Loki smashes Bird Island race record - takes handicap win

by Di Pearson on 24 Sep 2011 Showing she will a strong contender for the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart race, Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki has smashed Brindabella’s 15 year-old race record in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Bird Island Race in the early hours of this morning, making it a fourth record for the Sydney thoroughbred, which perfected the race by taking the trifecta – line honours, the record and the overall win.

Ainsworth, who is away in the USA, left sailing master Gordon Maguire in charge of his Reichel/Pugh 63 which wins the 55th Janzoon Trophy for her Bird Island overall IRC win.

'You beauty – another record – the boys must have had a great ride,' Ainsworth said when told the news shortly after Loki finished the 85 nautical mile race at 1.38.56am in the time of 6 hours 38 minutes and 56 seconds, taking 1 hour 3min 4sec off the record.

'It was a pretty straightforward race and the record went because the conditions were right,' Gordon Maguire said this morning.

Loki followed up her 2009 Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle and Cabbage Tree Island race records with the Flinders Islet record in October 2010.

Maguire told how the initial 25 knots from the south gradually dropped off to a 12 knot finish in Rushcutters Bay this morning. 'By the time we got to Bird Island, it was 14-15 knots. It was a relatively nice evening race,' he said. 'We’ll be in bed by 3.00am – that’s a nice change,' he added.

'The wind veered south/east and went further east on the way home,' Maguire offered, prophesising a slow ride home for the smaller boats. He was right, the breeze kept fading.

Brindabella broke the race record back in 1996, when owned by George Snow, in 7 hours, 42mins, 15secs and still holds the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Race, set by Snow in 1999. Her now owner, Jim Cooney, will be feeling a little disappointed this morning. After finishing an excellent second on line, the yacht missed beating its record time by a mere six minutes.

Sam Hayne’s Rogers 46, Celestial, sailed the race of her life to finish second overall from Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas’ brand new Ker 40, AFR Midnight Rambler in third.

Psaltis’ boat is showing very good early form, Ker designed boats have excellent Sydney to Hobart record, with Aera, a Kerr 55 and Tow Truck, a Ker 37 both having great results and this new Ker 40 will be worth watching in upcoming Blue Water Point Score races.

Syd Fischer’s TP52 Ragamuffin, which has won ORCi from AFR Midnight Rambler, and Geoff Hill’s TP52 Strewth, filled out the top five overall under IRC. Hill only recently brought his yacht from Asia where he has been getting good results.

The Bird Island Race started on Sydney Harbour at 7.00pm last night in a 15-18 knot southerly that blasted Sydney Harbour shortly before 4.00pm after a beautiful, hot almost windless day. The 24 boats exited the Harbour in 25 knots and headed north with the wind blowing hard from behind, pushing them quickly towards the Central Coast and the small island off Budgewoi.

Roger Hickman’s race was over quickly. He reported a broken backstay from his Farr 43 Wild Rose shortly after the start and returned to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia within the hour.

Of the 24 original starters, Jeffery Taylor’s Nemesis was the only one yacht left at sea by 7.20am this morning. Once she has finished, the PHS results will be announced, the winner to receive the 36th George Barton Trophy

CYCA 2011-2012 Blue Water Pointscore  - Bird Island Race

Hosted By CYCA

Race 2 (23/09/2011)

