Wet, windy and wild racing for the Farr 40 One Design Regatta
Wet, windy and wild racing for the Forty’s
Gruelling conditions on Sydney Harbour typified the first day of the Farr 40 One Design Trophy and Jeff Carter’s Edake scored three bullets putting them right back where they have been comfortably sitting for the majority of the season in first place.
With conditions forecast to be gusting well over 25 knots, the decision was made at the Class briefing to move the race course from offshore to back inside Sydney Harbour.
A south, south westerly averaging 23 knots, gusting to 28, provided the teams with the most testing conditions of the season thus far.
Rob Pitts’ Double black leading the fleet in Race 1
Number four jibs were the call of the day to get through the gusty upwind beats, however once the fleet were around the top mark, the downhill run provided plenty of drama with even the best and most experienced teams, not escaping without incident.
Wipeouts were aplenty, spinnaker’s were shredded and all crews were thoroughly exhausted after three races and just half of the fleet managed to see the day out.
Australian Class President, Rob Pitts and Double Black scored 3.2.2 placing them in second place, two points ahead of fellow Melbournians Rob Davis and Andy Baker’s Nutcracker.
“Today was a day of survival and attrition and only half the fleet were left standing for the last race. Massive wind gusts and torrential rain made downwind sailing a white knuckle ride and the day was adrenalin packed to the max.” Pitts said.
Boat of the Day - Edake (Jeff Carter)
In direct contrast to today’s conditions, with up to four races planned for tomorrow, rest assured, the overall trophy is well and truly still up for grabs.
Racing will commence tomorrow, Sunday, 19 January 2020 at 11am inside Sydney Harbour.
For full results click here
The Farr 40 Australian Class is proudly sponsored by Hacer Group. Instagram: Farr40_Australia Facebook Website: www.farr40.asn.au
Photos courtesy of Marg Fraser-Martin
Read more: Wet, windy and wild racing for the Farr 40 One Design Regatta
The Specialty Mortgage Services Chaos Cup and Bedlam Point Cup Winners
Chaos Cup and Bedlam Point Cup proudly sponsored by Specialty Mortgage Services
Challenging conditions graced the start of the Chaos and Bedlam Points Cup on Saturday with winds gusting over 25 knots for the first section of the race in the sound. Another Dilemma poked her nose around the point and didn’t want to risk breaking anything ahead of the National Championships next weekend and promptly retired! The rest of the fleet made use of the breeze to get down to the bridge in good time before the wind started to ease. As an early starter this worked in Innamincka’s favour and shw was the first to reach the Abbotsford mark.
Scott Lawson's Star Struck got back to the Club to get the gun and first place in the Jeanneau Cup Division. Second in the Jeanneau’s was Mike Gallagher on Galan followed by Pinta Bay (Frank Milner) in third.The deciding race of the Jeanneau Cup series will be the ANZAC Day 2Up Cup in April.
Innamincka continued her good run and was first back to the club in Division 2, followed by Pindimara (Mark McLean) and the Solveig II (David and Stuart McLean) in 3rd. Mark McLean and his team on Pindimara also won the Bedlam Point Cup as the first Non-spinnaker boat to return .
In Division 1 Ian Box got the gun on his Xp44, Toy Box 2, ahead of Stormaway (Jack Stening and Colin Gunn) in second and No Friends(Geoff Charters) in third place.
The much desired 'Cock of the Club' Trophy Teams' event was won by Stormaway, No Friends and Expresso.
For full results click here
Jeanneau Cup Series results click here
Read more: The Specialty Mortgage Services Chaos Cup and Bedlam Point Cup Winners
MHYC Yachts Perform Well in Hobart Race
Congratulations to MHYC members who competed in the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race this year.
Carl Crafoord and co-owner Tim Horkings excelled with Sail Exchange, placing 2nd in IRC Division 5 and taking the win in ORCI Division 3. Other notable achievements were…
- Dreki Sunnan (Ken Holmes) 9th IRC Division 4 & 9th IRC Corinthian
- Flying Fish Arctos (George Martin) 5th PHS Division 2
- Galaxy III (Chris Canty) 6th PHS Division 2
- Highly Sprung (Mark Spring) 8th IRC Division 4 and 9th ORCi Division 3
- Maverick 49 (Quentin Stewart & Shaun Lane) 3rd IRC Division 2 & 10th ORCi Division 1
- TSA Management (Tony Levett) 11th IRC Division 5, 6th ORCi Division 4 & 4th Sydney 38
- Zen TP52 (Gordon Ketelbey) 6th IRC Division 1
A number of MHYC members also sailed on a variety of other boats for the race.
