Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Zoe wins Sunferries Magnetic Island IRC series

[by Al Constable]
Today's triangular course out on Cleveland Bay was always going to decide the winner of the second Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week Grand Prix division.

Townsville's Zoe, Wayne Millar's Sydney 41 and Guilty Pleasures, Leon Thomas' 7 metre Sportsboat were tied on points going into today's deciding race, Zoe ahead on a count back, courtesy of her three wins.

Although Guilty Pleasures was first to put up their kite, she soaked down quickly and had to come up towards the mark. After the initial spinnaker run, Zoe lit up and her brand new kite filled, she gapped Guilty Pleasures.

Rob Bassett's Bakewell-White Marley Wired took line honours and the IRC handicap win in today's race, ahead of Zoe and Guilty Pleasures.

71 seconds ahead of her smaller rival on corrected time today, Zoe has won the IRC division overall, of the second Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week. Guilty Pleasures was second overall and Marley Wired third.

Wayne Millar was confronted by a media scrum dockside. He commented, 'We are pretty happy... last year we just missed out in the final race by only a few seconds.

'It was tough today. Leon and his guys are punching well above their weight. Leon is fiercely competitive, when he pulled out that A sail, he was really pushing us. We were set up to hoist, we did not want to do it but we had no choice, we had to stay with them. We had a slightly dodgy pole extension and we thought at any second it was going to break. We kept saying 'Its going to break, its going to break! It was bending and it was ugly.'

Leon Thomas. 'We were first up with a kite and it hurt us, we were expecting the wind to curve up and it did not.

'We got back in the race, we had our time on Zoe at Middle Reef but then it was the long reach, the lightness in pressure and the chop that hurt us and Zoe had the water line length. Coming up to the finish line it was close but we fell short. However the result was way beyond our expectation, next year we expect to see a bunch of sports boats here ... it's a great location for them.

Rob Bassett was pleased with his third place and commented 'A very enjoyable regatta, very relaxed, great sailing. Would love to see another half dozen Kiwi boats here enjoying the sunshine and breeze. The Around the Island Race was the highlight for us.'

In the Cruising with Spinnaker division today Savanna, Murray Whitehead's Adam Radford won on handicap from Barbarella, Mal Tynan's Schionning Signature 14. Don Algie who sailed up from Airlie Beach with his elegant Warwick 66, Storm 2 finished third.

Overall Barbarella took the prize with Two Shea, Ian Johnson's Lightwave Catamaran second. Savanna was third.

Mal Tynan commented 'We had a blast - once we were off the breeze in 15 knots we flew.'

In today's race in the Cruising Non Spinnaker Division Buccaneer Too, the Adams 12 sloop of Nick Doran from Magnetic Island, won on handicap from Jimmie Blacksmith, Campbell Corbett's Adams 12. Vantage, Robert Kimlin's Adams/Mottle was third.

Dick Cerny won the Cruising Non-spinnaker. A Tasmanian who spent 30 years in Canada, Cerny sailed his Beneteau Oceanis 500 back from Canada in 2004.

Cerny commented dockside 'Aussie Rules is a heavy boat; we had a bit of wind this year.

'The plastic cooler (esky) on the back of the boat, I've had it for 38 years, its been 18 years on the back of Aussie Rules. But its falling apart, its definitely not UV stabilised, I reckon with the prize money I might be able to afford to buy a new one.'

In second place overall was Ngak Ngak, Michelle and Hamish Petrie's Beneteau 57. Kevin Shanks Farr 1104, Bushwacker 11 finished third.

The smallest boat in the fleet Spyderman, Bryan Lewthwaite's Spyder 22, Mk11 won on handicap in the PHS Division, with The Boat, Graeme Etherton's Crowther Windspeed 32 and Apollo V1, Paul Stuart's Lexcen 1 Tonner, filling the minor placings.

Overall in the PHS division Townsville's The Boat won from Kachina, Phillip McGuire's McGuire 11.3m with Rob Bassett's Marley Wired third.

The full and final results are available at www.magneticislandraceweek.com.au

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