Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta 2010 - Postcard Sailing Day One

by Lisa Ratcliff, Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta on 7 Mar 2010 What started as a dull, overcast and muggy Sydney autumn day eventually had the photographers rubbing their hands as 300 boats fanned out across Sydney Harbour for day one of Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta.


In a building nor’easterly sea breeze and with no need for the wet weather gear that was packed in anticipation, the IRC and PHS division 0 fleets mostly sailed offshore, leaving a little more room in the Harbour for the remaining 20 divisions, although they still had to dodge each other as well as the regular traffic such as tall ships, Manly Ferries, jet cats and jet boats.

Course areas stretching from North Head to Rushcutters Bay often overlapped, Classic yachts cutting through Etchells starts and the ultra modern IRC fleet sailing past the historic 18 foot skiff Australian Championship race to their finish off Rushcutters Bay.

Given the amount of traffic on Sydney Harbour, there were no reported incidents, but “it was definitely a day for eyes out of the boat,” said regatta director Peter Hemery this afternoon.

On the PHS Division 1 course, Charles Curran’s Sydney 60, named Sydney, and helmed by Sydney Hobart stalwart David Kellett, was leading the fleet in their second race when the spinnaker sheet and brace were suddenly let go, leaving the red-faced crew scrambling to get the wayward kite back on board.

Exasperated skipper, Kellett, decided the only way to retrieve it was to double back and sail almost over the top of the kite once it had fallen out of the sky. It was a successful manoeuvre that meant Sydney had to sacrifice a second consecutive line honours win. However, Kellett’s quick thinking allowed them to finish, with a second place and just a boat length behind Geoff Lavis’ Inglis 50 UBS Wild Thing.

In the first PHS division 1 race today, Roger Prior’s Pegasus was the ultimate winner on corrected time with John McConaghy’s Second Time Around the race two winner. Geoff Masters’ Northshore 108 of the same name finished the day as the series leader with two seconds.

As with the other divisions, PHS divisional winners from the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta, which finishes tomorrow afternoon, will be eligible to compete at the Audi Final Challenge at Eastern Creek International Raceway on Monday for the opportunity of winning a brand new an A4 Avant 1.8 TFSI multi.