David Burke Memorial Trophy at CYCA overall

by Di Pearson on 7 Dec 2013 David Burke Memorial Trophy was hosted by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Robin and Annette Hawthorn cleaned up this afternoon, being declared winner of the Ocean Pointscore (OPS), Combined Ocean/Short Ocean Pointscore and the Grant Thornton Short Ocean Pointscore.

The husband and wife team, aboard their 11 year-old Beneteau 47.7 Imagination, overcame a few challenges to beat Julian Farren-Price’s three-time OPS champion, About Time by just under three minutes, and Tim Cox’s DK43, Minerva in the OPS. In the Combined Series, it was Imagination claiming victory over Minerva and Warwick Sherman’s Ker GTS43, Occasional Coarse Language 2.

The fleet was joined on the three lap windward leeward course by those competing in the Grant Thornton Short Ocean and Short Haul Pointscores and it was one of these entries that the Hawthorn’s pitted themselves against as they aimed to beat serial winner, About Time, a Cookson 12, for victory.

'JustaDash (Phil Dash’s Beneteau First 40) was on our heels the whole way around the course and we finally got the jump on him – and Julian (Farren-Price) is a friend and a great competitor – he’s always good to sail against, so we’re thrilled with our win,' Robin Hawthorn said.

Hawthorn also acknowledged Bob Cox’s Nine Dragons as a fierce rival. Cox’s DK46 was looking solid, but his line honours celebrations, following on from his second overall at the SSORC last weekend, were short lived when he, along with Steven Proud’s Swish, and Olympian David Forbes’ Merlin were protested for rounding the wrong mark of the course and subsequently retired.

The Hawthorns and the rest of the fleet were initially concerned when their race started off Point Piper at 12.00pm today, as breeze, described by Robin Hawthorn as 'from naught to nothing,' looked likely to settle in. However, it was not the case.

'We got close to the Heads and it was OK, around 8 knots of nor’ east. But we went to the wrong side of the breeze and had to work all the shifts up to the first mark and then we had a good run downhill on the first lap,' Hawthorn said.

'For an old boat like ours, it’s a real thrill to win against the newer boats. It was a team effort; always is. I do my job, but I need my crew to do the rest of the work, and they did an excellent job today,' said Imagination’s owner, who conceded 'We just had to watch the compass and play the shifts.

'The race committee did a great job in setting the course – full credit to them. It was a lovely day’s sail and we’re looking forward to improving even more, as we plan to do the 70th Anniversary Hobart race next year,' he said.

In the Grant Thornton Short Ocean Pointscore, Imagination was victorious from JustaDash and Minerva.

The Grant Thornton Short Haul Pointscore top three places went to Ian Guanaria’s Beneteau First 35 One More-No More, from Rod Wills’ X-43 Great Xpectations and Kevin O’Shea’s S&S 34, Stormy Petrel.

The next race in the Grant Thornton, Short Ocean and Ocean Pointscore Series’ will be the 178th Australia Day Regatta on Sunday January 26, starting at 11.00am. Competitors will be racing for the City of Sydney Full Results