3rd November 2009
By Peter Campbell
Three yachts represented the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron in this week’s Hempel 36th Gosford to Lord Howe Island Yacht Race, with round-the-world yachtsman Ian Kiernan steering his classic yawl Sanyo Maris to its second successive IRC handicap victory in the ocean race across the northern Tasman Sea.
Also competing were Bill Gilbert’s Jutson 45 Southern Cross whose crew included Squadron Rear Commodore Richard Chapman and David Burt’s Peterson-designed SES Inch by Winch.
Gilbert, now aged 82, won this race with a previous yacht named Southern Cross in 1986, returning this year with fellow Squadron members Richard Chapman and Peter Sheldrick, his son Lachlan, Donald Swanson and David Adams as the crew.
Sanyo Maris had twelve and a half hours to sail the final 68 nautical miles of the 414 nm race on Tuesday to take IRC honours and she did it with just under three hours to spare, crossing the finish line off Lord Howe’s pristine coral lagoon at 16:09:43 hours in the afternoon.
The 9.27 metre yawl, built of Huon pine in Hobart 51 years ago by the legendary boat-builder Jock Muir for the equally legendary cruising yachtsman and marine artist Jack Earl, appeared from the south early in the afternoon, sailing to windward below towering Mount Lidgard and Mount Gower in a light northerly breeze.
Sailing conditions were ideal for the little yawl, the oldest, smallest and lowest rating (handicapped) boat in the fleet of 14 yachts that set sail from Broken Bay, north of Sydney last Saturday – close reaching with some spinnaker runs in moderate northerly breezes all the way. She maintained a near constant 5.5 knots through the voyage.
In fact, the race was described as ‘a very pleasant’ sea voyage by all you took part, Rear Commodore Chapman commenting: “Southern Cross tacked on to port tack at the Terrigal mark and we stayed on that tack until we reached the island. No headsails changes (Southern Cross has a furling headsail and mainsail) and a few hoists and drops with the spinnaker when the wind back to the north. The strongest breeze was 15 knots…it was a most comfortable passage, enjoyed by all on board, especially Bill!”
On IRC corrected times, Sanyo Maris won from CYCA member Dennis Cooper’s Murray Burns Dovell 36 Amante and Greg Zyner’s Radford 12 Copernicus from Manly Yacht Club. AFR Midnight Rambler placed fourth and line honours winner, Ocean Affinity, a Martens 49 skippered by Stewart Lewis from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, placed fifth.
In the PHS division, another Queensland yacht, Peter Lewis’ Holland/Cole-designed 40-footer Charlie’s Dream, took out top handicap honours from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club entrant Reflection, a 10.4m Groupe Finet design, and the veteran Gosford Sailing Club’s Polaris of Belmont, Chris Dawe’s Cole 43 which won this division in 2008.
Southern Cross was fifth boat to finish the race, the third in the PHS division, beaten across the line by just nine seconds by Stampede. With a high rating, she placed sixth in the PHS division on corrected time while SES Inch by Winch placed fifth.
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