22 December 2009
By Peter Campbell
The Squadron’s Spring Series for the 2009-2010 sailing season ended last Saturday with just two-point winning margins for Charles Curran’s Sydney in Division 1 and Peter Campbell’s Hornblower in Division 4.
In Division 2, the points margin between the two top placed yachts, Peter Davenport’s Arcturus II and John Waring’s alouette, is also just two points but these are provisional results, pending a protest hearing. The final result will be announced after 27 December.
Not only is the Iain Murray-designed 60-footer Sydney the fastest yacht in Division 1, but she has also sailed well on handicap during the Spring Series, notching up two wins and clinching the series on Saturday with a second place on corrected time. Sydney finished with a net 43 points with Willyama (R Barron/S Sanlorenzo/T Stanley) on 45 points and Hell Razor (Ian MacDiarmid) on 55 points.
Hornblower celebrated her 30th birthday this year with Steve Sweeney steering the Bonbridge 27 into third place on Saturday to finish the Division 4 Spring Series on 36 points. Last race winner Kerstin II (John Bowman/Ken Chase/John Goldie) finished runner-up on 38 points while Brother Hood (Tony Craven & Jack Rigg) finished third on 40 points.
The final race for Division 2 saw a win for Arcturus II from alouette, with the pointscore result provisional.
Fifty Year Member Robert Albert did not have to finish the final race in Division 3 to take out the Spring Series with his Beneteau 305 Norn, topping the pointscore with 43 points, comfortable clear of Come by Chance (John Nutt) on 48 points and Zeus II (Jim Dunstan) on 50 points.
The international class Spring Series results were all decided by the previous Saturday, with Sidewinder (Carl Ryves) winning the Dragons by a 17 point margin from Indulgence (Robert Alpe) and Saturday’s last race winner Liquidity (Richard Franklin & Damien Hannes).
The Ynglings did not race on Saturday, with the Spring Series (handicap) going to Ruth McCance at the helm of Troika from Pourquoi (Hamish Jarrett) and Uncanny (Mel Nathan & Michael Nash).
The International Etchells wound up their Spring racing with a three-heat Mini Regatta that saw seconds between the first three boats in each race. Hell’s Kitchen (Ian Porter) had the biggest winning margin in heat 1, beating Bushfire (Jervis Tilly) by 49 seconds, with just four seconds to Jazasa (Jan Muysken).
Alchemist (Richard Hammond & Roger Gain) took out heat 2 by 13 seconds from Two Speed (Nigel Nattrass & John Dunn), which finished one second ahead of Bushfire. The final heat saw just two seconds separate winner Bushfire and Carabella IV (Matthew McCann), with Special Mention (Mark Anderson & David Griffith) 17 seconds further astern.
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