Everything right at Sail Port Stephens

by Lisa Ratcliff on 4 Apr 2017 Day two of the Commodore’s Cup at Sail Port Stephens yielded a new division one winner and though the Archambault 32 Esprit’s handicap slug after day one made a second victory much tougher, sailing couple Jane Bartels and Greg Wilkins romped in another division two win.

Dennis Cooper’s Sydney 36cr Amante suits a windward/leeward track in fresh conditions, the reason Cooper “thought we were in amongst them” when told of his division one corrected time win. “The boat seemed to be on fire upwind in 18 knots and a really nice run in 20 knots at the right time helped. Yesterday we got everything wrong and today we got everything right!

“This is my seventh Sail Port Stephens in a row and we are sailing with a mixed bunch of my regular twilight crew and long-time sailing friends from 40 years ago. Our bowman is nearly 80 years-old and at least half the crew would be over 70. We come to have fun and have a great social week. We are hoping to go offshore tomorrow… I’m predominantly an offshore sailor,” Cooper added.

If wind and swell conditions are favourable, the Pantaenius Commodore’s Cup fleet will head offshore on Wednesday around an islands course for the concluding third race of the series.

Second in Tuesday’s passage race in 15-20 knot SE winds was Pete and Drew van Ryn’s Farr 44 called Sea Hawk and third was Preddytor, a consecutive top three result for Peter Edwards’ Sydney 38.

Their perfect scorecard has the Archambault 32 Esprit leading the division two overall pointscore.

Second today was the Beneteau Oceanis called ‘New Beneteau 41.1’ (Micah Lane) being showcased at its first regatta as a lighter version of the 41. Lane and multiple 18ft skiff champion Michael Coxon on the helm plus James Dorran from the 18-footer Asko Appliances have the new boat powered up nicely in the fresher conditions.

Third was Rocksalt, Anthony Bishop’s Dehler 38, crewed by another rock star team made up of Team Windcraft guys and North Sails’ Alby Pratt. Originally from New Zealand, Bishop bought Windcraft and now he’s sailing one of his range, the third boat he’s owned but the first time he’s been part of a race program.

“We’ve had a great couple of days with a bit of everything and we’ve had all the sails out,” Bishop said. “My long-term plan is to focus on inshore regattas and get the boat going well.”

In the Jeanneau Cruising pointscore John Ellis’ Unruffled leads Minnow (Les Pongrass) and Agrovation (Michael Groves). A group of 11 Jeanneaus are enjoying great class racing and après racing social activities.

At 13 years-old Jessica Campbell is the youngest skipper at the 10th anniversary Sail Port Stephens and on Tuesday she helmed her family’s 38-footer for the 15 nautical mile passage race, including the hectic start in a fast-running tide that threatened to carry boats over the start line off the Nelson Bay breakwater pre-gun.

Jessica began sailing at six and cut her teeth in the Pelican and BIC classes until her mum and dad bought the Northshore 38 Cipriani, the boat dad Geoff partly built when he worked for Northshore back in the 1980s. In fact his pencil marks can still be seen inside the hull.

The family decided Jessica and her older brother Nicholas could start school holidays early and the teen is soaking up the opportunity to helm among a record Commodore’s Cup fleet.

Many in her generation have Olympic dreams but Jessica says her future is offshore sailing. “The first year I’m able to do the Sydney to Hobart race I really want to do that!” This means a five year wait until the minimum age of 18.

Sail Port Stephens is organised by Corlette Point Sailing Association and supported by Destination NSW, Port Stephens Council, Pantaenius Insurance, Garmin, Port Stephens Accommodation, Port Stephens Strata and more.

Commodores Cup 2017

Series Results [EHCDIV1] up to Race 2

Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	From	Sers Score	Race 2	Race 1
1		7272	PREDDYTOR	Peter Edwards	CSC	5.0	3.0	2.0
2	1.0S	33345	BLACK SHEEP	Derek Sheppard	CYCA	8.0	7.0	1.0
3		M62	AUSTRAL	Peter Mayo	RMYCT	8.0	4.0	4.0
4		8886	SEA HAWK	Pete & Drew Van Ryn	CSC	9.0	2.0	7.0
5		415	ARCH RIVAL	Steve Connors	DSC	10.0	5.0	5.0
6		6609	AMANTE	Dennis Cooper	CYCA	11.0	1.0	10.0
7		MH46	KAYIMAI	Rob Aldis	MHYC	13.0	10.0	3.0
8		5708	KERINDA	Len Payne	RMYCT	16.0	8.0	8.0
9		888	HUNTRESS	Philip Grove	RSYS	18.0	6.0	12.0
10		4100	THE BANSHEE	Rob & Corinne Franci	CSC	23.0	12.0	11.0
11		67	COLORTILE	Warren/Kristy Buchan	CSC&RMYC	24.0	15.0	9.0
12	6.0S	M102	TOY STORY	Tom Woods	LMYC	26.0	20.0	6.0
13		6232	MORTGAGECHOICE RUMBA	R Carr/K Burke S Coo	MHYC	26.0	13.0	13.0
14		5223	EXCAPADE	Noel Gough	RMYCT/LM	29.0	9.0	20.0
15		5822	QUEST 3	Brendon Gregg	RMYC	32.5	11.0	21.5
16		8009	OCC. COARSE LANG ONE	William Bailey	RPAYC	33.0	19.0	14.0
17	16.0S	5713	SHES THE ONE	Michael Kirby	PSYC	35.0	16.0	19.0
18		MH11	UNA VITA	Ken Peachey	PSYC	35.0	18.0	17.0
19	14.0S	MYC7	TENSIXTY	David Ashton	MYC	37.0	14.0	23.0
20	15.0S	6698	FIREFLY	Dean Gillies	RMYC	37.0	22.0	15.0
21		500	ANTIPODES OF SYDNEY	Greg Newton	CYCA	37.0	21.0	16.0
22		N349	SCHOUTEN PASSAGE	Rob Howard	NCYC	38.5	17.0	21.5
23		7130	PASSION X	David Edmiston	GFS	42.0	24.0	18.0
24	23.0S	7119	VERVE	John Groves	RPAYC	50.0	23.0	27.0
25		5367	JFORCE	Simon Lund	PMYC	50.0	25.0	25.0
26		PF57	FLASHDANCE II	Brian Evans	CSC	51.0	27.0	24.0
27		AUS238	CHICKEN LIPS	Mark Hillis	WWSC	52.0	26.0	26.0
28		6563	L'ATTITUDE	R Hunt/J Short /M Ba	CYCA	62.0	31.0C	31.0C
28		6481	TWOSHEA	Nick Jones	CYCA	62.0	31.0C	31.0C
28		6813	VIRAGO II	Dave Rooke	RPAYC	62.0	31.0C	31.0C

