Postcard sailing continues at Sail Port Stephens

by Sail Port Stephens Media on 15 Apr 2011 Sail Port Stephens 2011 and there was sunshine, wind and a rolling seaway for the record fleet today.

Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson spread the fleet over five race courses. IRC Divisions 1 and 2, Performance Racing and Cruising classes went offshore and while the SB3 dinghies stayed inshore.

Day one of the NSW IRC Championship 2011, and an impressive display from Marcus Blackmore’s TP52 Hooligan, the form IRC boat in Australia. She seemed to be in a universe of her own enjoying the seaway and the wind and ran away with the Race 1 Division 1 double, taking both the line honours and handicap win.

Rob Hanna’s modified TP52 Shogun was second over the line and second also on handicap. Third was the Corby 49 Vamp, skippered by Hugo van Kretschmar. However Ichi Ban, the Farr 40 skippered by Walter Lewin, took third on handicap.

Race 2 belonged to Hooligan, again taking the double. Shogun and Vamp were second and third (line honours and handicap).

A perfect day for Hooligan. Overall, Hooligan leads Shogun by two points. Vamp holds third, a further three points back behind Shogun.

Dockside Marcus Blackmore commented ‘A good day. The team just keeps getting stronger. As we expected this series is proving to be an excellent hit out for the season ahead. From here our next up event is the 2011 Brisbane to Gladstone race at Easter.

'The Audi Australian IRC Championship requires us to do the Sydney-Southport race. We had to add bunks and things to bring us to safety category 2. That's been an exercise in itself.

'I, being a Queenslander, really want to do the Gladstone race and now with our upgraded safety category, we can. But there is still plenty of racing to be had here and we look forward to more of what we had today.'

Division 2 Race 1 line honours went to Paul Clitheroe’s Beneteau 45 Balance, from Andrew Parke’s X41 Matrix and Tony Kirby’s X41-OD Patrice Six. On handicap it was Balance from Matrix with the Anthony Patterson skippered Archambault 31 Aroona third.

Race 2 line honours again went to Clitheroe’s Balance ahead of Bernie Van T’Hof’s Swan 45 Tulip. Matrix was third.

On handicap however, Rob Howard’s Beneteau 40.7 Schouten Passage cleaned up, from Aroona and Balance.

Overall Balance (1,3) leads the series by two points from Aroona. Schouten Passage is third.

The Performance Racing fleet completed two races today and in Race 1 John McNamara’s IRC Farr 40 Iota took line honours from Bruce MacKay’s Sayer 12 Wasabi, with Robert Humpris Vismara V43 Rhumb third.

The handicap winner was David Berryman’s modified Sydney 39Cr Fathom from the Lake Macquarie Yacht Club. Steve Rae’s J122 Marta Jean was second with Wasabi third.

Race 2 line honours went to Iota from Rhum and Wasabi. On handicap Rhumb took first place from Fathom with Chris Lancaster’s Sydney 38 Argie Bargie third.

Overall Series leader is Fathom (1,2) three points ahead of Marta Jean with Argie Bargie third.

Just the one race for the Performance Cruising Divisions and at the start line conditions were marginal for a spinnaker. Margaret Rintoul V (Graham Mockbuckson), Dances with Waves (Jim Thomas), Joie de Vie (Peter Byford) did not initially hoist their kites. Antipodes (Greg Newton) wound up as Margaret Rintoul V sailed straight up the middle of the bay. Back behind her there was round up after round up and a crescendo of back winded kites in the difficult conditions.

Performance Cruising Division 1 line honours went to Margaret Rintoul V the Custom 18.5m-German Frers, from Shaw Russett’s Beneteau 40CR Tailwind, with Andrew Dally’s C&C 115 Bear Necessity third.

Tailwind, Margaret Rintoul V and Peter Byford’s Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42i Joie de Vie took the handicap placings today.

Performance Cruising Division 2 line honours went to Kahoona, Derek Sheppard’s Cavalier 395 from Matt Bosner’s Elliot 7 Nervous with Mainstay, Bradley Sewell’s Sydney 32 third.

Nervous took the handicap win from Brian Carrick’s Velocity a Beneteau First 31.7. Champagne on Ice, Alistair Bradley’s Beneteau Oceanis 46 was third.

The SB3 fleet contested four races on the sheltered waters of Salamander Bay on day 1 of the SB3 Australian Championship.

As the fleet prepared for the starter’s gun the wind picked up from the south and was blowing 10-11 knots.

A beautiful sunny day, as Nathan Outteridge (One Design Sailing) started second from the pin. With snappy spinnaker work Outteridge was first to the lay line, then three boat lengths back was Glenn Bourke (Club Marine White) with Rod Jones on spinnaker.

At the bottom of the first lap, Outteridge was a clear leader from Bourke, with the balance of the fleet spread behind.

Nathan Outteridge (One Design Sailing) finished race 1 in first place, 38 seconds ahead of Glenn Bourke (Club Marine White) with Stephen Fries (Wysiwyg-V) a further forty six seconds back.

In Race 2 Bourke reversed places with Outteridge. Mark Wolfenden (Still Out of Control) was third.

In Race 3 it was Outteridge, Bourke and Wolfenden.

Race 4 also belonged to Outteridge from Bourke with Mike McLean (Wagop) third.

Overall Series leader after day 1 is Nathan Outteridge (1,2,1,1) from Glenn Bourke (2,1,2,2) and Mark Wolfenden (7, 3, 3, 5).

Racing tomorrow Saturday 16th April, for the NSW IRC Championship fleet is offshore and the warning signal is scheduled for 11.25am.

The Performance Racing fleet will also be offshore, the warning signal at 11.55am.

The Performance Cruising Division 1 and 2 will sail a passage race, starting at d’Albora Marina Nelson Bay. Warning signal will be 12:55pm.

The SB3s will again sail in Salamander Bay with a scheduled 11.30am start.

For more information go to Sail Port Stephens website http://www.sailportstephens.com.au