Sydney Hobart Update

Congratulations to the Oatley family, Mark Richards, Iain Murray and the crew of Wild Oats XI for their 9^th Line Honours win.

IRC Div 3 is also turning into a cracker of a race with MHYC members boats Grace O’Malley (Zoe Taylor), Sail Exchange (Carl Craaford), TSA Management (Tony Levett) and Kayimai (Rob Aldis) all in with a chance as they battle the difficult conditions down the east coast off Tasmania.  Forecast placings are changing by the minute.

Unfortunately Gordon Ketelbey’s TP52 Zen and the Flying Fish entry Calypso have retired with gear breakage.  Flying Fish Arctos is still in the mix in the PHS division.

Best of luck to all the MHYC sailors for the remainder of the race and a safe journey home.

http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/standings/

Read more: Sydney Hobart Update

Clean sweep for Mark Spring in Pittwater to Paradise

By High Profile Media

New entrant to yacht racing, Mark Spring, has sprung into action in his first major ocean race by taking overall wins in all categories (IRC, ORCI, PHS) in the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise racing, finishing on the Gold Coast and hosted by RPAYC in early January.

Whilst Mark is not new to sailing, having owned the Jeanneau 49 ‘The Dish’, he has only recently begun ocean racing – and the Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) member won on his first go with his aptly named Beneteau 45, ‘Highly Sprung’, which was previously owned by Paul Clitheroe and raced as Balance.

Following a stint in Asia, Highly Sprung has been brought up to race trim by Spring, with the assistance of long time MHYC member and AW Marine’s Andrew Pearson. The pair identified the boat as one that would suit them in their start on the racing circuit, “So we bought it,” Spring said. “And while we’re learning the ropes, it’s not a bad start.”

“While upwind the whole way, the race was somewhat of a baptism for us,” Spring said of the conditions with winds ranging from 4-30 knots. 

“She went well and lived up to expectations as a proven upwind boat.”

Highly Sprung finished six hours ahead of second placegetter, the well performed RPAYC Farr 45, Pretty Woman (P.W. Syndicate), with XS Moment (BNMH (Ray Hudson) a further two hours back in third.

Spring and four of his regular crew; Craig Bannister, Kevin Sullivan, Brad Gowenlock as well as MHYC member Scott Butler, were joined by seasoned racers Andrew Pearson, Phil West, Lloyd Harrison, Matt Lumsdaine, Dave Elliott, Neil Newton and navigator, Bruce Kelly.

“The guys have been great and assisted us greatly. We’ve learned what the boat can do and how to do it,” Spring acknowledged.

While crew member Andrew Pearson commented: “We need new owners like Mark in yacht racing. He and the guys are eager to learn and a fun bunch with the right attitude.

“Mark is a great owner/skipper, and whilst new at racing, understands the priorities of safety, fun and competition. We saw this as a great learning exercise for his crew and I was lucky to sail with some old mates who are fantastic sailors.

“We simply sailed a smart race, out of the current and in breeze. Overall, we sailed the least number of miles of the fleet. Being in the surf line was paramount, but can be nerve-racking at times.

“It wasn’t an easy race and it was quite a long one. Winds got up to 30 knots on the nose, and after Seal Rocks, there was nothing but rock-hopping. There were quite a few retirements,” Pearson ended.

Spring and Pearson said they were also pleased to be able to take young MHYC member and Frank Likely trust recipient, Leo McAllister, on his first ocean race.

Read more: Clean sweep for Mark Spring in Pittwater to Paradise

MHYC boats off to Hobart

Wishing a safe and fast passage south to all the MHYC boats competing in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

• Kayimai (Azurre 46) Rob Aldis
• TSA Management (Sydney 38) Tony Levett
• Grace O’Malley (Cookson 12) Zoe Taylor
• Flying Fish Arctos (McIntyre 55) George Martin
• Calypso (Moody 54DS) Ivan Signorelli

MHYC Race Management will again be officiating when the race gets underway on December 26 with Hugh S George and Leah Tash providing the second start line.

RSHYR Website - www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

RSHYR Yacht Tracker - www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/tracker

Read more: MHYC boats off to Hobart

Cropley & Paul - two championships in two weeks

Archie Cropley & Max Paul from Middle Harbour Sailing Club have won their division of the Australian Youth Championships in Hobart, with their three bullets on the penultimate day putting them in an unbeatable position.

A national title has been a long-held dream for Paul, who said “It was a pretty good day today, pretty surreal that we wrapped it up with a day to go. I’ve been working a long, long time for this, as this is my fifth youth nationals.”

The team are coached by five-time Australian Olympic head coach and Australian sailing legend Mike Fletcher and have been the form team of the season after also winning the 29er Class Nationals last week.

