9th January 2009

First win for Lahaina II in Division 3

Peter Campbell

Len Burtenshaw scored his first win of the Squadron’s 2008-2009 summer season when he steered Lahaina II to victory in Division 3 in Saturday’s day of boisterous conditions on he Harbour.

Lahaina II, a Dehler 36, finished second across the line to Charles Moore’s Casamajor and won on corrected time from Jim Dunstan’s former Sydney Hobart Race winner Zeus II and Casamajor.

The north to north-westerly winds, gusting to 30 knots, forced the Squadron to cancel racing for the Ynglings and abandon the third race of the Mini Series for the Dragons.

Several yachts in various divisions retired with damage while in Division 3 John Anstey’s Kupa Gila jibed suddenly, resulting in two of the yacht’s crew being injured.

The two crew were taken to hospital by ambulance suffering deep cuts after being brought ashore at the Squadron.

Conditions favoured the heavier boats, with Bill Meiklejohn’s Jutson 50 Braveheart winning Division 1 on handicap from Willyama (R Barron/S Sanlorenzo/T Stanley) and Ian MacDiarmid’s Hell Razor.

Division 3 saw John Taylor’s Davidson 12 Allegro take line and handicap honours, winning on corrected time from Peter Edwards’ Gondwana and David Matthews’ Ambitious.

Only five seconds separated Simon Coventry’s Hood 23 Gannett and Lyndsay Brown & Jim Littlefield’s Folkboat Dreamtime for first place on corrected time in Division 4, with third place going to Hum (John & David Prentice).

Despite the strong winds, 19 Etchells raced,  victory going to Humpback (Stephen Barlow & Peter Gardner) from Bushfire (Jervis Tilly) and Carabella (Matthew McCann).

Next Saturday the Squadron will conduct one of its two annual classic offshore events, the Milson Memorial Trophy, in addition to the regular harbour racing.

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