Picture perfect start to Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta

by Lisa Ratcliff on 7 Mar 2009
A picture tells a thousand words and today’s curtain opener to the fourth annual Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta captured from the air illustrated the colour spread from Manly to the Harbour Bridge as the inshore fleets criss-crossed one of the world’s most beautiful waterways.

The 15 classes and 300 starters were split by organising club Middle Harbour Yacht Club across eight course areas, seven of those inside Sydney Heads. The Harbour was hectic but orderly in the light winds as the racing fleets weaved around the regular users including dinghies, jet boats, ferries and shipping containers.

Current Farr 30 world champion Guy Stening sailed a faultless first day with Optimum, leaving his classmates in his wake in all three races as the fleet took advantage of one of the best course areas of the day, just inside Sydney Heads where a 14 knot sou’easter and relatively flat seas combined to produce ideal sailing conditions.

'The conditions were perfect,' said Stening following his second win. 'It’s a great fleet and we are having a lot of fun.'

While Stening made it look easy, others struggled including Doug Cameron’s Clandestine which was a mere boat length behind race leader Optimum at a race 2 bottom mark rounding until a nasty kite wrap around the forestay eventually tore their red chute in half, ending their race.

The J24s, Ynglings and Cavaliers 28s had the best view of Sydney’s famous landmarks, sailing off Taronga Zoo with the Opera House and the Bridge as their backdrop. A light sou’easter out of Double Bay gave the fleets enough momentum to get around the track as defending J24 divisional winner Doug McGain began his quest for a second overall win with Code Violation, and another crack at the major prize, a brand new Audi Q5 compact SUV.

In training for the J24 world championship in Annapolis in May, McGain is using this regatta to fine tune the crew he will take overseas in two months’ time. He finished the day second to Stephen Girdis’ Convicts Revenge after four races.

Result J24's:
Place Boat Name Skipper Sers Score Race 4 Race 3 Race 2 Race 1
1 CONVICTS REVENGE - Stephen Girdis - 7 1 1 3 2
2 CODE VIOLATION - Douglas McGain - 9 3 3 2 1
3 BRUSCHETTA - Alister Morison - 1 12 5 1 3

Pre-regatta favourite in the SB3 one design class, Tom Rosoman’s A3 came out of the blocks strongly, winning race one before the breeze built and their light crew weight cost them heavily in race 2. Rosoman, from Victoria’s Mordialloc Sailing Club, was always planning to sail three-up at his first Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta until one of his crewmembers broke an ankle a week ago.

'Hopefully we can find another crew member for tomorrow, then we’ll have more options and might be back in contention,' said Rosoman, who described Sydney Harbour as 'an interesting place to sail' after a close call with a tug boat that was tucked in behind a moving tanker.

Result SB3:
1 NEWCASTLE YACHTING - Stephen Mackay - 5 1 2 2
2 WAGOP - Michael Quirk - 6 2 1 3
3 A3 - Tom Rosoman - 10 3 6 1

Ben Nossiter’s Sirius is leading the Adams 10 division on a countback from Brian Lees’ Contentious, putting his success down to 'navigator Jim Vaughan and good starts'. The father of Olympic Finn sailor Anthony Nossiter, Ben won the major prize of the Audi A4 last year while Lees won an Audi A3 in the lottery held at last year’s prize giving.

'We don’t give them too much,' laughed Nossiter of the good natured rivalry between him and Lees. 'The crew are revved up for tomorrow,' added Nossiter as he headed home early to rest up before resuming his quest to win a second Audi.

Result Adams 10:
1 SIRIUS - Ben Nossiter - 7 1 5 1
2 CONTENTIOUS - Brian Lees - 7 3 1 3
3 ANOTHER DILEMMA - Jim Curtis - 9 2 3 4

The competition for the brand new Audi Q5 compact SUV that Audi has generously offered as the major prize has proven a major incentive with a record fleet contesting the fourth annual Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta conducted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

Sunday’s offshore forecast is for SE 8/13 knots early, building to 13/18 knots during the day while inshore the winds should peak at 15 knots. The first warning signal will be at 1155hrs.

Full results at : www.audisydneyharbourregatta.com