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SSORC
winners announced
30 November 2008 |
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| By Lisa Ratcliff
- On Course Communications |
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A 50 nautical
mile overnight training sail in driving rain might have drenched
and exhausted the crew of Graeme Wood’s TP52 Wot Now
but it certainly didn’t hurt their performance on the
final day of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC).
Wood’s slick and serious campaign leading up to the
Rolex Sydney Hobart was boosted by an overall win in IRC
Racer Division 1 of this weekend’s SSORC hosted by
Middle Harbour Yacht Club for the 31st time. |
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David Beak's Beneteau First 44.7
Mr Beaks Ribs, after the start of the Sydney to
Gold Coast Yacht Race, earlier this year is competing
in the IRC Racer / Cruiser - Short Ocean Passage
Course of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championships.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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On a cool Sydney
spring day the IRC Racer fleets again sailed on the Manly
Circle course area off Queenscliff Head while the Short Ocean
Race fleet set off from their Nielsen Park start line for
a 19 miler to a laid mark eight miles east-sou’east
of North Head.
IRC Racer - Division 1 & 2
The final three races of the six-race series were sailed
today in an E/SE breeze that had clocked left by early
afternoon and finished up out of the north-east, as forecast.
The race committee was kept busy re-laying marks to square
up the course, and with general recalls. The 2.5 knot south
running current caught the Division 2 fleet out twice at
the start of race 5, forcing race officer Denis Thompson
to warn this division they would be individually disqualified
if they were judged On Course Side (OCS) a third time. |
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Graeme Wood's JV52 Wot Now,
helmed by Julian Freeman for the Sydney Short Ocean
Racing Championships. Wot Now is seen
here heading out to sea from the heads after the
start of the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race, earlier
this year.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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After yesterday’s
two wins from three races and a punishing night sail in atrocious
conditions including lightning and rain squalls, the Julian
Freeman helmed Wot Now lost none of its momentum on the race
track today, winning two from three and beating Syd Fischer’s
near sistership Ragamuffin by eight points once the final
results for the six-race series were tallied.
"When you win it doesn’t hurt so much," said
a relieved and worn out Wood this afternoon as he reflected on
the previous 33 hours on the boat.
"We got our act together through the six races; I think
the last race was our best. It was a well organised regatta that
offered great competition and a variety of conditions from 10
to 25 knots."
Wot Now will be tweaked slightly before the Rolex Trophy,
which starts 18 December. "We’ve got a big job
list... there’s always work to be done... but nothing
too major," added Wood. |
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Syd Fischer's TP52 Ragamuffin after
the start of the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race
earlier this year, is competing in the IRC Racer
- Windward / Leeward Offshore Course of the Sydney
Short Ocean Racing Championships.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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The strength
of the core Wot Now crew that rallied to win this weekend’s
Championship will see the boat through the Rolex Trophy,
Rolex Sydney Hobart and Skandia Geelong Week in late January
2009.
Matthew Short’s TP52 Shortwave had a better day today,
picking up a second in race 4 while Queensland import Black
Jack managed its first victory of the series, in race 5,
to finish third on the pointscore behind Ragamuffin. |
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Matthew Short's IRC52 Shortwave outside
the heads under spinnaker after the start of the
Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race earlier this year. Shortwave is
competing in the IRC Racer - Windward / Leeward
Offshore Course of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing
Championships.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Black Jack could
not match the TP52s on corrected time in its first outing
since the canting-keeler was optimised for an IRC overall
win in the upcoming Rolex Sydney Hobart, a result skipper
Mark Bradford was expecting, given short course racing is
punishing on their handicap rating.
"It was great to get back on the boat and iron out the bugs," said
Bradford this afternoon. "Windward / leewards sharpen the
crew work but we’ll never get results against the TP52s,
the best rating IRC boats in the world, around the cans."
"When we head out into the open sea for the Rolex Sydney
Hobart and we are using the full keel cant at night while other
boats have got crew taking a break from the rail, hopefully it
will work out for us," added the champion Etchells sailor.
Bill Ebsary’s IRC Racer Division 2 entry from Pittwater,
Le Billet, sailed a hard-fought series to claim its third
consecutive divisional win in this annual regatta.
"We are delighted with the series and that we were able
to score three in a row. Today was hard work on the Beneteau
in the softer conditions but we managed to cap off the day with
a third to win the series on a count back," said Ebsary.
