Crown Series 2011 Bellerive Regatta shared honours

by Peter Campbell on 27 Feb 2011 Crown Series 2011 Bellerive Regatta Day 2.

Bellerive yachtsmen Jeff Cordell and Hughie Lewis are sharing the top honours in Division 1 of their club’s Crown Series 2011 Bellerive Regatta.

Cordell and his well-sailed Mumm 36 Host Plus Executive excelled in the very light breeze on a damp and overcast morning on the River Derwent which saw all races for keelboats, dinghies, catamarans and skiffs delayed for up to 45 minutes.

However, as the weather improved and the breeze swung from south-east to due north and freshened from an average of six knots to eight knots, Lewis and his Farr 40 Tilford Auto Group lifted their game with some excellent spinnaker work.

After four heats, Tilford Auto Group leads the PHS and AMS handicap categories of Division 1 while Host Plus shares first place in the IRC category with Don Calvert’s Castro 40 Intrigue.

Despite the variable and light (at times zero) wind, all classes completed the scheduled races, with Division 1 sailing three races today following Friday’s evening’s twilight.

Host Plus Executive won the IRC category in Friday evening’s twilight race, placing second to Greg Prescott’s Melges 32, 2 Unlimited, in the AMS and PHS categories.

2 Unlimited received a major setback when race officials declared OCS (on course side) at the start of race two today, along with Andrew Sutherland’s Silver Mist.

However, Prescott bounced back in race three, winning both the AMS and PHS categories from Hughie Lewis’ Farr 40 Tilford Auto Group and Don Calvert's Castro 40 Intrigue, while Host Plus Executive managed only seventh place in both categories.

Intrigue won the IRC category in race three continuing her cross-river duel with Harold Clark’s Invincible.

Tilford Auto Group won both the PHS and AMS categories in race four this afternoon, and after the second day of racing leads the PHS scorecard with 13 points, with Host Plus Executive on 15 points and 2 Unlimited on 17 points.

On the AMS scoreboard the Farr 40 is on 14 points, just one point clear of 2 Unlimited, which recovered after being ruled OCS (on course side) in race two this morning, and Host Plus Executive, which are both on 15 points.

Host Plus shares the IRC scoreboard on nine points with Intrigue, which won two races today. Archie (Sally Rattle) is in third place on 13 points.

http://crown.belleriveyachtclub.com.au/