Barnes Bay Regatta winds up the summer season

by Peter Campbell on 15 Apr 2013

Start of the Barnes Bay Regatta passage race to Bligh Point on Maria Island, with a couple of small boats towing dinghies - to get ashore later for the post-regata celebrations Peter Campbell

In the Cascade Barnes Bay Regatta, a fleet of nearly 60 yachts, running under spinnaker, turned on a colourful end to the summer season display of racing on Hobart’s River Derwent on Saturday as they headed down the river to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Bellerive Yacht Club, Derwent Sailing Squadron, Geilston Bay Boat Club, Kettering Yacht Club and the Huon Yacht Club were all represented in the huge fleet.

The Barnes Bay Regatta, organised by the Kingborough Boat Club, is the traditional racing and social wind-up of the summer sailing season in Southern Tasmania.

Framed in the Sydney Hobart Race sculpture at Castray Esplanade, the Barnes Bay Regatta fleet heads down the Derwent © Peter Campbell

It comprises a morning passage race from Hobart’s Castray Esplanade down the Derwent to Bligh Point on the Channel side of Bruny Island, followed by a round-the-buoys race in Barnes Bay in the afternoon. In the evening Kingborough Boat Club turns on the prizegiving and spit roast at its clubhouse in the village of Barnes Bay.

Andrew Hunn’s Farr 40 Voodoo Chile got away to a brilliant start in a light northerly and led all the way to take line honours in the passage race, but did not figure in the handicap results.

First two placegetters in Division 1 went to boats from Kettering Yacht Club, David Leake’s Granny Apple winning from Graham Mansfield’s Black Magic, third place going to Derek Inglis’ Rousabout from the RYCT,

Bellerive Yacht Club’s Halycon II (Kif Weber) took out Division 2 from Ron Akhurst’s Lock on Wood, also from BYC, third place being taken by DSS entrant, Kharis (Terry Dalby).

Division 3 (non spinnaker) went to Vistula (Gregory Biskup) from the RYCT, from 50/50 (Fisher Brown) and Moonshadow (Anthony Ellis), both from the DSS. Winner of the Cruising Division was RYCT entrant Close Encounter (Damien Killalea).

Bow for bow in a light breeze as the fleet heads down the Derwent - 2013 Barnes Bay Regatta © Derwent Sailing Squadron http://www.dssinc.org.au

While the breeze reached 15 knots for the passage race, it lightened off during the regatta race in Barnes Bay, with race officers shortening the course for some divisions.

Gary Smith’s Bakewell-White 52, The Fork in the Road dominated Division 1, taking line honours and first place on corrected time from the two Farr 40s, Wired (Sam Boyes) and Voodoo Chile (Andrew Hunn), all three from the RYCT.

Kettering Yacht Club had another success in Division 2, with first place on corrected time going to Andrew Blakney’s Jeanneau 42, Offshore Magic. Kama (Rod Cushion) from BYC placed second, with Ian Gannon’s Take 5 from the DSS in third place.

Wayne McNeice’s Riverdance from the RYCT won Division 3 from DSS entrant Sirocco (Leigh Johnston) and Steve Spaulding’s Sancerre from the RYCT.