Perfect day for Race 8 of the Land Rover Winter Series

by Ross MacDonald / CYCA on 26 Jun 2017 A decent breeze with consistent puffs made for an outstanding day on Sydney Harbour for race eight of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Land Rover Winter Series.

In Division A1 it was Geoff Lavis’ Inglis/Dovell 50 UBS Wild Thing which took out the top spot ahead of the Sailors With Disabilities team in TP52 SWD Wot Eva. Two seconds the gap between first and second. Sebastian Bohm’s Rogers 46 The Goat finished third with Steve McConaghy’s Davidson 59 Aftershock, fourth.

The result means The Goat retakes the lead at the top of the series standings with just two races to go. Still well in the hunt is Tony Kirby’s Patrice, currently second, while Paul Clitheroe’s Balance sits third.

The Sunday conditions saw a strong performance in Division J1 where Paul Billingham and Pete McGee’s Bavaria Cruiser 41s Defiant took the top spot ahead of Arthur Lane’s Beneteau Oceanis 46 Inkonkoni. The result keeps things tight at the top of the series table where Billingham/McGee sit first and Lane second.

Speaking after the race and the top-spot finish, Defiant’s skipper on the day Pete McGee commented:

“We came out expecting eight or nine knots but ended up around 12 average wind speed which was fantastic. There were a few gusts around the course which you had to watch out for but the outgoing tide was helpful for everyone.”

“It was a matter of staying ahead of our competition today and we managed to do just that which helped us deliver a good result. It was particularly pleasing as we had a couple of first-timers on board so it was great for them to experience a win in their first outings.”

“With the sunny weather and the breeze it was a very special day on the water – you couldn’t ask for much more on a winter’s day.”

Divisional winners: Division A1 – UBS Wild Thing (Geoff Lavis); Division A2 – St Jude (Noel Cornish); Division B – Wax Lyrical (Les Goodridge); Division C – Reve (Kevin Whelan); Division D – Soundtrack (John Amos); Division E – Menage A Trois (Karl Matiszik); Division F – Zora (Pacific Sailing School); Division G – Sea Ya (J Hewitt C Johnson); Division J1 – Defiant (Paul Billingham, Pete McGee); Division J2 – Katinka (Paul and Ellen O’Connell).