Cairns skipper leads PHS championship

by Ian Grant on 21 Aug 2003 Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron officials may have to clear a space in the club trophy locker with Darryl Hartshorne currently skippering his sloop Risky Business to a slender lead in the competitive Hahn Premium Race Week Performance Handicap title series at Hamilton Island.

Hartshorne and crew including 1998 Sydney Hobart race winning navigator Bob Thomas of Mackay have created an edge in speed with the ageing Adams 13 m Risky Business to lead the series by the narrow margin of 1 point after five races contested in a varied range of light winds.

Risky Business known for her exciting all angle sailing speed in strong winds particularly on the two sail reaching and spinnaker sailing angles has proved she can also be consistent in soft wind racing conditions.

Skipper Hartshorne and the Risky Business crew lifted their hopes to become a title contender when they recorded a 2-1-2 in the first three races.

However they now face a match race against the improving West Australian yacht Sandstone (Mike Davies) and the Lake Macquarie sloop Kerinda (Len Payne) in the final three races where the result will almost be determined on the final leg of the Molle-Daydream Island passage race on Saturday.

Meanwhile the Risky Business crew has shown that good sailors don’t need to crew the latest design rigged with the best sails to become a title contender.

Risky Business because of her age and the numerous hard sailing miles her race weary sails have done remains in the thick of the fight with her more modern rivals and a win would be a fitting reward for a skipper who has done a lot to promote yacht racing in tropical North Queensland.

But Mike Davies (Sandstone) and Len Payne (Kerinda) are equally determined to win the prestigious Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week trophy for their respective clubs in Busselton (WA) and Lake Macquarie (NSW).