24 July 2010

Winter winners decided after delayed start

By Peter Campbell

After a delay of 70 minutes, racing finally got under way in a light south-easterly breeze on Saturday to decide the winners of the Squadron’s Winter Series.

Sailing a shortened course in a 6-8 knot south-easterly breeze, all starters finished the final and deciding race for Divisions 1 and 2.  The IRC and the Non Spinnaker division winners had already been determined, but the placings in the Non Spinnaker division were also undecided going into the final race.

Going into the last race, Trish Stanley, helming the Beneteau 40.7 Willyama, had held a one point lead from Rod Wills’ XYacht 43,  Great Xpectations, in Division 1.  However, that situation was reversed on Saturday when Great Xpectations notched up a third place while Willyama placed ninth.

Photo by John Jeremy - Lahaina II & Kerstin II

While the ninth place was a discard for Willyama,  the overall result saw Great Xpectations finish the Winter Series on a net 20 points, Willyama on 24 points, taking second place on a countback from last race winner,  Robert Salteri and Geoff Weir’s Hanse 540E, One O Nine, which also ended on 24 points.

The IRC series for Division 1 went to Matrix (Andrew Parkes & G Smith)  on 7 points from Euphoria (Tony Coleman) 14 points, third place going to Great Xpectations on 18 points.

Division 2 was decided on a countback after the Hood 25 Kerstin II (John Bowman/Ken Chase/John Goldie) and the Young 88 Fast Forward (Roman Tarnawsky) each ended on 15 points. Fast Forward had finished second and Kerstin II fifth in the final race.

The countback favoured Kerstin II with three first places during the Winter Series as against one win for Fast Forward.  Third overall, on 23 points, was Lahaina II (Len Burkenshaw).

The winner of the Non Spinnaker division had already been decided going into the final race,  with overall victory going to the Hanse design Crackerjack, skippered by Dennis Galvin, finishing on 9 points. 

However, second overall was decided on a countback, with Saturday’s last race winner Beowulf,  Stafford Watts’ Folkboat, just nudging out Caroline la Douce,  Peter Jones and Graeme Smith’s Beneteau 361, after both had finished on 16 points.

From Peter Campbell

M:  0419 385 0298  E: peter_campbell@bigpond.com