Airlie Race Week- New challenger in IRC Division

by Tracey Johnstone on 21 Jun 2013 There’s a new kid on the block in the Abell Point Marina Airlie Beach Race Week IRC Division and he has the speed and rating to shake up the crowd

Peter Mosely’s Local Hero has moved into the IRC Division for the first time since he started racing at Airlie Beach five years ago.

It’s a calculated move. With a 1995 boat carrying an age-allowance advantage, the speedy 36 footer’s rating is down to 1.049. He has previously raced PHS, but has become sceptical about whether that handicapping system really works for him at his favourite regatta.

'What it boils down to with PHS; it’s handicap racing and depending on your performance on the day you could gain or lose on the next race. Handicaps are changing all the time under PHS where with IRC, it’s a constant. You know exactly where you stand without having to muck around with working out what you have to do each race. PHS is more guesswork.

'This is the only regatta we haven’t done in IRC in previous years because we thought we would be more competitive in PHS and because we have always been scratching for crew. But this year we are all organised. We are comfortable we will be competitive,' Mosely said.

Joining Local Hero in the early entry list for the IRC Division is Brilliant Pearl (Beneteau 34.7, Gary McCarthy), Flying Cloud (Beneteau 40, Howard Piggott), Quest (TP52, Bob Steel) and Storage King Wallop (Sydney 41, Peter Hewson).

Local Hero has been a high achieving performer since Mosely bought the boat in 2002. They have been on the podium at Hamilton Island three times. Their results in the east-coast blue water circuit have been impressive with division places in the Sydney to Southport race and most recently a third in their division in the 2012 Sydney to Hobart Race.

The only changes Mosely will make to the boat prior to the start of the regatta on 9th August are to carry less crew and change over his sails. Under PHS he carried the big over-lapping genoas, but to get a better IRC rating he will go down in sail size. 'I have all the sails in place. Over time I have so many sails in place in the garage up the back you wouldn’t believe.'

His crew is being put together by his fellow Manly Yacht Club member, Jim Thomas. He will bring with him three good hands plus another two that Mosely describes as 'learners'.

Local Hero will racing in the CYCA’s Sydney to Gold Coast Race then the RQYS’s Brisbane to Keppel Race before the boat is delivered to Airlie Beach in time for the regatta which runs from ninth to 16th August 2013.