Updated: 24/09/2011 8:54:03 AM

Division 1 IRC results Start : 19:00:00

Place	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Fin Tim	Elapsd	AHC	Cor'd T	Score	Vis
1	AUS60000	LOKI	Stephen Ainsworth	01:01:38:56	06:38:56	1.511	10:02:47	1.0
2	421	CELESTIAL	Sam Haynes	01:03:22:15	08:22:15	1.263	10:34:20	2.0
3	8338	AFR MIDNIGHT RAMBLER	Ed Psaltis	01:03:53:25	08:53:25	1.196	10:37:58	3.0
4	AUS70	RAGAMUFFIN	Syd Fischer	01:02:56:25	07:56:25	1.350	10:43:10	4.0
5	GBR5211L	STREWTH	Geoff Hill	01:03:14:52	08:14:52	1.348	11:07:05	5.0
6	1545	VICTOIRE	Darryl Hodgkinson	01:04:55:10	09:55:10	1.130	11:12:32	6.0
7	11033	KERISMA	Grant Dawson Brent L	01:04:59:21	09:59:21	1.148	11:28:03	7.0
8	10007	PRETTY FLY III	Colin Woods	01:03:30:55	08:30:55	1.354	11:31:47	8.0
9	6953	WOT EVA	David Pescud	01:03:34:23	08:34:23	1.348	11:33:23	9.0
10	6837	MINERVA	Edward Cox	01:05:04:49	10:04:49	1.173	11:49:27	10.0
11	MH60	ELENI	Tony Levett	01:05:42:36	10:42:36	1.107	11:51:22	11.0
12	360	PATRICE SIX	Tony Kirby	01:05:36:42	10:36:42	1.121	11:53:44	12.0
13	93	MERLIN	David Forbes	01:04:37:35	09:37:35	1.246	11:59:40	13.0
14	6841	PAPILLON	Phil Molony	01:06:10:23	11:10:23	1.092	12:12:04	14.0
15	7771	BALANCE	Paul Clitheroe	01:05:47:05	10:47:05	1.132	12:12:30	15.0
16	NOR2	SOUTHERN EXCELLENCE	Andrew Wenham	01:03:36:04	08:36:04	1.463	12:35:00	16.0
17	6689	COPERNICUS	Greg Zyner	01:06:54:07	11:54:07	1.070	12:44:06	17.0
18	6232	MORTGAGECHOICE RUMBA	Burke/Carr Cook	01:07:20:56	12:20:56	1.047	12:55:45		Yes
19	R2099	ELEKTRA	Peter Gregory	01:06:52:59	11:52:59	1.109	13:10:42	18.0
DNC	46	EXILE	Rob Reynolds			1.185			Yes
DNC	5356	ILLUSION	Jonathan Stone			0.995		23.0
DNC	6073	WIZZARD	Mick Hinchey			1.105		23.0
DNC	6834	CHANCELLOR	Ted Tooher			1.073		23.0
DNC	7407	WAVE SWEEPER	Morgan Rogers			1.058		23.0
DNC	8975	LAST TANGO	Phillip King			1.122		23.0
DNC	10081	LAHANA	Millard/ Honan			1.683		23.0
DNC	10101	EQUINOX II	Anthony Dunn			1.219		23.0
DNC	R33	CHUTZPAH	Bruce Taylor			1.204		23.0
DNC	SYD100	INVESTEC LOYAL	Anthony Bell			1.911		23.0
DNF	4343	WILD ROSE	Roger Hickman			1.037		20.0

CYCA 2011-2012 Blue Water Pointscore Bird Island Race

Hosted By CYCA

Race 2 (23/09/2011)

Updated: 24/09/2011 8:54:09 AM

Division 1 ORCi results Start : 19:00:00

Place	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Fin Tim	Elapsd	AHC	Cor'd T	Score	Vis
1	AUS70	RAGAMUFFIN	Syd Fischer	01:02:56:25	07:56:25	1.2620	10:01:14	1.0
2	8338	AFR MIDNIGHT RAMBLER	Ed Psaltis	01:03:53:25	08:53:25	1.1297	10:02:36	2.0
3	11033	KERISMA	Grant Dawson Brent L	01:04:59:21	09:59:21	1.0472	10:27:38	3.0
4	1545	VICTOIRE	Darryl Hodgkinson	01:04:55:10	09:55:10	1.0689	10:36:10	4.0
5	10007	PRETTY FLY III	Colin Woods	01:03:30:55	08:30:55	1.2729	10:50:21	5.0
6	10000	BRINDABELLA	Jim Cooney	01:02:48:29	07:48:29	1.4223	11:06:19	6.0
7	360	PATRICE SIX	Tony Kirby	01:05:36:42	10:36:42	1.0573	11:13:11	7.0
8	7771	BALANCE	Paul Clitheroe	01:05:47:05	10:47:05	1.0742	11:35:06	8.0
9	6689	COPERNICUS	Greg Zyner	01:06:54:07	11:54:07	0.9894	11:46:33	9.0
10	R2099	ELEKTRA	Peter Gregory	01:06:52:59	11:52:59	1.0558	12:32:46	10.0
DNC	46	EXILE	Rob Reynolds			1.1543			Yes
DNC	6073	WIZZARD	Mick Hinchey			1.0357		15.0
DNC	6834	CHANCELLOR	Ted Tooher			1.0191		15.0
DNC	8975	LAST TANGO	Phillip King			1.0554		15.0
DNC	10081	LAHANA	Millard/ Honan			1.6175		15.0
DNC	10101	EQUINOX II	Anthony Dunn			1.1388		15.0
DNC	M161	LMR SOLAR	Michael Martin			1.0752		15.0
DNC	R33	CHUTZPAH	Bruce Taylor			1.1589		15.0
DNF	4343	WILD ROSE	Roger Hickman			1.0030		12.0