17th March 2008
Weekend Racing Review
Each season, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s mixed cruiser/racer divisions, one design and offshore racing fleets compete on special Trophy Days for some of the Squadron’s fine collection of perpetual trophies.
Last Saturday’s Trophy Day saw Sydney Harbour at its sparkling best with an 8-12 knot nor’easter on a warm and sunny autumn day.
Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4 and the Dragon class raced for the Milson Silver Jug, the Intercolonial Cup, the LF (Livvy) Mann Trophy, the K H Scholtyseek Tankard and the Archie Robertson Trophy.
These trophies were presented to the Squadron for specific events and/or to honour prominent past members who made a significant contribution to the sailing development of the RSYS. They have been rededicated for competition in the various fleets currently racing with the Squadron.
Hornblower
Two of the trophies sailed for last Saturday have great historical significance for the Squadron and, indeed, Australian yachting.
For example, the name Milson goes back to the very origins of the Squadron, while the Intercolonial Cup was first sailed for in a challenge between Tasmanian and New South Wales yachts in January 1887. The winner of this magnificent trophy was Vice Commodore Alfred Milson’s famous yacht Waitangi from Tasmanian Sir William Clarke’s Janet.
Winner of the Milson Silver Jug for the season of 2007-2008 is Sienna III, the Beneteau First 40.7 owned by Iain Moray, Stephen Robb and Jonathan Moore, which scored a convincing win in Division 1 on Saturday..
The Intercolonial Cup proved as close a contest as it was 121 years ago, with Steve Wyatt’s Bavaria Match 25 Double Trouble winning Division 2 on corrected time by just 18 seconds from Ray Simmonds’ Rush.
Division 3 raced for the L F (Livvy) Mann Trophy and here again it was a close results, John Nutt’s C&C 36 Come by Chance beating John Jeremy’s East Coast 31 Tingari by 19 seconds.
Peter Campbell won the K H Scholtyseek Tankard with Hornblower, its sixth Division 4 Main Series win of the season, taking the Bonbridge 27 to the top of the leader board in the Main Series and consolidating its lead in the Summer Series. The Scholtyseek Tankard was originally a perpetial trophy for the Stella/Folkboats when they raced as a class with the Squadron. Three currently race with Division 4.
Division 4 has seen a remarkably close contest in this fleet smaller cruiser/racers throughout the season, with the Hood 23 Esquisse 2 (Richard Staines) heading the Main Series until Saturday’s race, which saw a fleet of 13 boats compete.
While Allan Levick’s fast Compass 750 Velocity took line honours and second place on corrected time to Hornblower. The battle for second and third across the line proved to be a race-long tactical encounter between Hornblower, Therapy (Tom Cehak), Esquisse 2 and Kerstin II (John Goldie, J Bowman and K Chase).
Therapy moved into second place ahead of Hornblower on the final beat to windward in the by then 12 knot nor’easter, with Kerstin II beating Hornblower right on the line by just six seconds to take third berth.
On corrected time, however, it was Hornblower’s day, winning by just under two minutes from Velocity, third place going to Manhatten Transfer (Ian Lacey).
With a scorecard of 2-4-1-1-4-1, Hornblower heads the Summer Series with 3 points after three discards, with Manhatten Transfer on 7 points and Dreamtime (Lyndsay Brown & Jim Littlefield) on 8 points.
In the Main Series in Division 3, Hornblower, on 33 points, has moved just one point ahead of Esquisse 2 which has also had six wins over the season, while Kirsten III is third overall on 38 points after six discards.
Esquisse 2 has a commanding lead in the Division 4 Short Inshore Series, with 17 points with one heat to sail on April 5. Her nearest competitor is Hornblower on 27 points while Manhatten Transfer is on 28 points.
The Dragon class raced on Saturday for the Archie Robertson Trophy, commemorating one of the pioneers of the International Dragon class in Australia and one of the helmsmen and afterguard of Gretel in the RSYS’s first challenge for the America’s Cup in 1962. Winner of the trophy for 2008 is Magic, skippered by Tony Pfeiffer
Just eight second separated first and second in the International Etchells, with Max Whitnall steering dot to a boat length win from The Front Row (Ben Lehmann).
Next weekend is Easter, with the second last race of the Squadron’s season of 2007-2008 set down for Saturday week, March 29.
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