"The courses were spot on, the competition was great and
Terra Firma sailed consistently well to take it to the wire," he
added. |
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Bill Ebsary's Beneteau 44.7 Le
Billet seen here off Broken Bay earlier this year
is competing in the IRC Racer - Windward / Leeward
Offshore Course of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing
Championships.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Nicholas Bartels’ Sydney
47 Terra Firma from Sandringham Yacht Club in Victoria finished
second on 13 points and The Tavern, owned by Ian and Shane
Guanaria and sailing for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia,
finished third in division on 22 points.
Short Ocean Race
The Short Ocean Race fleet also had to contend with the
constantly shifting breeze and strong current which made
for a tricky 19 mile passage race from a sparkling Sydney
Harbour start to a laid mark and return.
All but two got away cleanly with Leslie Green’s
Swan 601 Ginger and David Forbes’ Merlin recalled
for being OCS after misjudging the outgoing tide. In an
amazing turnaround, Merlin showed plenty of fighting spirit
to win the PHS division of today’s race and take
out the Championship trophy on two points. After leaving
Sydney Harbour well back in the fleet, Ginger also managed
to claw back her competitors to win the IRC series on three
points from David Beaks’ consistent Beneteau 44.7
Mr Beaks Ribs. |
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Leslie Green's Ginger seen
here in on Sydney Harbour in 2006 was competing in
the IRC Racer / Cruiser - Short Ocean Passage Course of the Sydney Short Ocean
Racing Championships.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Following the
midday start, Andrew Short’s maxi ASM Shockwave 5,
which placed third overall in the Championship, was able
to capitalise on its waterline length advantage as she sped
to the Heads in nine minutes. Peter Goldsworthy’s Volvo
60 Getaway-Sailing.com and Bernie Van T’Hof’s
Swan 45 Tulip followed the 80 footer out into open water.
Fourth and fifth out of the Harbour were two Rolex Sydney
Hobart entries, David Pescud’s Lyons 54 Sailors with
disabilities with Rob Reynolds’ (former MHYC Commodore)
DK43 Pla Loma IV close astern. Sitting on the gunwale of
Pla Loma, navigator and honoured 10-time Rolex Sydney Hobart
competitor Julie Hodder took some time out to joke with
the press boat that she was really watching television
rather than plotting the fastest course to the laid mark
on her laptop.
In the Sydney 32 division, Martin Cross’ If scored
back to back wins in the two passage races to finish with
a three point advantage over Stuart Muirhead’s Quickie.
Principal Race Officer John Hurley was delighted with the
IRC and PHS entry level and has had good feedback this
afternoon from competitors, particularly the passage racers.
"There’s plenty of grass roots support from the club
racers for the Short Ocean Race option. Despite today’s
persistently shifting breeze they managed to get a fair race
in with a good beat," said Hurley.
The official trophy presentation for this year’s
SSORC was held this afternoon at Middle Harbour Yacht Club.
The next in the series of Rolex Sydney Hobart lead-up regattas
is the Rolex Trophy One Design Series (12-14 December)
and the Rolex Trophy Rating Series (18-21 December) hosted
by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.
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Final
results
IRC Racer Division 1
1. Wot Now, TP52, Graeme Wood (CYCA, NSW), 8 points
2. Ragamuffin, TP52, Syd Fischer (RSYS, NSW), 16 points
3. Black Jack, Reichel / Pugh P66, Peter Harburg (RQYS, QLD), 17 points
IRC Racer Division 2
1. Le Billet, Beneteau 44.7, Bill Ebsary (RPAYC, NSW), 13 points
2. Terra Firma, Sydney 47, Nicholas Bartels (SYC, VIC), 13 points
3. The Tavern, Sydney 38, Ian and Shane Guanaria (CYCA, NSW), 22 points
Short Ocean Race
IRC
1. Ginger, Swan 601, Leslie Green (CYCA, NSW), 3 points
2. Mr Beaks Ribs, Beneteau 44.7, David Beak (CYCA, NSW), 4 points
3. ASM Shockwave 5, Reichel / Pugh 80, Andrew Short (CYCA, NSW), 5 points
PHS
1. Merlin, Kaiko 52, David Forbes (RSYS, NSW), 2 points
2. Next Moment, X-442, Ray Hudson (RPAYC, NSW), 7 points
3. More Witchcraft, Dibley 46, John Cameron (CYCA, NSW), 8 points
Sydney 32
1. If, Martin Cross (RPAYC, NSW)
2. Quickie, Stuart Muirhead (CYCA, NSW)
3. Larrikin, Ross Glasson (CYCA, NSW)
For full results and the photo gallery go to the SSORC website http://www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au/ |
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