Footloose confirmed as Overall Winner of Launceston to Hobart

by Peter Campbell on 30 Dec 2010 The Derwent Sailing Squadron today confirmed the Young 88 Footloose as Overall Winner of the Sargisons Jewellers & Natuzzu Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race, a 285 nautical mile around Tasmania’s north-east and eastern coastline.

Skippered by Stewart Geeves, Footloose won a boat-for-boat duel up the River Derwent late yesterday afternoon, beating rival 30-footer Lock on Wood, skippered by Derwent Sailing Squadron commodore Peter Geeves (no relation) by just seconds across the line.

Footloose had made a fine recovery after breaking her tiller off Ninth Island in Bass Strait soon after the start and losing 20 minutes while the crew carried out repairs, mainly with tape.

However, the duel to the finish had no influence on the overall result with Footloose scoring an easy win on corrected time under AMS ratings and thus becoming Overall Winner. She also was placed first under PHS handicaps.

Race Director Ron Bugg announced Footloose as provisional winner last evening, confirming the results this morning with the last yachts finishing the race.

However, under the L2H race rules, the Overall Winner is eligible for only one trophy and, as a result, the original placegetters moved up one in the AMS and PHS handicap categories in which Footloose had returned the best corrected time result.

First place in the AMS division thus goes to runner-up 2 Unlimited, Greg Prescott’s Melges 32, from Peter Geeves’ Lock on Wood, a Dubois 9.5, and Wings Three, Peter Haros’ Northshore 38.

Commodores Geeves’ Lock on Wood is the winner of the PHS division with, 2 Unlimited second and Wings Three third.

DSS members Stewart Geeves and Kaye Roberts have owned Footloose for three seasons, buying the Young 88 mainly for twilight racing while seriously racing a J24. This season they have moved out of the J24s into pennant and long offshore racing with Footloose.

Under IRC ratings, Intrigue, the Tony Castro-designed Derwent River pennant champion skippered by David Calvert, took first place from 2 Unlimited and Davidson Stephenson’s custom designed Frers 39 Matangi, one six northern yachts in the fleet.

The Launceston to Hobart prizegiving and crew party will be held at the Derwent Sailing Squadron at 1600 hours on New Year’s Eve.