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Re:Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - 2008/08/11 21:13
TAHITI SOUNDS NICE
BUT AUDI HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK SOUNDS BETTER
RECORD FLEET IS REGISTERED
Andrew Short could hardly believe what he was hearing when he called the crew delivering his recently purchased 66-footer, Shockwave 5, from Bermuda to Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.
Realising that they were making excellent progress, Short telephoned from his Sydney office and said: ‘Hey guys, you’re doing a great job. Why don’t you take a break in Tahiti on the way’ … and the response was, ‘No thanks!’
Their reason was simple. It was far more important to ensure that the Grand Prix racer would be at the 25th anniversary celebration of Race Week, rather than stopping in Tahiti and running the risk of missing the great event.
This week, safe in the knowledge that his new yacht would be on the start line, Short lodged his Race Week entry, and much to his delight it was the 217th to be received – making Shockwave 5 the one that took the number of competing yachts into record territory. Last year the largest fleet ever, 216 yachts, took part.
Short bought the yacht in Newport, Rhode Island, three months ago then competed in the Newport to Bermuda Race, taking line honours in his division. He then put a delivery crew aboard and pointed them in the direction of Hamilton Island, 10,500 nautical miles away. Since then the Reichel/Pugh design, with Dave Haines as skipper, has made remarkable time, clearing the Panama Canal without incident and logging more than 300 nautical miles a day traversing the Pacific Ocean.
The latest report at the weekend had Shockwave 5 west of Fiji and due to arrive at its destination later this week. Short will change the name to Shockwave 5 - Club Marine for Race Week.
While Shockwave 5 heads in from the east, one of Australia’s most famous ocean racing yachts of the 1980’s, Peter Briggs’ Hitchhiker, will be heading across the continent from the west. The 41-footer – which represented Australia in the 1981 and 1983 Admiral’s Cup regattas in England under his ownership, and was also the winner of the inaugural Hamilton Island Race Week in 1984 – is being trucked 3500km from Perth to Hamilton Island to be a centrepiece at the Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Also present this year will be Rudy Weber’s Two Tonner, Too Impetuous, which when owned by Graeme Lambert finished second to Hitchhiker at the inaugural Race Week in 1984.
Race director for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2008, Denis Thompson, announced today that late entries for Race Week will be accepted for at least one more week. The regatta is scheduled for August 23 - 30.
“We are now at 222 entries, so it would be nice to get the fleet to 225 for the 25th anniversary series,” Thompson said.
All regatta information is available on the website www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
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Re:Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - 2008/08/11 21:16
Hitting the highway. Peter Briggs’ 41-footer Hitchhiker – the winner of the inaugural Hamilton Island Race Week in 1984 – departs from Perth on the 3500km Trans-continental trip to Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2008.
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Re:Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - 2008/08/26 10:22
REPUTATIONS ON THE LINE.
Proud International yacht racing reputations will be placed on the line when a World standard fleet compete for the prestigious Audi Hamilton Island Race Week IRC championship trophy from August 22-30.
The battle lines will be drawn off Hamilton Island tomorrow (Saturday) when the record fleet representing various high performance yachts from the International champion maxi and former Hamilton Island Race Week line honours champion Shockwave Club-Marine (Andrew Short) to slower yachts contesting the casual cruising class face the start for championship points in the Lindeman Island race.
A warm and pleasant 10-15 knot South East trade is expected to provide ideal sailing conditions for the Lindeman Island race before a robust ‘Southerly Buster’ with squalls to 30 knots promises to turn the regatta into a supreme ‘torture test’ of heavy wind sailing technique over the Whitsunday Island waters on Sunday.
This complex weather pattern will provide an exciting start to the 25th Anniversary regatta which has attracted former Olympians, Americas Cup sailors and Sydney Hobart Race winners in a duel for what promises to be the most exciting battle of sailing science and endurance ever staged in the history of this spectacular International regatta.
Size and sail power favours the Andrew Short skippered maxi Shockwave Club Marine to start as favourite to win the fastest yacht of the regatta trophy but this combination will have no margin for error with the super fast trio of maxi-chasers Wild Oats X (Mark Richards), Black Jack (Mark Bradford) and the Steven David skippered Admirals Cup champion Wild Joe possessing the capable crew skills and boat speed to cause an upset.
Special interest will focus on an Americas Cup type match race between the almost identical Wild Oats X and the new Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron challenger Black Jack.
Wild Oats X will have an edge in crew experience with Bob Oatley’s Rolex Sydney-Hobart champions on board but the Black Jack crew will be race ready for a tactical ‘dogfight’ with skipper Mark Bradford pitching his 2008 Americas Cup racing skills against the proven long and short distance race winners on Wild Oats X.
Ian Grant.
