Farr 40 John Calvert-Jones Trophy - Gale warning halts racing on Day 2

by Lisa Ratcliff on 23 Feb 2013 The Aberdeen Asset Management Farr 40 Australian Championship 2013. A gale warning for Sydney closed waters has given Farr 40 crews contesting the John Calvert-Jones Trophy an unplanned layday to make a lunch booking and catch up with friends.

Prudently the ten owners agreed at this morning’s meeting to abandon racing on day two of the national three-day series to decide the Aberdeen Asset Management Farr 40 Australian champion.

'The owners gathered this morning for a regular owner’s meeting and to consider today’s plan,' said Farr 40 Australian class president and current series leader, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (Transfusion). 'The PRO advised the forecast was poor with increasing breeze until 2pm so we agreed without question that today’s racing would be called off.

'Tomorrow we will extend the last warning signal to 4pm and up to five shorter races may be contested,' the one-design class president added.

Today’s forecast is for east to south-easterly 25-39 knots winds reaching 30 to 40 knots later in the day.
Current observations at North Head have winds gusting to 35 knots.

Sydney is being buffeted by high winds and rain, heavy at times with potential thunderstorms.

Yesterday’s series opening day put the acid test on crews with sail damage, crew overboard and a few sore and sorry sailors at the end of three races. Today’s conditions are in another league and opting to remain ashore is a good decision agreed Principal Race Officer Rob Ridley.

Aberdeen Asset Management was due to host a large group of guests on the water. Instead they are out of the extreme weather at the organising club, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, and being entertained by one of the sport’s shining stars, London 470 gold medallist Malcolm Page, who has been explaining the background on the Farr 40 class and sharing Olympic stories.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for 15-25 knots out of the north-east. Racing is due to start at 10.30am. At this morning’s owners meeting the schedule for the 2013-14 Farr 40 season was discussed and a timetable of events will be announced shortly.