For all the race results and information, visit https://rolexsydneyhobart.com
Success for MHYC Sailors at the Australian Youth Championships.
Success for MHYC Sailors at the Australian Youth Championships.
Two teams from MHYC travelled down to Victoria for the Australian Youth Championships at Sorrento Sailing and Couta Boat Club (SSCBC) to compete in the International 29er class.
Archie Cropley and Jack Hildebrand had a great result finishing 2 points ahead of the next team to take out the top spot. Archie Copely said” We were very pleased with our performance for such a short lead up time as a team and take a win narrowly, missing on a youth world qualification by one point”
Racing was abandoned on the final day with the race committee continuously monitored conditions throughout the day in an effort to get the competitors on the water. However lack of wind and smoke from the bushfires prevented sailing.
PRO David Brookes said it was disappointing they couldn’t get more racing in this regatta. “Unfortunately it was not stable sailing conditions. We don’t have enough wind and it’s out of our control.”
The Int 29er Girls winners, Zoe Dransfield and Madeleine Mcleay (NSW) from Middle Harbour Yacht Club felt they still had room for improvement, “It wasn’t as great as we wanted because we were hoping to make the top ten overall. We are happy to have been the top girls. We are a light team and unfortunately we didn’t get the light conditions we needed.”
The provisional Australian Sailing Youth Team (ASYT) has been announced at the event after only two days of due to light wind and smoke haze from the Australian bushfires.
The team, which requires ratification from the Australian Sailing Board before being finalised, will represent Australia at the Hempel Youth Sailing World Championships in Salvador, Brazil in 12 - 19 December 2020. .
Zoe Dransfield and Madeleine Mcleay (NSW) from Middle Harbour Yacht Club were excited to get the spot on the team. "It's pretty surreal to work towards a goal the past year and to have it happen" said Madeleine.
Zoe added, "It's an honour to represent Australia."
For full results click here
http://sailingresults.net/?ID=80308
Photo curtesy of Jon West
Read more: Success for MHYC Sailors at the Australian Youth Championships.
Brendan Lee repeats J24 Nationals win
Australian J24 Championships Report - Sunday January 5
The 2020 Australian J24 Championships concluded today after four days of racing in a variety of conditions. Race Officer Steve Tucker and the MHYC Race Management Team completed the full schedule of twelve races with two days of north-easterly and two days of cooler southerly breezes on Sydney Harbour.
Brendan Lee, the 2019 National Champion from Sandringham Yacht Club in Victoria, started the defence of his title with new boat Checkmate by leading after the first day of racing. On the second day, two wins for Steve Wright and the Tinto crew from Cronulla Sailing Club moved them to the top, one point ahead of Checkmate. After nine races, Tinto had increased their lead over Checkmate to three points, with both clear of David McKay’s Stamped Urgent, also from Cronulla, in third.
Today's final trio of races started in a moderate to fresh southerly with the course moved out of The Sound and set between Obelisk Bay and Neilson Park in search of flatter water. Tinto posted their two worst results in races 10 and 11, enabling Brendan Lee and the Checkmate crew to regain the series lead with one race to sail. With drops now in play, Stamped Urgent had also closed the gap.
With the wind building to 20-25 knots, things got interesting for Race 12. It took two General Recalls before the last race of the series was underway. Tinto collided with the Committee Boat in the final pre-start, were slow off the line and 11th at the first leeward rounding, half-way through the W2 course. Meanwhile, Checkmate put their spinnaker in the water and the resulting tangle caused them to retire. Stamped Urgent, the boat placed third in the series, was following John Crawford’s Innamincka in the lead at the first leeward rounding, and held on to post a handy second.
At the conclusion of four day’s racing, Brendan Lee and the Checkmate crew of Daniel Abbas, Daniel Cave, Will Shears, Keren Reynolds and Belinda Christie are the Australian J24 Champions for 2020. While Checkmate was able to drop their DNF score and finish on 25 points, Steve Wright’s Tinto had a disappointing day posting 8-8-7 to slide back into third place behind David McKay’s Stamped Urgent.
MHYC’s Vice Commodore Racing, Geoff Charters, presented the One Design National Championship awards and J24 Australia President Ron Thomson presented the Handicap Prizes. First on handicap was Phoenix (Joanna Lecka), second Baile De Luna (Adam Keyes-Tilley) and third Kaotic (Geoff Pearson). A special award was made to David McKay for an incredible effort getting the sunken Phoenix back on the race track the following day.
