8th December 2008

The southerly buster that never came

By Peter Campbell

Fifteen minutes before the delayed start of Saturday’s Spring Series race, a friend in his Rib passed to leeward of Hornblower and called out ‘they have just recorded 30 knots at Mascot!’

Being prudent sailors, and recalling the southerly buster that had hit the fleet near the end of a twilight race last Wednesday, catching us with a full main and No 1, we brought the No 3 up on deck ready for quick headsail change in anticipation of a strong blast from the south.

It seems the ‘front’ landed at Mascot and did not take off again.  For while the breeze backed sharply from NW to S and did freshen, it never got much above 14 knots, giving the Squadron fleet a pleasant afternoon sail, albeit in directional contrast to the course the race committee had eventually set.

After waiting in Athol Bight for some 45 minutes for the predicted S to SW change, the race officer elected to go with a shortened NW course and the fleet followed the committee boat across the Harbour to a new line east of Clark Island. 

While the earlier starting divisions and classes did have a beat to windward on the first leg to the Kirribilli mark, the breeze backed sharply to the SSW  only seconds after Division 4 started, giving that fleet a close reach to the mark.

Nevertheless, the change still provided most classes and divisions with several testing windward legs and a final long spinnaker run to the Kirribilli finish line.

Division 1 produced a close result, with the Mumm 30 Yandoo (John Formosa) scoring a 15 second corrected time win from Ellipse (Bryan Burgin) with another 27 seconds to Ian MacDiarmid’s Hell Razor.

Division 2 raced on Saturday with the Middle Harbour Yacht Club fleet, with Jonathan & Mary Threlfall’s Campeador winning from Spring Series pointcore leader Gondwana (Peter Edwards).

John Jeremy,  chairman of the 173rd Australia Day Regatta management committee, steered his East Coast 31 Tingari to victory in Division 3 to improve his overall Spring Series standing, as did runner-up Senta (Terry Clark).

Division 4 saw a win for another member of the Australia Day Regatta management committee, with Peter Campbell skippering his Bonbridge 27 Hornblower to victory from the Folkboat Corrib (David Leonard.  With two Spring Series races to sail, only one point now separates Kerstin II (John Bowman/Ken Chase/Julian Goldie) and Hornblower, with Brother Hood (Tony Craven & Jack Rigg) two points back.

Olympian Carl Ryves in Sidewinder notched up his sixth win of the nine Spring Series races sailed this year for the International Dragon class.  Sidewinder’s placings in the other three races have been two seconds and a third.

The International Ynglings did not race on Saturday, but next Saturday will contest a MinI Regatta, including the Rupert McCurrich Fire Truck Trophy.  The Dragons will also contest the Mini Regatta.

Next Saturday, the second last race of the Spring Series, is a trophy day for the mixed divisions, with Division 1 competing for the Norn Cup, Division 2 for the Milson Silver Tray, Division 3 for the Xarifa Teapot and Division 4 for the Commodore Knox Jubilee Tray.

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