Barnes Bay Regatta concludes South Tasmania’s summer yachting season

by Peter Campbell on 14 Apr 2012 The annual Barnes Bay Regatta marked the end of Southern Tasmania’s summer yachting season today, with 46 yachts turning on a colourful display as they sailed under spinnaker from Hobart down the River Derwent and the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

The regatta comprised a morning passage race from Hobart to Bligh Point on Bruny Island, followed by a race around the buoys in Barnes Bay in the afternoon, attracting entries from all Hobart yacht clubs, joined by boats from Kettering.

Weather conditions were perfect, with a moderate to fresh north-westerly breeze enabling the fleet to hoist spinnakers from the start at Castray Esplanade and carry them most of the way south on the 15 nautical mile course.

In a close finish, the Sydney Hobart yacht Dump Truck, skippered by Edward Fader, took line honours in the passage race by just 17 seconds from the sports boat Tas Marine Constructions (Rob Gourlay). Both boats sailed out of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

Corrected time results favoured the smaller boats, with Joel Bultman’s Adams 10, Grizzly Adams, from the Derwent Sailing Squadron winning Division 1 from the Kettering Yacht Club entrant, Steelin Time (David Leake).

Steelin Time went on to win the round-the-buoys race in Barnes Bay, in which Grizzly Adams did not finish. Hot August Night (Nat Morgan) from the DSS followed up her sixth in the passage race with a second in the Barnes Bay race.

In Division 2, the passage race winner Sirocco, skippered by John Mackintosh from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, did not start in race two. This left another RCYT boat, Riverdance (Wayne McNeice) with the best result of the day, a third and a first. Serica (Charles Peacock) sailed consistently with a sixth and a second.

Division 3 saw a close corrected time win in the passage race for Off Piste (Paul Einoder) from Limousine (Richard Bevan), both representing the RCYT. In the round-the-buoys race, the DSS entry Pierette (Gary Kennedy) followed up her passage race third with a win, while Limousine placed third in the second race.

A Division 4 was included for the race at Barnes Bay, with first place on corrected time going to Sundance (Bailey Austen, BYC) from Bill Iles’ Dream Weaver (DSS) and Business Time (Will Justo, RYCT).

Following the racing, most of the fleet last night moored in the sheltered waters of Barnes Bay for the regatta prizegiving and end-of-season party ashore on Bruny Island organised by the Kingborough Boating Club.

Results available at KBBC website.