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.
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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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
Christmas Cup concludes the MHYC 2019 Sailing Program
Sorenson and Advanced Philosophy by Rob Ogilvie
The final day of racing at MHYC for 2019 was a very full program afloat and ashore.
A gale warning threatened to interfere with racing but as the change was slow moving up the coast, a shorter race was completed for the Christmas Cup well before the southerly moved in. A ten mile course, taking in Manly and Fort Denison, raced in a moderate to fresh north-easterly provided some good sailing. The Christmas Cup was this year held in memory of Gordon Reynolds, one of the founders of MHYC. This annual event also includes the Veterans Cup and Old Farts Dog Bowl Trophy, attracting some older boats and even older skippers!
The Christmas Cup Division 1 was won by Michael Smith and the crew of Tempo, while Astoria (Mark Stacey) claimed the Division 2 win. Winner of the Veterans Cup (for boats of 30 years and older) was Sheer Magic (Mark Stacey). Winner of the Old Farts Dog Bowl Trophy (boat and skipper which have a combined age of 90+) was Peter Sorenson and Advanced Philosophy.
To view the Christmas Cup results – click here
Following prize-giving for the Christmas Cup, a Special Event was held to recognise the MHYC crews which will contest the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It also acknowledged the achievements of MHYC sailors participating in this iconic race over many decades. A panel discussion with skippers of this year’s entries was moderated by Andrew Pearson.
We wish all the crews competing this year a safe and fast passage to Hobart and also wish the MHYC Race Management Volunteers running the second Start Line all the best.
To follow to Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race fleet from Boxing Day, view the Race Tracker
Thankyou Marg Fraser-Martin for today's action photos from the Christmas Cup
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Christmas Cup Presentations in the SandBar
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MHYC Special Event to mark the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
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Read more: Christmas Cup concludes the MHYC 2019 Sailing Program
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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Edake wins Pittwater One Design Trophy
By Jennie Hughes
There was absolutely no stopping Jeff Carter and the Edake crew today as they smashed out two quick wins in races five and six, putting them so far ahead they had won the regatta before the last race had begun.
Carter had the win in the bag after the most spectacular finish in race six, where down to the last fifty metres Exile were three boat lengths ahead. Never to be underestimated, Carter caught a small vein of pressure giving them a hotter angle to the finish, where they pipped Exile by less than a quarter of a boat length as the race finished with cheers from spectators and crew.
“Today was very close racing. In race six we were able to work our way into second place behind Exile. We had to be patient on the last leg downhill and felt the boat end was favoured, so we broke away to the pin. Exile came back a little later and that’s when Harry (Price) and Alice (Tarnawski) decided to let them have the pin, while we put the speed throttle down to the boat end.
We worked the lumpy conditions and crossed in first by the smallest of margins to take the win. We were not sure of how many points we had on the others but as it turned out we didn’t need to finish the last race of the day. We played it safe and gave Outlaw a run for their money and finished second. The back to back regatta wins is a good start to the season, however, we still have room for improvement.
Reigning National Champion Tom Quick’s Outlaw narrowly snuck into second place and whilst they are not dominating as they did last season, they are always on the podium and the competitive team will be on the hunt for a win in January.
The Exile crew, with substitute helmsman Sam Hill, along with his rock star tactician Finn Alexander, were strong all weekend and just missed out on second place to Outlaw by one point.
Hats off to Bob Bennett and Tommy Spithill for organising the Youth Development Team on Enigma who impressed all competitors.
That’s a wrap for 2019! The next Farr 40 regatta will be held in January at Middle Harbour Yacht Club where eleven entries have been confirmed, as the rest of the fleet reunite and get down to business in the lead up to a massive year with the NSW State Titles, National Championships and then the big one, the Farr 40 Worlds 2020.
The Class would like to thank Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and all the wonderful staff for their superb hospitality and PRO Steve Merrington and the race management team, who are so committed to our great sport.
RESULTS
1st – Edake (Jeff Carter) 13 points
2nd – Outlaw (Tom Quick) 18 points
3rd – Exile (Rob Reynolds and Sam Hill) 19 points
4th – Double Black (Rob Pitts) 20 points
5th – Enigma (Bob Bennett) 35 points
The Farr 40 Australian Class is proudly sponsored by Hacer Group.
Farr 40 Australia Website: www.farr40.asn.au