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Re:Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - 2008/08/26 10:24
22 August 2008
Silver sailing at Hamilton Island
It’s been a week of gold and silver – double Olympic sailing gold and a silver medal yesterday, and the start of the silver anniversary edition of Australia’s best recognised keelboat regatta, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.
The marina at Hamilton Island is filling to capacity as the last of the record fleet of 225 arrive from as far as New Zealand to celebrate the 25th edition of Race Week which commences tonight with the Club Marine Yacht Owner’s Cocktail Party.
The cruising boat crews are busy stocking up on ‘consumables’ while the IRC boats are being trimmed down as they convert from delivery mode to the lighter inshore racing mode for the week-long regatta that has attracted what principle race officer (PRO) Denis Thompson regards as Australia’s best ever grand prix line up.
Owners, racing crews and a smattering of hot shots are landing regularly at the Hamilton Island airstrip and arriving by ferry from Airlie Beach to assist the hard working delivery crews who have spent the last few days checking and tweaking rigs, hauling unwanted sails off the boat and cleaning hulls.
A handful of the high performance end of the fleet has been out for sea trials to reacquaint themselves with the local conditions and to test new sails and gear.
The Mark Richards skippered Reichel Pugh 66 Wild Oats X, one of the favourites for a podium finish in its division, had North Sails’ Michael Coxon on board on Wednesday afternoon during a test sail to check the new swept back spreader rig and top mast backstays which have replaced the runners.
Richards’ pre-regatta advice to the crew was to “keep our noses clean and hopefully we’ll have something to show for it at the end of the week”.
In an effort to retain the winner’s crown, defending IRC Racing champion, Geoff Ross (Yendys), has installed a new carbon rig, which is being fine-tuned today, and has assembled a high octane blend of name sailors including Sean Kirkjian, Will Oxley, Richie Allanson, Mitch White and New Zealand round the world sailor Stu Clarke.
The 2006 IRC Racing winner with his previous Quantum Racing, Ray Roberts, will arrive today fresh from battle at Airlie Beach with his Cookson 50 of the same name. Roberts sealed the win on a countback at Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race week just yesterday afternoon and he and his race ready crew have only today to check the boat over before resuming their quest for the elusive regatta double.
There are, as always, last minute repairs with the crew of Steve Troon’s XLR8 from Melbourne last night awaiting a replacement backstay from Sydney after theirs broke in the final stages of the delivery.
The forecast for the silver jubilee of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, which begins tomorrow, Saturday 23, with the UBS Lindeman Island Race, looks promising with moderate to fresh south east trade winds likely for most of the week.
With the lighter boats able to get up and away on the plane in the more moderate conditions, Yendys’ navigator Will Oxley hopes the forecast fresher breezes, up to 30 knots on Sunday, will give them an edge in their campaign for a rare back to back handicap win in this series.
There have a been a number of changes to the popular Whitsunday Islands regatta this year with the IRC fleet split into IRC Grand Prix Division 1 and 2 based on a handicap cut off of 1.303.
Taking tidal considerations into account, Saturday’s 23.5 nautical mile UBS Lindeman Island, the curtain opener of the week-long regatta, will start off Catseye Beach rather than in Dent Passage.
For the same reason, Monday’s 59 nautical mile Club Marine Classic Hayman Island Race will take the fleet north around Hayman Island rather south around Coppersmith Rock, the previous course for the longest race of the series.
“Sending the fleet around Hayman was to keep them in favourable tide,” added PRO
Thompson. “This year we’ve had a long hard look at the courses and the way the tides are going, plus we have the flexibility of deciding on the course of the day, depending on the conditions.”
Finally, courses 7, 8 and 9 have a “navigator’s choice” with an alternate course back to home base from one of the most southern points of the course.
As well as a heavy program of racing, broken up by Tuesday’s across the board lay day and a second lay day on Thursday for the non IRC fleet, there is busy schedule ashore for crews and their families. Amongst the highlights are the Collette Dinnigan fashion parade, Todd Woodbridge Ultimate Tennis Experience, UBS Moet & Chandon lunch and Thursday’s famous Whitehaven Beach Party.
Last year’s fleet size was 216 while this year’s 25th anniversary has attracted a 225 boat fleet.
All regatta information is available on the website www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
Entry list http://www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au/rwentrylist.aspx
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Re:Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - 2008/08/26 10:25
Philosopher’s Club leads IRC Australian Championship into Audi Hamilton Island Race Week
Sydney-based sailor, Peter Sorensen, is leading the race for the Audi IRC Australian Championship, heading into the final round at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week which started today.
Sorensen, a member of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club, with ‘Philosopher’s Club’ (IRC Division 3) narrowly leads from ‘Quest’, owned by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia member Bob Steel (IRC Division 1).
With the final and deciding round of this national Championship Series about to commence at the 25th anniversary edition of Race Week, the competition will be fierce, as befits an important national championship, says Audi’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann.
