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Re:Airlie Beach Race Week 2008 - 2008/08/17 09:24
2008 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week news
Living Doll takes Airlie Beach day two IRC honors
Melbourne yachtsman Michael Hiatt today steered his Cookson 50 Living Doll to a fine IRC handicap victory in the 29 nautical mile Molle Islands Race, race two of the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week.
Sailing a clever tactical race around this striking island group in the Whitsundays of Far North Queensland, Hiatt kept the conventional keeled 50-footer within a minute of the leading group of the canting keel's yachts to finish a close fourth across the line and a clear winner on corrected time.
Today's race was sailed in perfect 'sponsored again by Queensland tourism' weather, which brought out on the water some 800 sailors aboard 107 racing yachts, dozens of cruising boats and also a sun-baking whale and calf.
'They were within a metre or so of us when we spotted them on the spinnaker run across to Grimston Point; we had to take some quick evasive action,' skipper Hiatt said after the race.
'We sailed a good all-round race, keeping out of the tide by going close inshore down past the Molle Islands and holding our own on the spinnaker run back up the eastern side of the islands where the tradewinds were a steady 15 knots plus,' he added
Provisional IRC corrected time results show Living Doll winning by a comfortable 3 minutes 21 seconds from Pussy Galore, skippered by New Zealander Anatole Masfen, with Sydney yachtsman Ray Roberts' Quantum Racing just seven second further back.
All three are Cookson 50s, with Living Doll a conventional keeled boat, the other two fitted with performance enhancing canting keels.
After two races, Living Doll, from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, heads the IRC Division 1 leader board with 4 points from a 3-1 score. Another Melbourne boat, Chris Dare's Corby 49 Audi Centre Melbourne, is second overall on 5 points (1-4) followed by Pussy Galore on 7 points (5-2), Wired (Ray Bassett, NZL) on 8 points (2-6) and Quantum Racing on 9 points (6-3).
While he notched up a third today, Ray Roberts said he was looking for 15 knots plus in future races. 'We need 15 knots and more to sail to our canting keel rating,' he said.
'Nevertheless, it was great to see five boats of similar size racing round the track together... it's as good a fleet that you get anywhere in the world,' the international yachtsman added.
In IRC Division 2, last year's overall IRC winner (this year the fleet is split) Arajilla, Geoff Davidson's Archambault 35 from Middle Harbour Yacht Club scored her second successive handicap win.
With former Olympic sailor Neville Witty calling tactics, Arajilla again sailed impressively from Treasure VIII (Harold Menelaus) from the Whitsunday Sailing Club and another MHYC entrant, Gordon Ketelbey's Sydney 38 Zen.
After two races, Arajilla leads with 2 points from two wins, followed by Zen on 6 points (2-3) and Treasure VII on 5 points (4-2).
After Friday's problems with the light and flukey winds in Pioneer Bay, Principal Race officer Tony Denham moved the starting area further east toward Pioneer Rocks and also eliminated the first leg to windward from the course.
The IRC fleet and subsequent divisions enjoyed a windward start, heading straight out into the Molle Channel before tacking down the channel to circumnavigate the Molle Island Group. Once past Denman Island the IRC divisions set spinnakers for a long run back to Pioneer Bay and a leeward mark off Grimston Point, before beating back the finish just off Airlie Beach.
<:img Alt_On the rail - Audi Centre Melbourne_Std.jpg :> It was a perfect race, sailed in a south-easterly tradewind that varied from 10 to 12 knots in the Molle Passage, freshening to 15 knots as they ran back up the Whitsunday Passage.
Ray Roberts' Cookson 50 Quantum Racing and race one line honours winner, Wired, Ray Bassett's Bakewell-White 52 Wired, started well at the pin end of the line and took one long starboard tack to the east. Race one IRC winner, the Corby 49 Audi Centre Melbourne, with owner/skipper Chris Dare again on the helm, elected to tack inshore of Pioneer Rocks.
As the fleet converged to leave West Molle Island to starboard, a close tacking duel saw Quantum Racing briefly gain the lead from sistership Pussy Galore, skippered by New Zealander Anatole Masfen, with Wired back in third place, closely followed by the Melbourne-based Cookson 50 Living Doll (Michael Hiatt).
Pussy Galore led the IRC Division 1 around Roma Point and into the freshening breeze, just ahead of Quantum Racing, Wired and Living Doll, but on the long spinnaker run up the eastern shores of the Molle Island, Wired, with her longer waterline took the lead briefly.
However, a couple of less than perfect gybes saw their New Zealand compatriots regain the advantage. Little separated the leading four boats at the Grimston Point mark and the margins changed little on the final windward leg to the finish, Pussy Galore crossing the line 35 seconds ahead of Quantum Racing with Living Doll only 54 seconds further astern. In fourth place, a well within her rating, came the eventual IRC winner Living Doll, 1 min 06 seconds astern.
