeze to the first round mark in Pioneer Bay, the breeze behind them died away to zilch and Principal Race Officer Tony Denham temporarily abandoned race for the other divisions.
Two hours later, with the breeze finally filling in, he started these divisions on the Cone Island - Armit Island course, with the fleet enjoying a good sail in a 10-12 knotter.
In the Performance Racing, Division 1 handicap honours went to Lake Macquarie, NSW, sailor Mick Hinchey in his Melges 32 Ian Short Sails, with a 14 second corrected time win from local Whitsunday Sailing Club boat Rising Farrst, a Farr 1104 skippered by Tim Osborne. Third place went to another local boat, Another Fiasco, a Jutson 43 skippered by Damian Suckling from Abel Point Yacht Club.
Gold Coast yachtsman Noel Leigh-Smith, a former National JOG champion sailed the Bethwaite-designed Vivace to a hard-fought win the Sports Boat division, taking honours under the new SMS (Sports Boat Measurement) handicapping from the little Egan 6 Quantum Sails (Graham Shering) also from Southport Yacht Club. Third place went to Coffs Harbour-based French sailor Pierre Gal in the Sports 8xx boat Conquistador.
In the One Design SB3 division, Magees IGA (Paul Hunt) from Tasqua Youth (Matthew Jones) and Wagop (Michael McLean).
After the delayed start the Cruising division boats did not finish the Cone Island - Armit Island Race until late this afternoon.
In the Cruising Non Spinnaker Division, Rainbow, Peter Hall's Beneteau 473 won on corrected time from Time Lord, Keith Munro's Bavaria 50, with Joie De Vie (Martin Cross) third.
Don Algie's Storm 2 won the day's prize in the Cruising with Spinnaker Division 1, with Double O Seven (Jeffrey Brown) finishing second. Garry Anderson's Espirit was third.
Mr Bojangles, Pauline Cleaver's Northshore 38, took the handicap honours in Cruising with Spinnaker Division 2, from another Northshore 38 Full Frontal, hemled by Mark Travis. Completing the top three was yet another Northshore 38C, More Intrigue, skippered by Merv Stephensen.
All results are provisional and subject to protest. Full results are available on the website - http://www.airliebeachraceweek.com.au/event_results.php
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