Series Results [EHCDIV2] up to Race 2

Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	From	Sers Score	Race 2	Race 1
1		MYC32	ESPRIT	Jan Bartel	MYC	2.0	1.0	1.0
2		7122	ROCKSALT	Anthony Bishop	RPAYC	5.0	3.0	2.0
3		7152	NEW BENETEAU 41.1	Micah Lane	CYCA	7.0	2.0	5.0
4		7439	UNRUFFLED	M.E.N. Syndicate	RPAYC	12.0	6.0	6.0
5	3.0S	7080	MINNOW	Les Pongrass	CYCA	13.0	10.0	3.0
6	2R	N1367	SUMMER SALT	Tim Gleeson	NCYC	13.0	4.0	9.0
7		7009	ALFRESCO	Dave Griffin	RMYC	13.0	9.0	4.0
8		6584	KELSEA BLUE	Adrian Williams	RSYS/GSC	15.0	8.0	7.0
9		7034	AGROVATION	Michael Groves	GFS	18.0	7.0	11.0
10		621	DEVIL'S LAIR	John Sprague	GSC	20.5	5.0	15.5
11		3425	GWHIZZ	Graeme Davey	GFS	21.0	13.0	8.0
12		6307	MACSCAP	Peter McClelland	MHYC	22.0	12.0	10.0
13		AUS215	KNOT READY	Stephen Mackay	CPSA	31.0	11.0	20.0
14		336	VITTORIA	Alan Reece	RSYS/RPAYC	31.5	19.5	12.0
15		6593	LU LU BELLE	Peter Lewis	MHYC	34.0	15.0	19.0
16	2R	380	NEGOTIATOR	Wayne Taylor	WYC/CYCA	37.0	14.0	23.0
17		8305	ELUSIVE SPIRIT	Robert Swan	GSC	37.0	23.0	14.0
18	13.0S	37137	AEOLIAN	Bruce Thomas	GSC	38.0	25.0	13.0
19		7788	ALLSAIL DANCING STAR	R Waddy/ A Bower	RPAYC/RMYCBB	38.0	17.0	21.0
20		511	GRANNY JEN	David Rowe	GSC	39.0	22.0	17.0
21		6650	SAVARNA	David Sanders	RMYC	41.5	26.0	15.5
22		5201	ALL OUR GIRLS	Mark Cole	HRYC/GSC/GFS	44.5	19.5	25.0
23		6740	EVEN FINER	Geoff Dilworth	GSC	46.0	28.0	18.0
24	16.0S	6887	NIGHTINGAIL	Ben Spannenberg	RMYC	47.0	16.0	31.0
25		6817	SWEET CHARIOT	Alistair Rowe	RMYC-PH	47.0	18.0	29.0
26		1164	CIPRIANI	Jessica Campbell	CPSA	48.0	21.0	27.0
27		7109	BELLS BREEZE	Julian Bell	PSYC	50.0	24.0	26.0
28		B46	CHAMPAGNE ON ICE	Mark Wisby	PSYC	54.0	32.0	22.0
29		6767	BIG BLUE	Stephen Phillips	WYC	55.0	27.0	28.0
30		N2	SCUFFY	Richard Fleck	NCYC	57.0	33.0	24.0
31		7113	TRIM	Chris Laughlan	RMYCT	61.0	31.0	30.0
32		N29	SCOTS WHA HAE	Valda Johnston	NCYC	62.0	30.0	32.0
33		MH180	CAVIAR	Max Theeboom	MHYC	64.0	29.0	35.0
34		6906	BANDALENI	Greg Kowalski	ASC	67.0	34.0	33.0
35		1339	NYSSA	Mark Smith	NCYC	70.0	36.0	34.0
36		TBA	IMAGINE	Tom Ayrton	MHYC	71.0	35.0	36.0
37		7094	EAU WELL	William Wade	CYCA	78.0	39.0C	39.0C
37		N6	OIGLE	Paul O'Rourke	CPSA	78.0	39.0C	39.0C