TP52 Southern Cross Cup - Decent northerly sets tongues wagging

by Lisa Ratcliff on 27 Apr 2013 There was a buzz on the TP52 arm of Sandringham Yacht Club this morning and worried smiles on a few faces when the decent northerly wind was whistling through the rigging.

As thermals were donned and the sail selection agreed upon there was also plenty of chatter about the conditions and whether crews would race, given their upper limit as agreed by the owners.

Today was touted the 'sail maker’s dream day' and the forecast came to bear with SYC’s weather tower recording gusts up to 36 knots earlier this morning. The breeze has since backed off to an average 18-20 knots and boats are heading to the course area for their planned midday start.

TP52 Principal Race Office Denis Thompson and his team are heading out of the breakwater now to see firsthand what conditions are like on the TP52 race track, which has been shifted slightly south to make room for the Club Marine Centenary Trophy Regatta fleet.

Racing on the bay for the Trophy Regatta will be near to 100 boats from Sandy, Hobsons Bay, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Morning Yacht Club and Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron.

Shogun V’s skipper Rob Hanna says of the outlook for the TPs, 'An average 25 knot breeze with squirts higher will be OK. The waves on the bay won’t be heinous because it’s blowing from the north.'

Mick Martin’s Frantic arrived at SYC overnight and the crew is now trying to fit a new mainsail after their regular main was ripped during the tough delivery from Sydney. If all goes well for Frantic, eight TP52s will contest day two of the second round of the inaugural TP52 Southern Cross Cup.

Mark Richards last helmed Marcus Blackmore’s TP52 Hooligan in three knots of breeze at Sail Port Stephens last year. 'It’s going to be awesome,' said the match racing champion and skipper of Wild Oats XI this morning as the gusts blasted through the marina and he surveyed the line-up of TPs on the dock. 'It’s amazing how good the boats are getting in Australia,' 'Richo' added.

After a breezy day crews will be looking forward to getting back to SYC this afternoon for the daily post-race gathering and hard-earned refreshments thanks to Coopers 62 Pilsener.

If watching the TP52 and Centenary Trophy action from the warmth of the dry clubhouse sounds more appealing, SYC is also hosting a massive MUSTO warehouse clearance sail in the training room with up to 75% off selected sample and discontinued stock including leisure wear, wet weather gear, fleeces, kids clothing, shoes and accessories. The sale will run until 7pm tonight and again tomorrow, Sunday 28th April, from 8am to 5pm.

For the latest news and photos on the TP52 Southern Cross Cup go to the Facebook page
Results at http://www.syc.com.au/