Audi Victoria Week Passage Race Sydney 38 win to Cinquante

by Lisa Ratcliff on 23 Jan 2010
Being a one-design boat there is very little separating the 10 Sydney 38s contesting Audi Victoria Week, just the crew work and whatever tactics it takes to get an edge on the rest of the division.

In today’s Passage Race from Melbourne to Geelong, the opening race of the Morris Finance Sydney 38 Class Series, Ian Murray’s Victorian Sydney 38 Cinquante found that edge, finishing four minutes clear of Chris Lewin’s Another Challenge in the southerly that built from 10 knots at the start to a fresh 25 knots by the finish off the host club, Royal Geelong Yacht Club.

The Sydney 38s will really come into their own once they commence their windward/leeward racing, the first race scheduled to kick off at 1230hrs tomorrow on Geelong’s Corio Bay.

This is when the hot fleet, including the grandfather of ocean racing and more recently Sydney 38 one design racing, 82 year old Lou Abrahams, will add plenty to the colour and excitement of Audi Victoria Week as they and the many other divisions competing take to the waters for their short course racing component.

Six of the Sydney 38s, including Abrahams, had aboard a special passenger for today’s 34.3 nautical mile Passage Race. The Rotary Youth program’s six successful nominees from regional Victoria joined the Sydney 38 owners for their first ocean passage race.

Amy ‘Jean’ Van Heumen, nominated by the Bendigo Strathdale Rotary Club was fortunate enough to join Abrahams on the sail to Geelong and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

'It was really good, so much fun. It was a little bit choppy to start with, but fantastic. Being from Bendigo there’s no beach, no yacht club, so it was a great opportunity.

'I’ll definitely have a good night’s sleep tonight,' she said.

Morris Finance Sydney 38 One Design

Race 1   (23/01/2010)  PROVISIONAL RESULTS

Place	Sail No	Boat Name	From	Skipper	Elapsd	Fin Tim	Score
1	G5038	CINQUANTE	RGYC	Ian Murray	04:34:29	14:04:29	1.0
2	SM2004	ANOTHER CHALLENGE	RBYC	Chris Lewin	04:38:27	14:08:27	2.0
3	SM3800	38 DEGREES SOUTH	SYC	John Chatham	04:40:04	14:10:04	3.0
4	SM6115	SIERRA CHAINSAW	SYC	Mel Mollison	04:40:05	14:10:05	4.0
5	B331	AUDACIOUS	RBYC	Greg Clinnick	04:44:51	14:14:51	5.0
6	SM2	CHALLENGE	SYC	Lou Abrahams	04:45:07	14:15:07	6.0
7	6338	SHINING SEA	CYCSA	Andrew Corletto	04:46:46	14:16:46	7.0
8	SM3838	CLOCKWORK	SYC	Gordon Mather	04:48:35	14:18:35	8.0
9	SM138	ADRENALIN	SYC	Rob Hurrell	04:51:17	14:21:17	9.0
10	6305	MONDO	RQYS	Ray Sweeney	04:53:36	14:23:36	10.0