Media Director Peter Campbell
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Re:Airlie Beach Race Week 2008 - 2008/08/17 16:25
QUANTUM TO QUICK.
Graham Sherring’s baby six metre Sports Boat Quantum Sails continued to produce unmatched boat speed to dominate her class in the 2008 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week on a windy Pioneer Bay today.
Skipper Sherring and his two crew mates including Cousin Neil Sherring and Troy Ruston were a little drenched and red eyed when they returned to the Abel Point Marina earlier today.
“We had enough water over the deck to sink a maxi and the little tacker pitched head first into a few waves but she bobbed up and got truck- in again”.
“The little boat has her moments slogging uphill which means our race strategy is primarily focused around sending it down wind”.
“Sure the rig was twitching a bit when she pitched into the back of the waves but thankfully it all held together and the ride was one that we will remember for a while”. Graham Sherring said.
Quantum Sails in spite of being the baby of the fleet including Australia’s fastest designs including the Noel Leigh Smith skippered Vivace has blown her rivals away with a convincing 2-1-1-1 score card.
They won today’s 20n/ml race around the cans finishing 3 minutes 6 seconds ahead of the West Australian Melges 24 Northshore Simrad while Victorian Cam Rae helmed Bendigo Private a Thompson 8 into third another 2 minutes 26 seconds off the pace.
The result has allowed the aggressively sailed Quantum Sails to extend her lead to 13 points while Bendigo Private 9-3-3-3 and Vivace 1-4-9-5 head into a match race on Tuesday to resolve which crew will press Quantum Sails in the final races of the series which concludes next Thursday.
Ian Grant.
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Re:Airlie Beach Race Week 2008 - 2008/08/17 16:51
LIVING DOLL FIRMS GRIP ON TROPHY.
Michael Hiatt’s Royal Yacht Club of Victoria sloop Living Doll remains in a strong position to win the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week IRC championship.
Both skipper and crew have sailed impressively in the moderate to fresh South East wind to convert their successful tactical strategy into important results over the demanding Whitsunday Sailing Club courses.
Living Doll second overall in the 2007 series generally raced in light to moderate winds has shown her liking to some ‘grunt’ in the breeze.
This was again evident over the windward leeward courses on Pioneer Bay when skipper Hiatt sailed to clever races winning heat 4 by 42 seconds over the Graham Jones skippered Port Douglas Yacht Club sloop Bluewater and the Ray Roberts skippered 2006 champion Quantum Racing.
As expected this result tactically forced the Living Doll crew to apply a cover on Bluewater during the starting sequence of race 5.
But the clever Graham Jones always managed to sail in clear air when the faster New Zealand sloop Wired (Rob Bassett) led the match racing Cookson 50 class ocean racers Quantum Racing, Living Doll and the Anotole Masfen helmed Auckland sloop Pussy Galore on a tack for tack match race during the testing slog into the 15-20 knot breeze.
Bluewater always remained in contact with tactician Rob Antill electing to sail the advantage line on every tack while the faster Living Doll hung on to improve her chances on the spinnaker running legs.
They were close but not close enough with Blue Water saving her time over her faster rivals to score and important 1 minute 31 second win over Living Doll while Quantum Racing just managed to hold onto third place by a narrow three seconds from the improving Chris Dare skippered Audi Centre Melbourne.
After four races Living Doll retains a 5 point lead with her consistent 3-1-2-1 score while Blue Water which was only launched last month looms as a threat with her improving 4-5-1-2 score to hold second just one penalty point clear of Audi Centre Melbourne 1-4-4-4.
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Re:Airlie Beach Race Week 2008 - 2008/08/18 09:19
Chris Dare's Audi Center Melbourne charges the press boat at Meridien
Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week.
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Re:Airlie Beach Race Week 2008 - 2008/08/26 09:58
OLD FLAME REIGNITED.
Airlie Beach yachtsmen Charles Wallis and Seddon Cripps have become successfully reacquainted with an old flame during the International Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week regatta contested on the Whitsunday Sailing Club courses.
“We are certainly not guilty of straying off the guided path far from it however Charles (Wallis) and I have managed to scrape some funds together and bought our old Flame at an auction”.
“It was a calculated risk but we had a personal interest in racing Flame again and while she looked a little tired we were sure a little tender loving care would be needed to have her ship shape again”. Seddon Cripps said.
Flame has a good racing pedigree having been designed by Iain Murray and while she has been renamed Reignition little has changed in terms of her sailing speed.
“I guess our regatta could be classified as work in progress as we are continually adjusting cleats and deck fittings but at least there is some progressive improvement in our results”. Seddon Cripps added.
Cripps is the Mr Fixit and sailing master while Charles Wallis is the principal helmsman who with the help of long term sailing mates Bert Salisbury (Mackay) and Murray Kennedy (Airlie Beach) has worked their way into title contention in the Performance Handicap class championship.
