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  

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

Offshore and Inshore - SSORC, Super 12 and Seven Islands at MHYC

The Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship Offshore Passage Race today kicked off a very busy weekend for Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

Twenty boats entered in the SSORC IRC divisions were joined by entrants in CYCA’s Ocean Pointscore series for a race to Lion Island and return with a 10am start.  Breezes were below forecast and faded as the afternoon progressed, meaning a long day on the water for several crews.  However, Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan was back in Watson’s Bay for a finish just after 2pm, earning him the John Hurley Memorial Gun Boat Trophy.

On IRC, Bob Steel’s Quest came out on top of the TP52 Division with Celestial (Sam Haynes) and Hooligan (Marcus Blackmore) taking the minor placings.

Daryl Hodgkinson’s Carkeek 40, Victoire, claimed the IRC Division 1 win from St Jude (Noel Cornish)and Nine Dragons (Bob Cox).  Zoe Taylor steered Grace O’Malley home for a win in IRC Division 2 ahead of Supernova (Matthew Hanning) and Justadash (Phil Dash).

The SSORC will head back off Sydney Heads tomorrow morning for three offshore windward-leeward races to complete the championship program.

The Super 12 Spring Regatta got underway with the Seven Islands inshore passage race today.  The fleet start at the entrance to Middle Harbour was challenging as the breeze rotated through 160 degrees right on start time.

After a short delay, the fleet was sent off in a light south-easterly that became more variable on the western part of the course.  Shaun Lane and Quentin Stewart’s Lazy Dog found a bit of extra breeze somewhere and managed to hold off the fleet to claim the double points race win from Lightspeed (Stephen Barlow) and Swish (Stephen Proud).

Three inshore windward-leeward races are scheduled tomorrow to conclude the Super 12 Spring Regatta.

The Seven Islands Pursuit Race is one of MHYC’s most popular feature races and is part of the Jeanneau Cup series.  Taking in seven harbour islands, the course is from MHYC to Spectacle Island and return.

Walter Carpenter’s Samarkand was the first Division 1 boat home, with a healthy advantage over XC3SS (Peter Woodhead) and Blue Sky (Carl Braden).  In Division 2 it was Charles Caskey’s Perception from Innamincka (John Crawford) and Renaissance (Gary Carless).

The Jeanneau Division was won by Scott Lawson in Starstruck, ahead of Macscap (Peter McClelland) and Zeusus (Laurie McAllister).

To view the SSORC results – click here 

To view the Super 12 Spring Regatta Results – click here 

To view the Seven Islands Pursuit Results – click here

To visit the SSORC Website - click here

Photos by Crosbie Lorimer...

Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin...

Read more: Offshore and Inshore - SSORC, Super 12 and Seven Islands at MHYC

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

Melges 20 Womens & Open Sprints continue

Racing in the Melges 20s continued this week with three races completed in the Open Sprints on Tuesday evening and another two races completed for the Womens Series on Wednesday.

A fresh 20 knot north easterly made for some lively racing on Tuesday night, whereas the bright was light and varied in direction from north to west on Wednesday.

For the latest results in the Melges 20 Open Sprint Series - click here

For the latest results in the Melges 20 Womens Sprint Series - click here

Tuesday Photos

Wednesday Photos

Read more: Melges 20 Womens & Open Sprints continue

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

Inshore Racing on November 17

It was a lively afternoon of racing when the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club Cruiser-Racers joined the MHYC fleet for an inshore race last Saturday.  A moderate southerly increased to fresh as the afternoon progressed, providing some exciting sailing conditions.

In the MHYC fleet, John McGrory & Mike Coleman's Forty claimed the Division 1 win from Mortgage Choice Rumba and XC3SS, while John Crawford's Innamincka took out Division 2 ahead of Vortex and Dania.  Rock Solid (Mitch Miller) was too good for Powderhulk and No Friends in the Adams 10s and Geoff Pearson's MRX claimed the Open Division win from Toy Box 2 and Just a Dash.

In the Saturday Social Sailors pursuit race, Max Theeboom's Caviar was the first boat home ahead of Nashira and Delphin.

To view the Inshore Series Results - click here

To view the Open Series Results - click here

To view the Saturday Social Series Results - click here

Marg Fraser-Martin was aboard Hugh George on Saturday to capture the inshore racing action...

Read more: Inshore Racing on November 17

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

Perfect Day for Inshore Sprints on November 10

Saturday 10 November brought a sunny day and a moderate south-easterly - perfect conditions for the inshore sprints.

It was busy on the sound with a number of ship movements adding to the usual ferry traffic and a lot of clubs running courses in the area.  Two races were completed for the Open, Adams 10 and No.1 Divisions, although the first race for Division 2 was abandoned due to the unfair influence of shipping.

In Race 3 of the Inshore Sprints Series (the first race of the day), Toy Box 2 (Ian Box) claimed the win from Nine Dragons and Stormaway on PHS and also took the IRC win.  Patrick Delany’s Powderhulk took the One Design and PHS prize for Adams 10s, with No Friends and Kick’nChase next on OD.  Peter Woodhead’s XC3SS claimed the Division 1 PHS win from Mortgage Choice Rumba and Forty Two.

In Race 4, Ian Box and the Toy Box 2 team made it two from two with another win, this time from MRX (Geoff Pearson) who took the IRC win.  Stormaway was third on PHS.  Mitch Miller and the Rock Solid crew were the first to finish in the Adams 10s, ahead of Kick’nChase and Powderhulk.  Geoff Charters’ No Friends claimed the PHS win.  In Division 1, it was Forty Two (John McGrory & Mike Coleman) from Mortgage Choice Rumba and XC3SS.  Innamincka (John Crawford) claimed the Division 2 and the J24 One Design win with Junior and Waterborne Again next on PHS.

In the Saturday Social Sailing race, Max Theeboom’s Caviar was first home from Nashira and Delphin.

To view the Open Sprints Results - click here

To view the Inshore Sprints Results - click here

To view the Saturday Social Results - click here

Thanks again to Marg Fraser-Martin who was on the water again to capture some great action shots….

Read more: Perfect Day for Inshore Sprints on November 10