Audi Showdown - Wild winds blow out on day two

by Peter Campbell on 3 Nov 2013 A cold and strong south-westerly front this morning forced race officers to end racing on day two of the Audi Showdown as gusts of 25 knots and more capsized dozens of small racing dinghies on Hobart’s River Derwent.

On the mid-river courses, the winds were even stronger, gusting to 35 knots and sending two Farr 40s, Wired and War Games, into wild broaches on the spinnaker run of their one race.

However, all classes managed to finish one race today, thus completing seven out of the eight races scheduled over two days. Race officers had had the foresight to run up to six races for most classes on Saturday.

In a co-ordinated operation by race officers on the water, all boats safety made it back ashore, although many capsized and one Laser dinghy was dismasted.

'The race officers made a wise decision when they hoisted the signal flags indicating ‘there will be no more racing today’ after the first race was finishing today,' Nick Hutton, the principal race officer for the regatta, explained.

'The safety of our young sailors is always of paramount importance in running races and regattas; but nevertheless, it has been a most successful regatta, strongly supported by sailors from around Tasmania and from mainland States,' he added

The Farr 40 and SB20 class racing was the first to be ended as 35 knot south-westerly gusts sent Wired (Sam Boyes) and War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith) into wild broaches. However, Voodoo Chile, helmed by Lloyd Clark with David Chapman calling tactics, handled the conditions perfectly to win the race and the regatta, winning five of the seven races.

Nick Rogers steered Karabos to its fifth win in today’s sixth race, winning the regatta comfortably from Wicked (Andrew Blakeney) and Hypertronics (Stephen Catchpool).

Only two Paper Tiger catamarans from Lauderdale Yacht Club got off the beach today, with the race won by Romper Stomper (Stephen Price) but the series going to The Apprentice (Bruce Rose) which had won all six races on Saturday.

The Lasers tackled the conditions with the skills expected from these experienced youth sailors, but there were many capsize in the sharp gusts.

'I had at least five capsizes,' said Anna Vaughan who finished second overall in the Laser Radials to Australian youth champion Conor Nicholas from the South of Perth Yacht Club. Third overall was Jacinta Ainsworth from Noosa Yacht Club in Queensland.

Tamar Yacht Club sailor Ryan Moreton won today’s seventh and final race in the Laser 4.7 class, scoring a convincing overall win from Max Cottier from the RYCT Dinghy Group and Tom Males from the Lauderdale Yacht Club.

A last race win gave the NS14 class to Scott Wilkie from Midway Point Yacht Club after early leader Nicholas McElwee from Port Dalrymple Yacht Club did not compete in the final race today after 'putting me knee through the bottom of the hull.'

Sabot champion Sam King (RYCT) had another outstanding series in the 22 boat fleet, winning four of the seven races, with Joshua Harriss from PDYC finishing second overall, winning the other three races. William Wallace (RYCT) placed third overall.

With the fresh to strong winds forecast, racing for the Optimist Green fleet of relatively inexperienced sailors was abandoned without any racing, but a strong fleet of senior Optimist sailors took on the conditions with skill.

Another northern clubs entrant, Will Evans from the Tamar Yacht Club, narrowly won Optimist class overall from Sandy Bay Sailing Club sailors Hugo Hamilton and Hugh Hinkling.

Sandy Bay Sailing Club’s always strong fleet of International Cadets produced some close competition over the weekend, indicating the depth of talent being developed by the club. Sam Abel narrowly won the series from Silas Hamilton and Angus Price.

The Mixed Class VYC fleet, comprising one International 470 and four International 29ers, saw the 470 women’s crew of Lucy Shephard and Aurora Paterson take out six of the seven races, with Sam Tiedemann and Will Connor the best performing 29er crew.