Townsville Marine Biologist Andy Muir has become the class pace setter steering Fahrenheit into a more consistent 5-1-5 while Reignition has steadily improved from eleventh in the first race to hold a 11-2-3 score holding second place on count back over the local champion Craig Piccinelli’s Wobbly Boot.
These three experienced North Queensland ocean sailing crews are poised to stage another interesting duel for honours when the contest the important island passage race in a challenging weather system tomorrow when the regatta resumes after a welcome rest day.
Progressive results:
IRC Class
Div 1:
Livingdoll (M Hiatt, Vic) 7pts 1,
Bluewater (G Jones, Qld) 12 pts 2,
Audi Centre Melbourne (C Dare, Vic) 13pts 3.
Div 2:
Arajilla (G Pearson, NSW) 4pts 1,
Zen (G Ketelbey, NSW) 9,
Treasure Vlll (H Menelaus, Qld) 12pts 3.
Performance Hcp Class:
Fahrenheit (A Muirhead, Qld) 11pts 1,
Reignition (C Wallis, Qld) 16pts 2,
Wobbly Boot (C Piccinelli, Qld) 16pts 3.
Sports Boats:
Quantum Sails (G Sherring, Qld) 5pts 1,
Bendigo Private (C Rae, Vic) 18pts 2,
Vivace (N Leigh-Smith, Qld) 19pts 3.
Dart SB3 Class:
Tasqua Youth (M Jones, Qld) 8pts 1,
Marine Tech Electrics (J McLean, Qld) 12pts 2,
Wagop (M McLean, Qld) 15pts 3.
Cruising with Spinnaker
Div 1:
Storm 2 (D Algie, Qld) 4pts 1,
Esprit (G Anderson, Vic) 8pts 2,
Sarabande (B Diethelm, NSW) 10pts 3.
Div 2:
Mr Bojangles (P Cleaver, Qld) 4pts 1,
Mondo (R Sweeney, Qld) 6pts 2,
Full Frontal (M Travis, Qld) 6pts 3.
Cruising White:
Rainbow (P Hall,Qld) 11pts 1,
Joie de Vie (M Cross, NSW) 11pts 2,
Delphian (J Sloan, Vic) 16pts 3.
Ian Grant
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Re:Airlie Beach Race Week 2008 - 2008/08/26 09:59
2008 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week news
Kiwi cruisers planning a 'Hobart'
<b>After competing in, and thoroughly enjoying, sailing in the non-spinnaker Cruising division of two regattas at the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week, New Zealander Keith Munro is planning a big step upwards in yacht racing - contesting this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.<b>
'No, not in the Cruising division... .we going for a full-on race to Hobart,' the bearded Kiwi said as he and his crew relaxed over a drink aboard his Bavaria 50 Time Lord after Sunday's leisurely passage race around islands north of Airlie Beach.
The powerful, cutter-rigged Time Lord placed second on corrected time in the first two passage races for the 'white sail', non-spinnaker division, but Munro and his crew had to be content with a 12th in Sunday's race three. Currently sharing the lead in the division are Rainbow, Peter Hall's Beneteau 473, and Joie de Vie, Martin Cross' Jeanneau Sun Odysse, both on 11 points.
Time Lord is sharing equal third on 16 points with Delphinian, John Sloan's McIntosh 47, while Sunday's winner was the veteran Clansman 30 Felicity (Lachlan Wilson).
'We first brought Time Lord over the Tasman Sea in the race from Taranaki to Mooloolaba, contested Race Week at Airlie Beach in 2007 and left her here for a year,' Munro explained.
'We now plan to return to New Zealand via Hobart, by competing in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart... we've already started planning and checking out all the safety gear.
'Time Lord is a well-found boat and while she is set up for cruising, we plan to race to Hobart,' he added.
'Mind you, we really are enjoying the relaxed racing in the non-spinnaker division here at Airlie Beach. Downwind, we furl the staysail and pole out the number one genoa - then sit back and relax.
The Cruising divisions make up more than half the fleet of 107 yachts at this year's Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week, with 46 boats sailing Cruising with Spinnakers in two divisions, and one division of 15 boats racing Cruising without Spinnakers.
The Cruising fleets cover almost every type of production cruiser/racer popular on the Australian East Coast, with German-built Bavarias and Hanse, French-built Beneteau and Jeanneau dominating the fleets. Smallest is a Noelex 25 trailer-sailer, biggest is the Warwick 66 Storm 2, skippered by Don Algie, the founder of Airlie Beach Race Week 19 years ago.
Whitsunday Sailing Club members have strongly supported the Cruising divisions, but there are entries from Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and New Zealand. Parked at the end of one marina at Abel Point, they are the focal point of apres-sailing parties after each race.
Media Director Peter Campbell
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