Ichi Ban’s takes line/handicap double in long race

by Peter Campbell on 4 Jan 2007 Matt Allen’s Jones 70 Ichi Ban has spreadeagled the fleet in all four races sailed so far in the 2007 Boag’s Sailing South Race Week. Today’s distance race to the Isle of Caves was no exception, but she also sailed well above her IRC handicap rating and won the IRC Division double.

'We hit 20 knots reach sailing back down Frederick Henry Bay in the 25 knot northerly,' Allen said at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania after sailing the 47 nautical mile distance race in a remarkable 4 hours 15 minutes 58 seconds.

This is certainly one of the fastest distance races ever in Sailing South Race Week and is a record for the new course, with the fleet starting just of the John Garrow light on the River Derwent and finishing off Point Cartwright, near Taroona.

The distance course took the IRC/PHS fleet down the river to round the Iron Pot and then on a long beat to windward into Frederick Henry Bay to the Isle of Caves near Primrose Sands. Then followed by a spectacular spinnaker run back to the Iron Pot, including navigating the narrow pass between Betsy Island and the mainland.

Ichi Ban finished one hour and 18 minutes ahead of the Cookson 50 Quantum Racing, skippered by Ray Roberts, like Ichi Ban also from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney.

However, Quantum Racing was virtually becalmed rounding the Isle of Caves, losing vital time and placing only eighth on IRC corrected time. 'We also hit 20 knots in a great run back from the island, but we had lost too much time earlier,' a crewmember said ruefully.

Ichi Ban won the IRC division from two Tasmanian boats, Creative intension (David Rees) and War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith), which beat the series leader Flirt (Chris are) from Sandringham Yacht Club in Melbourne, around the course.

Going into tomorrow’s final day of racing, two windward/leeward races in forecast fresh south-westerly winds, only two points separate the top three boats with Flirt on 10 points, Quantum Racing and Ichi Ban both on 12 points, closely followed by the Farr 40 One Design Wired (Stephen Boyes) on 15 points after a close fourth place today.

In the PHS Division, Dick Knoop, a director of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and former CEO of Hobart Ports, scored his second successive win in his Knoop 39 Magellan. Sailing with him was his brother Walter, designer of this graceful looking cruiser racing which Dick Knoop built himself from Huon pine.

'Flying an asymmetric spinnaker, we were hitting 12 knots and more on the run back from the Isle of Caves,' the two jubilant brothers said this evening after the daily trophy presentation by Commodore Marion Cooper.

Despite her two wins, Magellan is only fourth in the closed overall PHS standings, headed by David Bean’s big Beneteau Trecento on 11 points from a consistent score of 3-2-2-4. X-Rated (David Creese) is on 15 points, Moonshine (Bruce Palmer) on 16, Magellan on 17 points and Silver Mist (Andrew Sutherland) on 18 points with two final races to sail tomorrow.

The Cruising Division sailed two short windward/leeward races today with Atilla (John Hunn) winning the first race from Natelle (Phil Jackman) and Twice Five (Lyle Borlase). In the second race, the fourth of Race Week, first place on corrected time went to Natelle II, with Tarremah (Larry Duncan) second and Twice Five third. Atilla slumped to finish seventh and last.