History repeats as Melbourne to Geelong Race kicks off 2017 FoS

by Lisa Ratcliff on 21 Jan 2017 Line honours in the 174th Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race, the curtain opener to the Festival of Sails, was a repeat of 2016 finish with Geoff Boettcher’s TP52 Secret Mens Business (SA) the first monohull and Bare Essentials (VIC) the first multihull.

Dramatic clouds over Melbourne city and 10-12 knots sou’west winds farewelled the fleet of 220 boats of mixed sizes, and sunshine, flatwater and building sou’east winds greeted them at the finish off the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, the host club now welcoming around 2,000 sailors.

“Everyone had a go at winning; I think we came to the front at the right time,” Boettcher said of their exciting line honours battle with Ray Roberts’ Farr 55 Hollywood Boulevarde during the final approach to the finish.

“Our tussle with Hollywood was excellent, he’s been stamping on us for years but hey that’s sailing. As we weren’t quite as fast as him we just had to wait until he made one mistake. Once we got in front by a couple of boat lengths we felt more comfortable,” admitted the South Australian skipper.

Roberts congratulated Boettcher and his crew once tied up at RGYC, jesting, “You put us under pressure and we buckled. You are the only other boat skipper who has made me cry. Good race!”
Hollywood Boulevarde had a sail issue at a crucial moment and Secret Mens Business pounced on the foul up.

AFL legend Robert ‘Dipper’ Dipierdomenico was on Hollywood as a guest and laughed, “I’ve never lost at Geelong - this is the first time, and I’m disappointed. I’ll be back next year.”

Nick Bartels’ Cookson 50 Terra Firma (VIC) won the passage race on handicap, beating Secret Mens Business.

“It was a hard slog all the way down then a good surge up the main channel to the finish,” Tim Pepperell, skipper of the first multihull, Bare Essentials, said.

With boats still finishing, handicap results in all divisions will be available later here.

For the 174th time the Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race began at the top of Port Phillip and took the fleet 34 nautical miles in a south west direction to the regional city of Geelong.

Marking one end of the line was the tall ship Tenacious, dwarfing the fleet as they leapt headlong into SWer winds, signalling the 174th start of the Passage Race and the Festival of Sails open.

There was drama in the pre-start when Shane Kearns’ S&S34 Komatsu Azzurro from Sydney had an incident with Peter Dunne’s Beneteau First 36.7 Upbeat, ending Azzurro’s Festival of Sails campaign before they’d crossed a start line.

Kearns’ spinnaker pole was sticking out and as upbeat suddenly appeared and the two boats passed each other going in the opposite direction, the pole became a jousting stick, bending stanchions on both boats until it finally splintered.

“We could say it was our shortest regatta but we didn’t even make it to within the five minute warning signal.” Kearns said. “It’s disappointing for both boats; we came on from the Sydney Hobart to do this regatta.”

Make My Jay, Glenn Taylor’s J24 from Sandringham Yacht Club and Rhapsody, a Bavaria 42 Cruiser were involved in a separate incident soon after the start that sheared off the J24s bow fitting, which holds the forestay up. At risk of the mast coming down, Taylor raced back to Sandringham to the chandlery where he managed a makeshift repair that allowed them to continue to Geelong to be part of Saturday’s race.

Back at Corio Bay the sports boats began their Gill sponsored series with two windward/leeward races. Julian Newton’s Game On is the early pointscore leader.

The forecast for day two of the Festival of Sails presented by Rex Gorell Land Rover is variable winds 10 knots S-SE 10-15 in the afternoon. All divisions will race either windward/leewards or a medium distance race from midday onwards.

Important links:

- Download the Festival of Sails app.
- Results will be available each afternoon here.
- VR Sport TV’s videos can be viewed here from Sunday.
- Shoreside schedule thanks to Geelong Connected Communities, January 21 – 26.
- Facebook page.