Race 4 frustration as light winds rule Land Rover Winter Series

by Ross MacDonald on 23 May 2017 Race four of the CYCA Land Rover Winter Series was a mixed bag for competitors in the light autumn southerly wind, with the aim of avoiding the holes of no wind across the course. Hard work didn’t always pay off during the race, but a warm and sunny Sydney Harbour made it worthwhile.

Division J1 winner Michael Hesse on Hanni, was the first boat across the finish line on Sunday and was delighted about the race in every way.

“We had a sort of restart during the race, where the entire fleet closed up on us near Shark Island and we basically all started again on an equal playing field,” commented Hesse. “We thought about going around the eastern side of Shark, and maybe we should have, but we stuck with the fleet instead.

“Doug Cameron from Vaucluse Yacht Club joined us for the first time for the race, which was a huge help. He’s someone that knows the harbour really well, and on a day like that, it was a big advantage,” he continued.

Playstation 4 skipper Dean Harrigan summed the day up as a whole as a “Frustrating day to work so hard and not get a result for the fleet. No one likes racing in the doldrums, unless you do well!

“Given our starting time, we were able to pick up the first easterly shift of the afternoon, and then Lady Luck was on our side.”

“The first work was extremely difficult. It was key to get around the mark ahead of what seemed like two divisions merging together,” the Division A2 winner explained, “And given the shortened course we were able to take the win.”

The GP26, Rapid Transit had a great day on the harbour to take victory in Division E. Andrew Wyllie invited boat builder Brett Van Munster on board for the day, commenting, “He was instrumental in us winning the race. He really understood the boat and how to make it go fast.”

It was a snakes and ladders day on the harbour, as Wyllie explained, “Half the time we were in the breeze when others weren’t, and the other half of the time, they were in it and we weren’t. Although we did get lucky with some breeze and we were glad that it was a shortened course.”

Whilst it was a tough battle for first place for some, Division D winner Paul Stubbs on Irukandji managed to stay in the lead for almost the entirety of the race. All went according to plan for the Northshore 369, having a clear start and minimal congestion around the track.

“We kept edging our way up to Fort Denison where we managed to get clear ahead of the fleet,” Stubbs described. “Although coming back was a bit trickier, we slowly drifted through the holes, until we reached Clark Island and the breeze came back in.”

He added, “It was an absolutely fantastic day for us. How many times do we get to sail in the Winter Series with short sleeves!”

Other divisional winners for Race four: Division A1 – Balance (Paul Clitheroe); Division B – Skeeter (Sandor Tornai); Division C – Quetzalcoatl (Antony Sweetapple, Anthony Bruce and James Lee Warner); Division F – Sinewave (Greg Mason and Barb Maunsell); Division G – Wallop (Bryan Collis and Stephen Wall); Division J2 – Heaven (Franciscus J H Kerdijk); Sydney 38 – G & R Isuzu (Larki Missiris).

The Land Rover Winter Series will continue next Sunday, starting from 11:25am on Sydney Harbour.

Prizes will be awarded to the yachts placed first, second and third in each division and include exclusive CYCA Land Rover Winter Series merchandise.

Full results are available online - Click here.