The win qualifies Cropley & Paul for the Australian Youth Team that will compete in the Youth Sailing World Championship which will be held in Gdynia, Poland from 13 to 20 July.

Fellow MHYC members Lachie Brewer & Flynn Twomey finished second in the 29ers at the Youth Champs after their third in the Class Nationals.  Grace Powers & Kate Richardson finished third in the youth 29er Girls in Hobart.  Other MHYC sailors also performed will in the 32 boat Youth Championships fleet, with Hugo Taranto & Hugo Darin, Max Giffney & Madeleine McLeay and John-Mark Paul sailing with Steven Case (RGYC) placing 16th, 18th & 19th respectively.

Youth Nationals Results - click here

Australian Sailing News Article - click here

Video Cropley & Paul Interview - click here

Day Three Racing Video - click here

Read more: Cropley & Paul - two championships in two weeks

Look Out - Ships About

A new safety campaign aimed at educating recreational boaters about the importance of keeping safe in Sydney’s Harbour has recently been launched by Port Authority of NSW, in consultation with Roads and Maritime Services -portauthoritynsw.com.au/lookout.

Sydney Harbour and Port Botany are important working ports, with an average of 12 ships manoeuvring in or out each day. As the number of recreational boaters increases every year, it is becoming more and more important to take further measures to ensure the safety of everyone on the harbour.

We all play a part in keeping ourselves safe on the water and Look out, ships about highlights these important steps to stay safe. The campaign is a timely reminder that cruise and cargo ships do not always have a clear line of sight of recreational boats and due to their size, they cannot always manoeuvre quickly to avoid collision with smaller boats.

It also reminds boaters to check vessel movements on the Port Authority website and listen to the safely broadcasts on VHF Channel 13 for Sydney Harbour and VHF Channel 12 for Port Botany.

See the short promotional video (2 minutes) - https://vimeo.com/302001372

Read more: Look Out - Ships About

MHYC sailors at the 9er Nationals

Young MHYC members are part of eight crews competing in the Australian 9er Championships at Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in Hobart.

Racing in the 49er FX is Simon Murnaghan with John Cooley from WSC.  In the 29ers,  the MHYC competitors are Lachlan Brewer & Flynn Twomey, John-Mark Paul sailing with Steven Case from RGYC, Hugo Taranto & Hugo Darin, Kate Richardson sailing with Grace Powers from RPAYC, Zoe & Jesse Dransfield, Archie Cropley & Max Paul along with Max Giffney & Madeleine McLeay.

Racing commenced today, so we are wishing all the teams a good competition and the best of luck!

To keep up with the latest results, go to https://www.ryct.org.au/sailing/aust-9er-championship-2019/

The class championships at RYCT will be followed by the Australian Youth Championships from 10-14 January.  For more information, visit https://www.sailingyouth.org.au/competitor-information.

Read more: MHYC sailors at the 9er Nationals

Christmas and Veteran's Cup

The weather held off just in time for the completion of the Christmas Cup before the skies opened up to a short deluge of rain last Saturday.

Jack Stening and his team on Stormaway won Division One closely followed by the two Adams 10’s No Friends (Geoff Charters) and Sirius (Garth Riley) in 2^nd and 3rd place respectively.

In Division 2, Tempo (Michael Smith) was streets ahead, taking 1^st place followed by Plan B (Warren Lesnie) in 2^nd and Freedom (Stephen Smith) 3^rd.

John McGrory and his team on Forty took the glory in winning the Veterans Cup for yachts over years old, as well as the Old Farts Dogs Bowl Trophy, for skippers and yachts with a combined age of 90+. Quite an achievement!

For full results - Click here

Thanks again to Marg Fraser-Martin for some great photos....

Read more: Christmas and Veteran's Cup

Grace O’Malley claims Hobart win for IRC Div 3

Congratulations to Zoe Taylor and the crew of Grace O’Malley for winning IRC Division 3 in the 2018 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.  An outstanding result!

It was a great showing in Div 3 by MHYC members with 4 boats in the top ten – Sail Exchange (Carl Craaford) 3^rd, Kayimai (Rob Aldis) 6^th and TSA Management (Tony Levett) 10^th.

Safe travels home everyone!

www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

Read more: Grace O’Malley claims Hobart win for IRC Div 3

Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship – a weekend of thrilling racing  

After two days of competitive racing, Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s (MHYC) annual Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC) wound up this afternoon in pleasant conditions on a beautiful spring day and winners were announced at the Club early this evening.

There was no beating Bob Cox’s Nine Dragons in Division 1 of the Championship. The DK46 is always well-sailed and Cox drove it to three wins from four races. Yesterday he scored third in the Passage Race, but there was no stopping Nine Dragons and the crew on the offshore windward leeward courses today.

