Hobart Combined Clubs Long Race Series – Final race

by Peter Campbell on 23 Mar 2014 Bellerive yachtsman Harold Clark yesterday again proved that his Farr 1104 Invincible is just about invincible when it comes to racing under AMS and IRC handicap ratings on the River Derwent.

Invincible notched up her fifth Group A AMS and IRC win of the summer in the seventh and final race of the Combined Club Long Race Series to comfortably take out both pointscores.

Clark and his crew sailed an excellent race in Invincible to finish fifth across the line in the AMS rating category, the Farr 1104’s favourable rating (handicap) giving her a win of almost six minutes on corrected time.

Bellerive Yacht Club boats did well in the final 25 nautical mile course, sailed in a light to moderate and constant south-westerly breeze with David Creese’s Mark Nic-designed Matt 12.45 Obsession taking line honours from the fleet of near 40 boats.

Rather than send the fleet out into Storm Bay, Derwent Sailing Club race officers sent the entire fleet on a long beat to windward down the Derwent from Castray Esplanade to Blackmans Bay followed by a spinnaker run back up river to Cartwights Point, Taroona, then back to Blackmans Bay before a final long run back to finish off Castray.

Invincible won the premier AMS rating division from Sydney Hobart division placegetter Martela (Tony Williams) and TasPaints (Ian Stewart), all three from BYC. In the IRC category Invincible’s winning margin was much closer, just 39 seconds from Obsession, third place going to Martela, but she already unbeatable for in the summer series.

In the Group A PHS category, TasPaints won the final race from Tony Williams’ Martela (BYC) and Gavin Adamson’s Mumm 36 Madness from the Royal Yacht Club.

The PHS series went to another BYC yacht, Graham Marsfield’s Black Magic by just two points from Matthew Denholm’s Cleopatra, also from BYC, which took second place overall on a countback from TasPaints.

Bruny Island Race winner Footloose (Stewart Geeves) won both the AMS and PHS categories of Group B with a second in both handicap categories in the final race.

Birngana (Erroll Pyke) won the PHS category of the last long race while Clive Anning’s Lexcen 31 won under AMS scoring.

Ross Mannering’a Sonata 6.7 Epoxy Warrior won Group C by just one point from Peter Alcock’s Mottle 33 Kindred Spirit, third place going to Take Five (Ian Gannon) which won yesterday’s final long race from Alibi II (Rod Williams) and Epoxy Warrior.

The final Combined Clubs Harbour Series will be sailed next Saturday, 29 March. Both the Harbour Series and Long Race Series have again attracted strong entries, exceeding 50 boats in both series.