While there were no red flags today, the protest committee were kept busy with eight protests and hearings held on each of the first three days. It took two hearings to unravel the facts of the start line incident in Race 6 involving four boats which saw two with significant damage and one sinking at Clontarf Beach before reaching the safety of the MHYC Marina.
Many thanks to the Middle Harbour Yacht Club race management volunteers, the protest panel and NSW J24 Association volunteers for enabling the Championships to run so smoothly, and to Marg Fraser-Martin for the great photography.
For the latest results and event information, go to https://www.mhyc.com.au/sailing/regattas-championships/australian-j24-championships-2020
Action Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin
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Prizegiving Photos
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January Cup and Two Handed Race
The January Cup was sailed today by a fleet of sixteen in a moderate to fresh southerly under cloudy skies. A Two-Handed Race is also conducted as part of this regular Feature Race, attracting seven entries across the two divisions this year.
Tony Reynolds and the crew of Exile were the first Division 1 boat home, ahead of Advanced Philosophy (Peter Sorensen) and Another Dilemma (Jim Vaughan). In Division 2, Mike Gallagher’s Galan took the win from Innamincka (John Crawford) and Plan B (Warren Lesnie).
Plan B was also the Division 2 winner of the two-handed, with Elysium (Aki Harata) second and Buggalugs (Jeremy Clarke) third. The Division 1 two-handed prize went to Neil Padden’s Wailea from Shibumi (Bryan Moore) and Star Ferry (John Conroy).
The next Feature Event is Chaos and Bedlam! The Specialty Mortgage Services Chaos Cup and Bedlam Point Cup are held in conjunction with the Cock of the Club Trophy teams event. Start time is 11am next Saturday 18 January. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to register.
For the January Cup results – click here
For the Two-Handed Race results – click here
Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin
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The heat is on - Tinto leads Checkmate at the J24 Nationals
Australian J24 Championships Report - Saturday January 4
With the mercury rising to the mid-thirties, humidity around 40% and the breeze topping 20 knots, it was an exhausting third day of the 2020 Australian J24 Championships today.
Three windward-leeward races were completed on a course set between the Sow & Pigs Reef and North Head with an axis of 025 degrees for the first two. MHYC’s John Crawford and Innamincka were fast out of the blocks today, claiming their second win of the series in Race 7 ahead of Stamped Urgent (David McKay / Cronulla SC) and Checkmate (Brendan Lee / Sandringham YC). The breeze had freshened to 18 knots in Race 8 and Steve Wright and Tinto (Cronulla SC) were back at the front, leading Stamped Urgent and Checkmate to the line.
For the final race of the day, the breeze had backed to 015 degrees and was 20 plus knots. Simon Grain and the crew of Jet scored their first win, with Tinto in second and Innamincka third. After nine races, Steve Wright’s Tinto has a four point lead over Brendan Lee’s Checkmate in the championship series score. David McKay’s Stamped Urgent is another seven points adrift in third.
To make sure there is time to get the final three races of the series completed tomorrow, organisers have moved the start time one hour earlier. The full fleet are expected to be on the course at noon in a forecast fresh southerly and lower temperatures.
For the latest results and event information, go to https://www.mhyc.com.au/sailing/regattas-championships/australian-j24-championships-2020
Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin
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Read more: The heat is on - Tinto leads Checkmate at the J24 Nationals
Young MHYC sailors performing well at January regattas
Updated 9 January 2020
Two youth class national championships have been held in Melbourne and Middle Harbour sailors are performing strongly in these highly competitive fleets.
The Australian 29er Championships have been sailed at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron with a talented fleet of 34 boats. The weather posed some challenges for organisers, with too much and too little wind at times, along with some severe smoke haze as well. Archie Cropley and Jack Hilderbrand finished 5th overall, posting three first places throughout the series. Zoe Dransfield and Madeleine McLeay were 11th overall and first of the all-female crews. Anthony Harrison and Alex Hart finished 20th and Jake Barnabas and Hugo Darrin in 23rd.
230 sailors have contested the Australian Optimist Class Championships at Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown. Three MHYC sailors made the Gold Fleet of 66 boats. After the eleven championship races, Ben Crafoord finished 14th, Jacob Marks 27th and Will Wilkinson 47th. Zara Marks finished 73rd in the Intermediate fleet.
A number of these sailors will also stay on in Melbourne to contest the Australian Youth Championships at the Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club from 10-14 January.
