Festival of Sails 2012 - Triple to Georgia

by Lisa Ratcliff on 27 Jan 2012 In the Festival of Sails Audi Centre Geelong Premier Racing Division A, Georgia took a triple handicap win on Corio Bay today.

Jim Farmer’s Botin & Carkeek 52, a Festival of Sails first timer, is not waiting around for the famil, they have come out swinging and are sitting on five points well clear of the nearest boat, Jason Van Der Slot’s TP52, Calm, on 12 points.

All three windward/leeward races were sailed in different conditions and Georgia adapted seamlessly to each, although the final scalp involved some good fortune when Rob Hanna’s TP52 Shogun fluffed a gennaker set.

'In the third race Shogun was way ahead but at the top turn they had an issue pulling up their gennaker,' said Farmer. 'It was the reverse of yesterday’s passage race when they slipped through us because of our mistake.

'We thought our longer keel would hurt us in the light stuff, but it didn’t. It has stopped us drifting sideways,' Farmer said of the new keel they are trialling after it was installed by McConaghy Boats pre-Christmas.

Premier Series Division B pointscore leader is Grant Botica’s Adams 10 Executive Decision.

The race committee wasn’t able to stretch this division to a third after their first race of the day was abandoned when the breeze fizzled.

In the Sydney 38 class, the last to finish the day’s program at twilight this evening, Bruce Taylor’s Chutzpah38 is at the top of the leaderboard, three points clear of Chris Lewin’s Another Challenge.

In the class’ nationals, which are being hosted this week by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Sydney, another Victorian, Lou Abrahams’ The Next Challenge is leading that pointscore. 'Victorians reign supreme,' said Taylor tonight as he checked both scores.

'It’s fantastic to see some of the newcomers to the class doing well at Geelong,' Taylor added as he dashed off to his crew’s annual BBQ which is starting late giving the Sydney 38s were still racing up until 7pm this evening.

Temperatures are expected to soar tomorrow to 34 degrees while winds are forecast east to southeasterly 10 to 15 knots tending north to northwesterly early in the morning then tending south to south easterly 15 to 20 knots in the middle of the day.

The Festival of Sails fleet of more than 300 will split tomorrow with some divisions continuing windward/leewards and the rest heading offshore for the Portarlington Race.

Royal Geelong Yacht Club is expected to host a huge evening tomorrow when ACDC cover band Thunderstruck strikes a chord with yachties and visitors to the annual Festival of Sails, Victoria’s oldest sporting trophy which began in 1844.

The Festivals of Sails 2012 will wrap up on Sunday 29 January.