Win to Race Week founder Don Algie

by Peter Campbell on 21 Aug 2008 Don Algie, the founder of the Airlie Beach Race Week, today celebrated the 19th annual event by sailing his Warwick 66 Storm 2 to a last-race overall victory in the Cruising with Spinnaker division 1 of what is now the Meridien Marinas Race Week.

Algie initiated the regatta with sponsorship from his Hogsbreath Café in the then small resort town of Airlie Beach on Queensland’s Whitsunday Coast. It was called the Hogsbreath Cruising Classic and over the years has become one of the most popular sailing events on the Australian East Coast.

Today, Algie and his crew aboard the black-hulled Storm 2, from the Whitsunday Sailing Club, overcame blowing out a spinnaker soon after rounding the first windward mark of the triangle course on Pioneer Bay to sail through the fleet to finish third across the line.

On corrected time, Storm 2 dead-heated with Esprit, Garry Anderson’s Beneteau 47.7 from Sandringham Yacht Club, a regular competitor who sails up from Melbourne to escape the winter chill of Melbourne.

The deadheat was just enough to give Storm the division win, by just half a point from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Beneteau Oceanis 523 Holy Cow!, skippered by Wolverines band leader John Clinton, which placed 12th today.

Storm 2 finished with 26.5 points (1-3-12-9-15-1dh) while Holy Cow! ended with 27 points (15-1-10-1-3-12) and Esprit just half a point further down the ladder on 27.5 points (3-5-13-5-13-1dh). Only 1.5 points back on 29 points back was White Pearl, Tracey Johnstone’s SImonis Voogd cruising sloop from Mooloolaba Yacht Club.

Cruising with Spinnakers division 2 was almost as close in the final points tally, with overall victory going to Breakaway, Arthur King’s Adams 12 from the Balmain Sailing Club in Sydney.

Breakaway placed only 12th today, her worst result of the regatta, but this was her discard and with consistent earlier placings of 6-5-4-5-3 ended the series with 23 points. This was just one point clear of the Northshore 38 Full Frontal, skippered by Mark Travers from the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club on 24 points (2-4-9-2-7-11).

Mr Bojangles, the Northshore 38 skippered by Pauline Cleaver from Hastings Yacht Club on Victoria’s Westernport, had led the division 2 pointscore going into today’s final race, but placed 17th, a placing she had to carry as the drop race was a 19th in race two.

Mr Bojangles, whose crew included students from the Chisholm TAFE at Frankston, finished third overall on 26 points, still a very creditable effort for a crew with little sailing experience apart from Pauline and her husband and co-owner Greg, and sailing master Andy Keep.

Don Algie, the founder of the Airlie Beach Race Week, today celebrated the 19th annual event by sailing his Warwick 66 Storm 2 to a last-race overall victory in the Cruising with Spinnaker division 1 of what is now the Meridien Marinas Race Week.

Algie initiated the regatta with sponsorship from his Hogsbreath Café in the then small resort town of Airlie Beach on Queensland’s Whitsunday Coast. It was called the Hogsbreath Cruising Classic and over the years has become one of the most popular sailing events on the Australian East Coast.

Today, Algie and his crew aboard the black-hulled Storm 2, from the Whitsunday Sailing Club, overcame blowing out a spinnaker soon after rounding the first windward mark of the triangle course on Pioneer Bay to sail through the fleet to finish third across the line.

On corrected time, Storm 2 dead-heated with Esprit, Garry Anderson’s Beneteau 47.7 from Sandringham Yacht Club, a regular competitor who sails up from Melbourne to escape the winter chill of Melbourne.

The deadheat was just enough to give Storm the division win, by just half a point from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Beneteau Oceanis 523 Holy Cow!, skippered by Wolverines band leader John Clinton, which placed 12th today.

Storm 2 finished with 26.5 points (1-3-12-9-15-1dh) while Holy Cow! ended with 27 points (15-1-10-1-3-12) and Esprit just half a point further down the ladder on 27.5 points (3-5-13-5-13-1dh). Only 1.5 points back on 29 points back was White Pearl, Tracey Johnstone’s SImonis Voogd cruising sloop from Mooloolaba Yacht Club.

Cruising with Spinnakers division 2 was almost as close in the final points tally, with overall victory going to Breakaway, Arthur King’s Adams 12 from the Balmain Sailing Club in Sydney.

Breakaway placed only 12th today, her worst result of the regatta, but this was her discard and with consistent earlier placings of 6-5-4-5-3 ended the series with 23 points. This was just one point clear of the Northshore 38 Full Frontal, skippered by Mark Travers from the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club on 24 points (2-4-9-2-7-11).

Mr Bojangles, the Northshore 38 skippered by Pauline Cleaver from Hastings Yacht Club on Victoria’s Westernport, had led the division 2 pointscore going into today’s final race, but placed 17th, a placing she had to carry as the drop race was a 19th in race two.

Mr Bojangles, whose crew included students from the Chisholm TAFE at Frankston, finished third overall on 26 points, still a very creditable effort for a crew with little sailing experience apart from Pauline and her husband and co-owner Greg, and sailing master Andy Keep.