|
Sail-World.com : Rolex Trophy’s One Design Series
Rolex Trophy’s One Design Series
|
Farr 40 world champion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis from Sydney, is the headline act of the Rolex Trophy’s One Design Series which starts off Sydney Heads tomorrow. The Sydney 38 One Design series, incorporates the class’ NSW Championship and will be run in conjunction with the Rolex Trophy One Design Series.
Although the entry in the Farr 40’s amounts to just four, the quality is of the superior kind, so Belgiorno-Nettis and his Transfusion crew, led by Olympian Bobby Wilmot, will by no means think they have it in the bag. Estate Master (Martin and Lisa Hill), Kokomo (Lang Walker) and Easy Tiger (Chris Way) are no pushovers. Estate Master limbered up nicely in Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney Short Offshore Racing Championship just two weeks ago, cleanly winning the Seven Islands Race before backing up with a Division 2 offshore windward/leeward race win the next day.
Along with Transfusion and Kokomo, the Estate Master crew sees the Rolex Trophy as vital practice for the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds they will contest in Chicago next year. Although they will compete against each other in the US, the three also have ambitions to perform well as a nation. Given the trouncing Nerone from Italy gave the fleet in the 2010 Rolex Trophy just prior to the Worlds (also sailed off Sydney Heads), and Estate Master’s costly tactics on the final day which not only lost her second overall, but ended with Transfusion picking her off for third, the all-Australian cast will be on red alert this year.
Not all teams will be loaded up with their usual and significant talent tomorrow, because some, like Nathan Outteridge, Malcolm Page and Tom Slingsby, are in Perth competing at the ISAF Sailing World Championships, so crews will have to work even harder.
The Sydney 38’s will also be racing to win the NSW Championship. Defendants, Alan and Tom Quick (Outlaw) will not be on the start line, paving the way for all-comers, and there is no dead certainty among the combatants.Calibre (Geoff Bonus and Richard Williams), Eye Candy (Gavin Ward), Old School (Mark Griffith), Risk (Martin Cross), The Bolter (Warwick Welch), The Goat, Thirlmere, Whisper (James Corrie) and Zen (Gordon Ketelbey) will have the equal opportunity to take the title.
The two which look best on paper are The Goat, skippered by Bruce Foye in the CYCA corner, and the Sally Warneford helmed Thirlmere from Middle Harbour in the other. Arguably the most successful, Foye and Lance Peckman, who have sailed and won together for years, took out the One Design division of the 2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart, finished second in 2008 and third in 2009. The big ace is the Sydney 38 National title they won earlier this year with The Goat.
Warneford and Thirlmere will have the benefit of Laser Masters champion Vanessa Dudley and Olympic sailor Nicky Bethwaite in pivotal roles in the afterguard. The two exceptional all-round sailors will be joined by Larry Jamieson, whose 24 Hobart races, including a few wins, spells a recipe for success.
Equally, Gavin Ward’s Eye Candy has scored most of her top places in ocean races, so should be at home on the offshore windward/leeward courses offered for the next three days. And Gordon Ketelbey (Zen) has shown good results, such as third overall in the Sydney 38 division of the 2010 Rolex Sydney Hobart.
Formerly known as the British Trophy, named for the historic trophy donated by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, to the host club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the Series was introduced by the CYCA in 1996 at the request of yacht owners.
The One-Design Series, which entails three days of windward/leeward racing, from Friday through till Sunday, will be sailed off Sydney Heads in the vicinity of North Head and the Manly Circle.
Rolex Trophy here
by Di Pearson
Click on the FB Like link to post this story to your FB wall
http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=91598
5:04 AM Thu 8 Dec 2011 GMT
Click here for printer friendly version
Click here to send us feedback or comments about this story.
Click for further information on
2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
Related News Stories:
MORE STORIES ...
|
|
|
Our Advertisers are committed to our sport, please support them!
This site and its contents are © Copyright TetraMedia Pty. Ltd and/or the original author, photographer etc. All Rights Reserved.
Photographs are copyright by law. If you wish to use or buy a photograph you must contact the photographer directly (there is a hyperlink in most cases to their website, or do a Google search.) with your request.
Please do not contact
Sail-World.com
as we cannot give permission for use of other photographer’s images.
Only if the photographer named on the image is Sail-world.com, Powerboat-world.com, Marinebusiness-world.com or NZBoating-World.com.
Contact us
.
Ph: +61 2 8006 1873
or complete our
feedback form
Contact us
.
View our Privacy Policy.
[ Go Home]
[ Banner Advertising Specification]
[Bot Archive ]
Customised news feeds -Marine Industry companies, Clubs and Associations have their own customised version of our news feed on their website.
Look_here_to_see_examples
|
CLD
| | |
