Reward for Rescue

by Ian Grant on 15 Aug 2007 Townsville Cruising Yacht Club skipper Leon Thomas is poised to claim his career best result by winning the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week Sports Boat championship with Rock n’ Roll.

Thomas who enjoys sailing for fun in the intensely competitive class exercised a duty of care when he sailed off course to rescue a fellow competitor during the windy race around the Double Cone Islands.

The Rock n' Roll crew were racing mid fleet when sheet hand Mark Kennedy was washed out of the cockpit of the Bruce Tardrew helmed Too Hot to Trot.

'We had a bit on at the time when Mark slipped out and were pleased to see Rock n’ Roll alter course and pick him up'. Tardrew said.

'Come on mate you can come with us' Thomas jokingly said when they hauled Kennedy onboard.

Apart from being wet and cold Kennedy was happy to start a race in one sports boat and finish in another while Thomas later claimed redress which ultimately elevated Rock n’ Roll from ninth to first on corrected handicap.

Thomas has continued to race consistently in a mixed range of winds to record a 1-4-2-3-9-3-5 to lead the Brett Whitbread skippered It’s What You Do by two penalty points while Victorian Heath Walters helming Melges Asia Pacific holds third another six points off the pace.

West Australian skipper John Moore expressed his strong wind sailing skill when he steered This Way Up to an important win in the Premier Cruising class championship.

Moore has shown his preference to race in stronger winds and simply proved too fast in the gusty 15-22 knot breeze steering This Way Up to a 1 minute 54 second win over the Garry Anderson skippered Esprit while championship leader John Bacon finished third with Hussy.

Only three points now separate Hussy, This Way Up and Esprit which suggests the three crews will almost certainly enter in a tactical match race in the final race to decide the 2007 championship.

The return of stronger winds also allowed Quantum Racing to claim a line and corrected handicap double in the IRC class championship but her skipper and crew seem certain to lose the defence of their 2006 trophy wind.

Quantum Racing beat the improving Karl Kwok skippered Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club sloop Beau Geste by 19 seconds after five hours of intense tactical racing while the title hangs in the balance with Arajilla leading the series into the final with 10 penalty points lost compared with the Michael Hiatt skippered Living Doll 12 points, Quantum Racing 18 points and Beau Geste 19 points.