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10th January 2009
By Peter Campbell
Hobart yachtsman Nick Rogers today won his tenth Prince Philip Cup, an unprecedented performance in the classic International Dragon class, in a final race duel with 82-year-old Sydney skipper Gordon Ingate.
The deciding race went right down to the line with Ingate sailing Whim into third place and Rogers, at the helm of Karabos IX, placing fifth but still good enough to give the Tasmanian victory by 2.3 points under the old Olympic scoring system. Whim was beaten out of second place in the final heat by just 14 seconds; but had Ingate gained that place he would have retained by 0.4 point the Prince Philip Cup he won on Hobart’s Derwent River in January last.
Ironically, Rogers sailed as mainsheet and tactician for Ingate in that Prince Philip Cup, but launched his latest Dragon late last year in a bid to win his ninth victory as a helmsman in the prestigious event for the former Olympic class. Third place overall went to Russian Mikhail Muratov, sailing Murka 3, with Sydney sailor Matt Whitnall finished fourth in Taranui on 47 points.
Whitnall had his claim for redress again turned down last night by the protest committee, certainly costing him a chance of a top three placing.
With nine wins as a helmsman and one as a crew, Rogers is clearly the most successful sailor in the Prince Philip Cup since the now Duke of Edinburgh presented the trophy for the Australasian Dragon Championship in 1954. With crew Leigh Brehrens and Simon Burrows, his sights are now set on winning a second World Dragon title in Melbourne in 2011, adding to a remarkable sailing record that includes seven international championship wins and 22 Australians championships. “My most immediate aim is to win back the Sayonara Challenge Cup for the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in the match race tomorrow against Sean Kirkjian representing the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club,” an elated Rogers said after today’s victory in the Prince Philip Cup. “Then the three of us will start training in my Etchells class yacht Karabos for the International Etchells World Championship to be sailed on Melbourne’s Port Phillip in March.”
Today’s final Prince Philip Cup race had been sailed in a flukey east-north-easterly breeze which failed to go the norh-east.
“My objective was to try to drive Gordon back down the fleet, as he had to finish first or second to win,” Rogers said. “But I let him get by and then had to chase him all the way and keep within a couple of places. Matt Whitnall just beat him across the line for second place and that meant we were the winners.”
The Russian yacht Murka 9, skippered by Olga White, won the final race from Taranui, skippered by Matt Whitnall, with Whim third, the other Russian boat Murka 3 (Mikhail Muratov) fourth and Karabos IX fifth.
Final points were: 1.
1. Karabos IX (Nick Rogers, Tas) 2-3-4-1-3-6-5, 32.4 points
2. Whim (Gordon Ingate, NSW) 1-4-11-4-1-7-3, 34.7
3. Murka 3 (Mikhail Muratov, RUS) DNF-1-8-2-5-4-4, 43
4. Taranui (Matt Whitnall, NSW) 4-14-2-DSQ—2-5-2, 47
5. Murka 9 (Olga White, RUS) 9-2-1-DSQ-OCS-1-1, 49
Further information:
Peter Campbell – 0419 385 028 or email – peter_campbell@bigpond.com
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