Savills Champion amongst Hobart favourites

by Rob Kothe on 14 Dec 2005 Seventy eight year old Hobart veteran Lou Abrahams, sailing with two cracked ribs, held out his rivals on stormy Sydney Harbour to win the Sydney 38 division in the 28th annual Savills SORC regatta and has to be amongst the favourites for the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart race.

Run at the end of November the two day series, Savills Short Ocean Racing Championship, sailed out of Middle Harbour in Sydney is a key performance indicator for the Australian offshore fleets

With the Hamilton Island Internations Cup in March 2006, this is the ideal litmus test for the local boats planning on competing in the first international event for this class.

Four windward leewards were sailed on the first day, the first in light winds but then in a steadily building summer northeaster that reached the mid-20’s.

On Day One of the Savills series, Abrahams was calling tactics aboard Challenge, at the shoulder of helmsman Carl Schmidt. After scoring two wins out of four races, they were well placed.

On the second morning the 42 Hobart veteran and his experienced crew were comfortable in the strong conditions inside Sydney Heads,

Abrahams and his team were finished fifth in the morning race to lead the series with 16 points, just one ahead of the consistent local boat Estate Master (Martin and Lisa Hill), with Olympic Medalist Michael Blackburn calling tactics on 17 points, while third on 18 points was NSW champion Shining Sea (Steve Kulmar).

With the wind howling down the Harbour, Class President Martin Hill blew the whistle on himself, when he confirmed with course officials that the Sydney 38’s owners did not wish to start another race, in poor visibility with winds gusting into the 30’s on the Harbour.

The results then became final and the veteran ocean racing yachtsman Abrahams had beaten the hotshot local from the Sydney and Pittwater fleets on their home waters in tricky sailing conditions.

Once again, the dual Sydney 38 National Champion and dual Hobart winner has reminded the sailing world that at the age of 78 he is still a serious contender in offshore racing and has to be amongst the Hobart favourites.

Dockside, Abrahams ,still wearing his signature white hat and blue jacket stepped tenderly off the winning boat, revealing why he had to be so careful. He had discovered two days prior to the Savills regatta, after X-rays, that that he’d sailed his boat from Melbourne with two cracked ribs.

The old master ignored his injury, sailing an excellent series in the most demanding weather Sydney could produce, ranging from 8 knots and not much less to 20 knots on Saturday to 20-30 knots and more.

Would it stop him going to Hobart for the 43rd time on Boxing Day?

‘I will be fine; this was a great pre-Hobart trial, windy wet and cold. ‘