“We look forward to the start of racing today. Not only will the overall winner of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week win a new car, but also the IRC Australian Champion title. With such a strong incentive to win, we look forward to the race for the finish line,” Hofmann said.
Audi Hamilton Island Race Week’s Race Director, Denis Thompson, is expecting a close finish.
“Looking at the fleet I think the racing is going to be very tight. I expect the last race to be the decider,” Thompson said.
“The IRC fleet is one of the best ever assembled in Australia, this will make the Audi IRC Championship very close.
“It’s not cut and dry who’s going to win,” Thompson said.
Sorensen is keen to keep his narrow lead after setting his sights on winning the major prize – a new Audi Q7 – earlier this year.
“I spent some of my superannuation to buy my new Sydney 36CR Philosopher’s Club in December last year, and I certainly hope it helps me to win!” Sorensen said.
As is custom, Sorensen has the honour of flying the orange leader flag on Philosophers Club at Race Week.
The CYCA’s Bob Steel is also a close contender.
“It’s not all over yet - there is one more event before the winner is announced,” added Thompson.
The Audi IRC Australian Championship is endorsed by Yachting Australia.
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Re:Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - 2008/08/26 10:26
Match race opener at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week silver jubilee
In an 18-20 knot sou’easter the fleet contesting the silver anniversary of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week lined up in Catseye Bay, setting off from the start line in waves as each division followed the one in front at five minute intervals.
Peter Harburg’s Reichel/Pugh 66, a development of the Mark Richards’ skippered Wild Oats X put a stake in the ground today. Following a general recall for the eager IRC Grand Prix Division 1 fleet, Black Jack led the fancied Sydney based boat from the 10.35am start up the first windward work to Lindeman Island and stayed in touch right until the dying stages when Wild Oats slipped ahead to finish by three boat lengths and 29 seconds, crossing the line at 12:38:49.
“We were bow on bow coming into Dent Passage,” said Richards, who also congratulated the crew of Black Jack on a well sailed race.
Harburg and his crew are still settling into the boat they only took charge of last month but skipper Mark Bradford’s observations from today’s 23.5 nautical mile UBS Lindeman Island Race are that their boat speeds are identical.
With a poor start, problems canting the keel in the early stages and a few other issues with the new rig set up, Wild Oats X was underpowered today and can only improve from here. Likewise, each day spent racing on the tropical waters of the Whitsundays will bring more and confidence to the Black Jack crew.
The two R/P 66’s stole the thunder of Andrew Short’s 80 footer Shockwave – Club Marine which was heading for its first line honours victory having just arrived back in Australia this week under new ownership. ‘Shorty’, as he’s best known, and his crew of sea dogs in their prime, including Lindsay May, Geoff Cropley and Bob Fraser, went wide up the windward beat and came in at speed on the layline to Kennedy Sound, the channel between Lindeman and Shaw islands.
On the downhill slide to the finish ‘Shorty’, who is also sailing with his wife Kylie and seven year old daughter Maddy, couldn’t hold out the 66 foot flyers.
“On the run back we needed some more rhythm,” admitted Short who has only raced a total of 630 nautical miles in his new boat, in the Newport – Bermuda Race, and hadn’t tested the boat with a racing crew aboard in more than 15 knots of breeze. Still, they managed a top boat speed of 19 knots in the building trade wind but had “a bit on”.
In the forecast lighter breezes at the end of the week, Short thinks they “might have chance” to snaffle a couple of line honours wins from the smaller grand prix boats.
Today marked the start of the Trans Tasman stoush for the inaugural South Pacific Cup. Three IRC rated yachts from Australia are being pitted against three of New Zealand’s best. The team that scores the highest accumulated points over the nine races making up the IRC Grand Prix competition at Race Week will be the first to have its name inscribed on the spectacular trophy.
The Hamilton Island Yacht Club team, representing Australia, comprises the current Audi Hamilton Island Race Week defending champion, Yendys (Geoff Ross), who finished second today to Bob Steel’s Quest in IRC Grand Prix Division 1. Team mate Living Doll, skippered by Michael Hiatt, got off on the wrong foot, scored OCS (On Course Side). Results for the third team member, Rod Jones’ Alegria, are yet to be finalised.
Carrying the kiwi flag are three equally strong yachts: Rob Bassett’s 52ft canting-keeler, Wired, the very competitive Cookson 50, Pussy Galore, owned by champion offshore yachtsman Anotole Mafsen, and the thoroughbred Marten 49 cruiser-racer, Carrera, owned by John Meadowcroft.
Results for the remaining division are still being finalised.
All regatta information is available on the website www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
Entry list http://www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au/rwentrylist.aspx
Results: http://www.topyachtsoftware.com/results/2008/hammo/series/index.htm
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