Queensland IRC Championship and annual SCOR Regatta - Overall report

by Tracey Johnstone on 3 Jul 2015 This weekend will see the big boats racing off Mooloolaba Beach for the Queensland IRC Championship and the annual Sunshine Coast Ocean Racing Regatta conducted by Sunshine Coast Yacht Club. The IRC Championship has attracted entries from Brisbane and Southport along with two local teams for the six races being held over two days. In among the nine visiting boats from Southport and Brisbane is a solitary woman skipper, 27-year-old Danielle Hutcheson.

Hutcheson has owned her Sydney 32, named Onyx, since February this year.

She has stepped into the role of boat owner and skipper as a “leap of faith” after 15 years of crewing on various boats. “It’s a little confronting that I am the only one (female) there, but it’s exciting. It’s a big challenge,” Hutcheson said.

“This is something I have really wanted to have a go at. It’s kind of the ultimate to be in charge of a vessel. I wanted to take this on and see how I went. Having crewed and done all the other roles, this the natural next step for me,” she added.

For the last five months she has been racing the boat in local events out of Southport Yacht Club. Hutcheson is also using the boat, through the support of Gold Coast City Marina and Australian Boating Supplies, as a training platform for local women and youth sailors wanting to get into keel boat racing. For this IRC championship, Hutcheson will have with her from that program two trainees along with two very experienced crew. However, the bulk of the crew have limited to no offshore racing experience.

Taking on the IRC championship fleet therefore will be a big challenge for Hutcheson. There is some exceptional talent in among the 12 teams including the Brisbane team on the sleek RP42 Black Jack Too skippered by Mark Bradford and last year’s Division two winner, Todd Anderson’s Corum.

However, as Hutcheson argues, you have to start somewhere. “The Sydney 32 is a fantastic little boat and it has an IRC rating, so we wanted to see how we are going. And we have to take that leap at some point. We wanted to give the crew the chance to join the big league.”

The skills of her job as an event coordinator at Jupiters Casino have helped Hutcheson to develop a meticulous approach to the team’s preparation for their first major regatta. It has also given her a realistic approach to what can be achieved this weekend.

“I like to come last, but I am happy with second-last. We are competitive, but I understand this is a learning event for everyone.

“This event will push the crew and the boat further than we have done before. That is going to be our biggest challenge I think. We can’t wait to see how far we can go and what we can do.”

The SCOR event for monohulls and multihulls incorporates the two days of the IRC championship and is being held over four days.