Arajilla sets the pace at Airlie Beach

by Ian Grant on 14 Aug 2007
Sydney’s Middle Harbour Yacht Club skipper Geoff Pearson is just two races away from winning the prestigious IRC championship at the 2007 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week.

Less than a week ago Pearson regarded as a happy club competition sailor casually prepared his new Archambault 35 Arajilla for her first serious race against a star line up of champions including the defending trophy winner the Ray Roberts skippered Quantum Racing and former Rolex Sydney –Hobart winner Bob Steele in his new Farr TP 52 Quest.

Pearson realising he was short on regatta racing experience elected to invite Sydney 2000 Soling class Olympian Neville Wittey to be the sailing master and helmsman which has proved to be a master stroke on the warm and tricky waters of the Whitsunday Islands.

Wittey know in some circles as ‘Captain Slash’ because of his personal determination to win on the race course has turned the low handicapped Arajilla into the form yacht of the competition.

Winning is never easy in the very competitive IRC class fleet and the standard has been lifted to the highest ever in the 18 year history of the Whitsunday Sailing Club hosted regatta.

When the defending champion Ray Roberts steered Quantum Racing to a convincing win in the opening race there was a feeling that the champion crew headed by world title winning tactician Steve McConaghy was again going the set the pace.

But that changed dramatically when Arajilla showed her handicap rated speed to claim four impressive wins to presently hold a six point lead with her 5-1-1-1-1 score card.

Arajilla’ race time of 5 hours 40 minutes 30 seconds for the 34 n/ml passage race over the Airlie Beach- Saddleback Island –Airlie Beach course was not fast but it was fast enough to allow her to record another win on corrected handicap beating the Harold Clark skippered Invincible by 1 minute 34 seconds with the Michael Hiatt skippered Victorian yacht Living Doll another 49 seconds away third.