“It was really good to get a group of boats together of a similar size – it made it great competition for all of us,” Cox enthused, eluding to sistership Khaleesi (Andrew and Pauline Dally), St Jude and others.  

Racing was so tight that Darryl Hodgkinson’s Carkeek 40 finished second overall on countback on equal points with two others - Khaleesi third overall and Noel Cornish’s Sydney 47, St Jude, (which won the Cabbage Tree Island Race earlier this month), fourth.

“Saturday’s Passage Race was fluky. Victoire annihilated us. The course had a lot of reaching and it demonstrated what a good boat it is. We were third, St Jude was faster. We had to get back to the Club and evaluate,” admitted Cox, a member of MHYC.

Today’s offshore windward/leeward courses, though, were tailor made for Nine Dragons. The sea had a bit of punch to it, with a little rolling swell, but nothing too severe.

“We did much better,” Cox said. “It was great racing with Khaleesi, Victoire and St Jude. Victoire was banging the corners - they were a bit faster than us,” Cox said.

“Ian Box (Toy Box 2) got a third in the first race today - he’s had a good regatta against tough competition,” acknowledged Cox of his fellow MHYC club member and a past commodore.

“The first race of the day was a bit of a disaster,” said Cox after Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson was forced to abandon when the breeze shifted 40 degrees. The two divisions and the new TP52 class settled in and Thompson got them away pretty smartly. They were dealt shifty and tricky winds of up to 14 knots; a day for the tacticians.

“I had Julian Plante calling tactics; Yarrandi (Dave Griffith’s Marten 49) had Cocko (Michael Coxon). He was whipping them along. “

Prior to the event, Andrew Dally said he would love to beat their sistership. It was not to be.

Cox responds: “There’s not a great deal of difference between us – not a big gap. One slight hiccup and they’ve got you. You can’t take your foot of the accelerator.”

In Division 2, there was a collision at the start of Race 4, involving Grace O’Malley, JustADash and Supernova. As a result, Grace O’Malley was unable to start the race. Phil Dash’ JustADash was declared the division winner, with Jack Stening/Colin Gunn’s Sydney 36, Stormaway, second - the two are regulars at the top of the many scoreboards. Matthew Hanning’s Supernova was third.

Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan was the gun boat in the TP52s, taking the series from Quest (which Bob Steel repurchased recently) and Sam Haynes’ Celestial. Blackmore said the idea had been to put in place a system to make it an even playing field between the newer boats with professional sailors, and the older boats that are mostly crewed by Corinthians.

However, the RORC in the UK said it wasn’t possible, so the owners in the class will have to come up with another way. And like Nine Dragons, Hooligan was third in the Passage Race, but came out all guns blazing on the windward/leeward courses, winning all three on IRC. 

“Middle Harbour is very keen to support us in what we’re doing and it’ll be great when we get more TPs involved,” Blackmore said.

“It was great racing today – and our first event of the new series.  It sharpens your skills when you do a bit of fleet racing over two days. And as we know, it’s all about time in the boat. In a one-design class like this we all share the knowledge – it’s a learning experience.”

The Super 12 Series was also made up of four races and it was an MC38 stranglehold.  Lazy Dog, owned by Shaun Lane and Quentin Stewart, was the outstanding boat this weekend. She cleaned up, winning all four races. Steven Proud, fairly new to the class, finished second overall with Swish, with Stephen Barlow’s Lightspeed third.

A thrilled Lane said, “It was quite interesting – we bought the boat a year ago, and exactly to this day we sailed our first regatta – it was a complete disaster. We didn’t know what we were doing, dropping a kite over the side, running over it, and all sorts. But we built a good team of guys and have been training hard together and it’s all working for us.

“We didn’t do anything exceptional this weekend, we just worked hard and didn’t do anything wrong. One mistake and you were gone. Steve Thomas was calling tactics for us. We have a young keen team of dinghy sailors and they called the breeze well.”

Following the double points Passage Race yesterday, the Super 12s first race today was a two lapper; the remaining two were three laps each. The amusingly named ‘Lazy Dog’ was able to separate herself from the rest in the final race and extended around the course.

Sixty two boats took part in the first major keelboat regatta for spring, and included the inaugural TP52 class regatta, adding to the spectacle. After racing both days, competitors trouped back to MHYC to enjoy the Club’s characteristic party with music on the beach – a wonderful way to spend the weekend.

Thanks go to PRO, Denis Thompson, and MHYC and Cruising Yacht Club of Australia officials and volunteers.

Middle Harbour Yacht Club also expresses it thanks to sponsors: Helly Hansen, Club Marine, Oatley Wines, Keysun and Vittoria.

Full results and all information: www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au

Di Pearson, MHYC media

Read more: Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship – a weekend of thrilling racing