2014 Audi IRC Australian Championships - Welcome mat out

by Lisa Ratcliff on 16 Apr 2014 2014 Audi IRC Australian Championships - The welcome mat is out and the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club marina filling with the last of the arrivals for the Audi IRC Australian Championship commencing tomorrow, Thursday 17 April, and running through to Easter Sunday.

Conditions off Newcastle today for final training sessions, 25 knot winds, 4m swells and showers, point to an action-packed series opening and the media crew has wet weather gear and camera protection at the ready.

The Bureau of Meteorology advises a low pressure system over the south-eastern Tasman Sea and ex tropical cyclone Ita to north over the Coral Sea are moving slowly to the south-east and a high pressure system is moving south of Tasmania extending a ridge along the New South Wales coast. This ridge is set to bring a decent S-SW 15-20kt air flow to Hunter coastal waters tomorrow and Friday, April 18.

Six short course races, one medium distance and a long race likely to take the big boats as far north as Cabbage Tree island off Hawks Nest and as far south as Swansea is the planned schedule of racing over four days.

Weather dependent, the stage for race starts and the short courses is straight off Newcastle beach offering holiday-goers the unique chance to see 31 high performance crews and yachts from 30 to 60 feet strut their best work.

Newly crowned NSW IRC champion Wild Rose left Port Stephens yesterday, Tuesday April 15, 2014, bound for Newcastle. They followed division 1 IRC state winner, Karl Kwok’s fancied TP52 Team Beau Geste and other crews who used Sail Port Stephens’ IRC series as a pre-nationals shakedown.

'Division C is the biggest division at the Audi IRC nationals and there are lots of quality boats,' said Wild Rose’s skipper Roger Hickman before docking out. 'We were lucky to have three days of tuning up in the IRC series at Port Stephens and we are looking forward to going up against our great competitors L’Altra Donna and Spirit again.'

The championship entry list of 31 has been broken up into three divisions so boats of a similar size and with comparable handicap ratings race together. Within divisions there are multiple ongoing duels set to resume at this next encounter.

Four TP52s part of last year’s standalone TP52 Southern Cross Cup are due to meet again in division A. They’ll share the limelight with Tony Kirby’s runner up at the IRC states, his still new Ker 46 Patrice gaining pace with a bolstered crew, and Matt Allen’s shmick 60-foot Carkeek design, Ichi Ban, launched last November.

The grudge match between Middle Harbour Yacht Club sistership DK46s, Rob Reynolds and Bob Cox's Nine Dragons, picks up where it left off in division B. Behind them Matt Fensom’s modified Farr 40 Long Time Dead, fully re-tuned having raced solidly for five days at Sail Port Stephens, meets NCYC stablemate PT73, Tony Lobb’s also modified Farr 40.

Division C’s formidable line up in the 35- foot range includes Local Hero, a BH36, Spirit, an RP36, Cocomo the Sydney 36 and L’Altra Donna, a Summit 35. All but Local Hero ironed any wrinkles at Sail Port Stephens.

NCYC has developed a solid social program to complement the on-water schedule including daily entertainment, activities for the kids on school holidays, Westpac Rescue helicopter winch demonstration and sunset drinks combined with an informal forum on Saturday so IRC regatta organisers can take on board valuable feedback from competitors.

From April 17 - Sunday 20 the final starter’s list will vie for the pinnacle of IRC handicap racing in Australia and the chance to win a brand new North Sails spinnaker emblazoned with ‘2014 Audi IRC Australian Champion’.

Series Entries 

IRC Aust Champs

 

Entrants for Div A 

 

BOAT NAME	SAIL NO	SKIPPER	FROM	DESIGN	STATE	IRC
CELESTIAL	421	Sam Haynes	CYCA	Rogers 46	NSW	1.265
COUGAR 11	5200	Anthony Lyall	RYCT	Transpac 52 Farr	TAS	1.361
FRANTIC	GBR5211L	Michael Martin	NCYC	Tp52 Donovan	NSW	1.347
ICHI BAN	AUS01	Matt Allen	CYCA	Carkeek 60	NSW	1.508
PATRICE	360	Tony Kirby	CYCA	Ker 46	NSW	1.278
QUEST	52002	Bob Steel	CYCA	Farr Tp 52	NSW	1.365
TEAM BEAU GESTE	IVB1997	Karl Kwok	RHKYC	J/V	NSW	1.384

 

Entrants for Div B 

 

BOAT NAME	SAIL NO	SKIPPER	FROM	DESIGN	STATE	IRC
ANGER MANAGEMENT	11011	Phil Arnall	NCYC	Corby 43	NSW	1.209
BLACK SHEEP	33345	Derek & Martin Sheppard	WYC	Beneteau 45	NSW	1.118
ELENA NOVA	65007	Andrew Pearson	MHYC	Judel & Vorlijk 42	NSW	1.213
EXILE	46	Rob Reynolds	MHYC	Dk46	NSW	1.182
IKON	H1010	Bruce McCraken	HBYC	Beneteau 45 First	VIC	1.126
LONG TIME DEAD	AUS5077	Matthew Fensom	NCYC	Farr 40 Mod	NSW	1.155
NINE DRAGONS	18889	Bob Cox	MHYC	Dk46	NSW	1.186
PT 73	USA40063	Tony Lobb	NCYC	Farr 40 Od	NSW	1.171
RHUMB	13413	Ian Humphris	LMYC	Vismara V43	NSW	1.214
STORAGE KING WALLOP	M242	Peter Hewson	RMYC/LMYC	Sydney 41	NSW	1.127

  

Entrants for Div C 

BOAT NAME	SAIL NO	SKIPPER	FROM	DESIGN	STATE	IRC
BOTANY ACCESS COCOMO	5845	Justin Brownbill	MHYC	Sydney 36	NSW	1.035
EXCAPADE	5223	Noel Gough	RMYCT/LMYC	Northshore Nxs 38	NSW	1.042
JUSTADASH	7722	Philip Dash	MHYC	Beneteau First 40	NSW	1.081
L'ALTRA DONNA	6935	Andy Kearnan	CYCA	Summit 35	NSW	1.059
LOCAL HERO	1236	Leigh Dorrington	CYC/MYC	Bh 36	NSW	1.049
M	7100	Steve Hatch	RSYS	Sydney 36 Cr	NSW	1.039
MARTA JEAN	N122	Steve Rae	NCYC	J122	NSW	1.075
OCC. COARSE LANG ONE	8009	Robert Alder	RPAYC	Cookson 12	NSW	1.107
ONE FOR THE ROAD	N40	Kym Butler	NCYC	A40	NSW	1.103
SCHOUTEN PASSAGE	N349	Rob Howard	NCYC	Beneteau 40.7	NSW	1.036
SPIRIT	M136	Ian Bower	LMYC	Reichel Pugh 36	NSW	1.070
SUMMER SALT	N1367	Steve Hassell	NCYC	Beneteau First 36.7	NSW	1.014
WILD ROSE	4343	Roger Hickman	CYCA	Farr 43	NSW	1.039
XPRESS	7013	Mike/Andrew West/Parkes	BSC	Xp 38	NSW	1.078