29er Results - click here
Optimist Results - click here
Australian Youth Championships Website - click here
Read more: Young MHYC sailors performing well at January regattas
Changes at the top and boats going to the bottom at the J24 Nationals
Australian J24 Championships Report for Friday January 3
As the morning southerly slowly turned east and then north-east and freshened, the smoke haze cleared over Sydney Harbour to provide some good racing conditions for Day Two of the 2020 Australian J24 Championships. The Middle Harbour Yacht Club race management team set a course between Middle Head and North Head for another three races today.
Race 4, the first race of the day, was completed in an unsettled breeze with Steve Wright’s Tinto (Cronulla SC) the winner by 11 seconds from Checkmate (Brendan Lee / SYC) and Vortex (Chris Lee / MHYC). The breeze had increased slightly for Race 5 but it was still fluky close to the top mark. David McKay and Stamped Urgent (Cronulla SC) made the best of the conditions to finish ahead of Middle Harbour’s David West in Ace and Tinto in third.
Race Officer Steve Tucker “tweaked” the course for Race 6, but there was some excitement on the start line with a number of boats making contact. Calypso (Paul Donnelly / RMYC) and Phoenix (Joanna Lecka / CYCA) both suffered damage, with Phoenix later sinking on Clontarf Beach within sight of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club marina. The boat was eventually re-floated and will hopefully be back on the racetrack to continue its championship campaign tomorrow. Back on The Sound this afternoon, Steve Wright’s Tinto claimed another win, this time ahead of Warren Slater’s JAB and Brendan Lee’s Checkmate, both from Sandringham YC.
Two wins today for Steve Wright and the Tinto crew have moved them to the top of the series table, one point ahead of 2019 Champion Brendan Lee’s Checkmate and eight points clear of the top local boat, Ace, helmed by David West. There are six more races scheduled before the championships conclude on Sunday.
For the latest results and event information, go to https://www.mhyc.com.au/sailing/regattas-championships/australian-j24-championships-2020
Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin
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Read more: Changes at the top and boats going to the bottom at the J24 Nationals
Gordon Ketelbey – King of the Derwent
After finishing 18th on line honours in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, long time MHYC member Gordon Ketelbey and his TP52 Zen was crowned King of the Derwent in the iconic race on Hobart’s Derwent River which has been held for more than 30 years.
He and his crew then achieved an outstanding 2nd place behind back to back winner Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban in the Australian Yachting Championships (IRC Div 1) also held in Hobart.
Gordon is a well known and much loved sailor at MHYC, also owing the Farr 40 Zen. There are so many people at our club who have started and are still sailing on Zen. He is a very generous owner and a great volunteer at our club. Last year Gordon won the Tig Thomas Memorial trophy, one of the most prestigious trophies in our club which recognises excellence in sailing.
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J24 Nationals Underway on Sydney Harbour
Day one of the 2020 J24 Australian Championships saw sixteen crews from NSW and Victoria racing on The Sound of Sydney Harbour in a light south-easterly becoming moderate. It was a gentle start to four days of racing, with wind strength and temperature forecast to rise as the event progresses.
Brendan Lee, the 2019 National Champion from Sandringham in Victoria, has returned to defend his title with his new boat Checkmate. In the first race of the day, Lee was third behind Steve Wright’s Tinto (Cronulla SC), the runner-up for last year’s championship, but thirty seconds ahead was Middle Harbour sailor John Crawford and the crew of Innamincka. In race two, Checkmate took a narrow win from David West’s Ace (MHYC) and Tinto was third.
For the final race today, Race Officer Steve Tucker signalled for three laps of the windward-leeward course running from south of Cannae Point out through the Sydney Heads, where the breeze held steady around 130 degrees throughout the afternoon and kept the fleet clear of the ferry lanes. David McKay’s Stamped Urgent, the Cronulla team who placed third at the 2019 Nationals, were first home ahead of Simon Grain’s Jet (Sandringham YC) and Brendan Lee’s Checkmate.
At the end of day one, Checkmate (Brendan Lee) leads the series score by 3 points with Tinto (Steve Wright) second and Innamincka (John Crawford) third but on equal points with Stamped Urgent (David McKay) who are the wrong side of a tie-break.
Nine more races are scheduled for the Championships, with racing concluding on Sunday. The event is being conducted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club.
For the latest results and event information, go to https://www.mhyc.com.au/sailing/regattas-championships/australian-j24-championships-2020
Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin
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