2015 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week – Multi mayhem drama on day 4

by Lisa Ratcliff on 20 Aug 2015 2015 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week – Increased winds and a nasty sea-state created drama on day four of racing in the Whitsundays and two pre-start collisions brought three multihulls ashore before their start gun had fired.

Three from the Multihull Racing division were involved in two separate incidents, and Race Week has finished for two.

Peter Hawker’s lightweight Farrier F32srcx Carbon Credit from Adelaide has left Hamilton Island for Airlie Beach still watertight but with major damage to the starboard float. The South Australian trimaran weighing 1.5 tonnes had a bingle with the nine tonne Young 57 called Earthling; the eggshell made of carbon fibre against the weighty Queensland catamaran.

“It was in slow motion in a sense,” said owner/skipper Peter Hawker. “No-one got hurt; we made sure we were well back. Fortunately we were hit in an area that’s not structural. It’s a rotten way to finish the regatta; so disappointing for the crew. Things happen. That’s sailing. We were just enjoying the week….”

Carbon Credit was heading for the start line and getting ready for the start sequence running across the bottom of the start line. They went into a tack and stalled, “we went into irons and sat there. Earthling was coming down…it was unavoidable,” said crewman David Ryder.

The front half of the Farrier’s float broke in front of the beam and daylight is coming through the topside of the main hull through a hole.

The broken-hearted crew on Andrew Stransky’s home-built Seven Seas 50 called Fantasia are a live aboard family. Their collision with Craig Watson’s Jeanneau 53 Coopers in the pre-start put them out of the regatta.

All Audi Hamilton Island Race Week crews came together at the eastern course area, greeted by 15 knot average breezes, very manageable in terms of the strength but wind against tide created a nasty short wave chop that made maneuvering difficult.

For those multis not caught up in dramas, Race Week day four produced some exhilarating rides.

George Owen who drives the Grainger 10 APC Mad Max and his crew were slowed to 18-20 knots in the chop. This is compared to the flat water sailing on the opening day, Sunday August 16, when they maxed out at 22 knots, or 40 kilometres per hour. “It was pretty lumpy, with the wind against tide. We missed all the carnage,” Owen said.

Tomorrow, Friday August 21, is the penultimate day of racing at the annual regatta in the Whitsundays. The forecast is for SE winds 15-20 knots.

 Multihull Racing

Place	Boat Name	Sail Num	Skipper	Sers Score	Race 4	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1	MORTICIA	3002	Chris Williams	9.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	5.0
2	CHILLPILL	G1550	Wayne Bloomer	12.0	4.0	3.0	3.0	2.0
3	MOJO	M165	Peter Wilcox	17.0	1.0	8.0	4.0	4.0
4	APC MAD MAX	V2	George Owen	17.0	5.0	4.0	2.0	6.0
5	THE BOAT WORKS	N888	Julian Griffiths	19.0	3.0	6.0G	7.0	3.0
6	FANTASIA	641	Andrew Stransky	24.0	15.0F	2.0	6.0	1.0
7	J'OUVERT	WH3801	Stephen Barton	27.0	7.0	5.0	8.0	7.0
8	RENAISSANCE	M1480	Michael Hodges	31.0	6.0	7.0	9.0	9.0
9	CARBON CREDIT	SA532	Pete Hawker	40.0	15.0F	12.0	5.0	8.0
10	CUT SNAKE	RQ120	Robert Dean	40.0	8.0	11.0	11.0	10.0
11	CROSSHAIR	SA432	Gerald Valk	40.0	9.0	9.0	10.0	12.0
12	OCEAN EMU	NIL	William Fea	45.0	10.0	10.0	12.0	13.0
13	EARTHLING	AUS57	Glenn Rutherford	52.0	15.0F	13.0	13.0	11.0I
14	DUX NUTTS	449	Peter Boyd	60.0	15.0C	15.0C	15.0F	15.0C

MultiHull Cruising

Place	Sail Num	Boat Name	Skipper	From	Sers Score	Race 4	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1	10208	CERULEAN	Michael Lane	CYCSA	13.0	1.0	1.0	5.0	6.0
2	116044	TALISKER	Alan Hunter	RQYS	15.0	6.0	5.0	2.0	2.0
3	BOW20	BUNDALONG	M Griffiths	RQYS	18.0	5.0	9.0	3.0	1.0
4	MYS09	MISTY SEA	David Davenport	EFYC	19.0	3.0	6.0	6.0	4.0
5	M321	KESTREL	Richard Jenkins	MYCQ	21.0	10.0	7.0	1.0	3.0
6	C2	STORM BAY	Marc Gerard	SCYC	30.0	2.0	10.0	10.0	8.0
7	63	SNAP	Steff Jones	PDYC	30.0	18.0F	3.0	4.0	5.0
8	SW116017	TROPICAL SUNSET	David Hutcheson	SYC	31.0	4.0	4.0	11.0	12.0
9	3823	SALACIA	Ian Johnson	TYC	31.0	8.0	8.0	8.0	7.0
10	SW11606	VIVACIOUS	Rod & Vicki Sweeney	CCYC	36.0	7.0	2.0	9.0	18.0F
11	BOW23	CAP ROCAT	Peter Dyer	MYCQLD	47.0	18.0F	11.0	7.0	11.0
12	AD711	AMELDEC	Brian Kohl	RYCT	50.0	9.0	18.0C	14.0	9.0
13	BOW11	SAVANNA	Ray Cavanagh	NONE	59.0	18.0C	18.0C	13.0	10.0
14	SABA50	SERENITY	Michel Van Der Zwaard	MMYC	61.0	18.0F	18.0S	12.0	13.0
15	BOW13	SASKIA	Michael Hayes	RQYS	65.0	11.0	18.0C	18.0F	18.0C
16	521	CHARADE	M Coughlan / A Theron		72.0	18.0C	18.0C	18.0F	18.0R
16	LAGOON	SUITE 2	Michael / Anne Kornfeld	HIYC	72.0	18.0C	18.0C	18.0C	18.0C