Bird Island Race final offshore long race ahead of Sydney Hobart

by Di Pearson RSHYR media on 4 Dec 2014 The upcoming Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has has delivered a big entry list for the Bird Island Race, among them Anthony Bell’s 100ft Perpetual Loyal, which along with the remaining 37 entries, will take advantage of a last opportunity to ease into some ocean miles and prepare crew in advance of the 628 nautical mile race south.

In the penultimate race of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Blue Water Point Score (BWPS), a fascinating scenario will be played out when the 85 nautical mile Bird Island Race starts Saturday at 10.00am off Point Piper on Sydney Harbour. On a tight scoreboard, it is likely the non-droppable Hobart race will decide the outcome, unless major shifts occur this weekend.

Still anyone’s to win or lose, Sam Haynes’ ADA Celestial leads the charge at the top of the BWPS leaderboard, but right on the Rogers 46’s transom, a point away, is Paul Clitheroe’s TP52 Balance. Reigning Rolex Sydney Hobart champion, Victoire, is a further four points in arrears.

Victoire finished second in Division One of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC) last weekend, and with Patrice (Tony Kirby), Ichi Ban (Matt Allen) and St George Midnight Rambler (Ed Psaltis/Bob Thomas/Michael Bencsik) waiting in the wings, yacht owners and their crews will have to lay it all on the table. All are Hobart bound and field experienced crews.

Khaleesi, Andrew and Pauline Dally’s DK46, third placed to Victoire in the SSORC, Robin and Annette Hawthorn’s Beneteau 47.7 Imagination and West Australians Todd Giraudo with his new Jeanneau Sunfast 3600, Kraken, and Craig Carter’s Carkeek 47, Indian are among others in Hobart practice mode. Ray Roberts’ OneSails Racing (ex Living Doll), in her second outing, is worth watching too.

Imagination’s crew is using the Bird Island Race to break in a new Code Zero and a shorter bowsprit. 'We tried them out in the Grant Thornton Ocean Point Score two weekends ago and finished second, which we were happy with,' Robin Hawthorn said today. 'We’re also getting a hounds kite and a new Number five, just in case,' he added.

'We’ve also got a couple of new crew, so we’re trying to put it all together, but we’ll be ready. We did the Hobart in 2009 and finished ninth overall. We’re hoping we can at least do that well again, but a lot depends on the weather – Imagination needs wind on the nose.'

Bird Island is off the NSW Central Coast near Lake Munmorah and Budgewoi. The record for the race is 6hrs 38mins and 56secs, set by the RP63, Loki (Stephen Ainsworth), in 2011. The current weather forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology lends itself to a possible new record, with north to north-westerly 15-20 knot winds tending south-east to south-westerly at 10-15 knots during the day, then north-east to south-easterly at 15 to 20 knots during the afternoon.

Should Perpetual Loyal be the one in the box seat, Bell would be delivering a nice gift to his first-time celebrity crew, including boxer Danny Green, surfer Sally Fitzgibbons and Chef, Guillaume Brahimi. In 2011, Bell made the dreams of his crew come true when he out-sailed Wild Oats XI in a thriller for Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours with his former super maxi Investec Loyal.

This weekend, competitors will be racing for the 58th Janzoon Trophy, while the name of the PHS category winner will be engraved on the 39th George Barton trophy.

Entrants: Race 5: Bird Island Yacht Race

Sail No	Boat Name	First Name	Last Name	Div No	IRC	ORCI	PHSTCF
5612	ABRACADABRA	James	Murchison	2			1.0664
421	ADA CELESTIAL	Sam	Haynes	1	1.267	1.2503	1.3357
A140	ARIEL	Ron	Forster	2	1.079	1.0579	1.0530
6755	AUSREO	Jim	Lelliott	2	1.076	1.0335	1.0269
52002	BALANCE	Paul	Clitheroe	1	1.356	1.3444	1.4483
MH115	BEAR NECESSITY	John	Blair	2	1.050	1.0228	0.9866
33345	BLACK SHEEP	Derek	Sheppard	2	1.118	1.0881	1.0721
6834	BREAKTHROUGH	Benjamin	Hunter	2	1.074		1.0107
8824	CHANCELLOR	Edward	Tooher	2	1.108	1.0844	0.9693
GBR5211L	FRANTIC	Michael	Martin	1	1.346	1.3202	1.3528
AUS01	ICHI BAN	Matt	Allen	1	1.501		1.5772
35	IMAGINATION	Robin	Hawthorn	2	1.112	1.1057	1.1205
AUS47	INDIAN	Craig	Carter	1	1.337	1.3301	1.3599
46	KHALEESI	Andrew	Dally	1	1.183	1.1779	1.2019
HY3600	KRAKEN	Todd	Giraudo	2	1.046	1.0301	1.0500
8975	LAST TANGO	Phillip	King	2		1.0977	1.0729
294	LOVE AND WAR	Simon	Kurts	2	1.016	0.9805	0.9911
8339	LUNA SEA	James	Cameron	2	1.019	0.9942	0.9590
93	MERLIN	Joe	Earl	1	1.223	1.2427	1.2359
C444	NAMADGI	Michael	Martin	2		0.9582	0.9182
RQ2404	NOT A DIAMOND	David	Redfern	2	1.079	1.0540	1.0540
8008	OCC.COARSELANGUAGE 2	Warwick	Sherman	1	1.179	1.1769	1.1782
AUS8899	ONESAILS RACING	Ray	Roberts	1	1.409		1.4842
6841	PAPILLON	Phil	Molony	2	1.085		1.0565
99	PAZAZZ	Rob	Drury	2	1.127	1.1226	1.1200
SYD1000	PERPETUAL LOYAL	Anthony	Bell	1	1.874		1.8792
A5	PMA YEAH BABY	Louis	Ryckmans	1	1.281		1.2993
S777	PRIMITIVE COOL	John	Newbold	1	1.354		1.3618
2001	QUETZALCOATL	Antony	Sweetapple	2		1.1358	1.0362
3430	QUIKPOINT AZZURRO	Shane	Kearns	2	0.923	0.8831	0.8600
AUS280	SHOGUN V	Rob	Hanna	1	1.386	1.3842	1.4955
AUS03	SOUTHERNEXCELLENCEII	Andrew	Wenham	1	1.618		1.5049
8338	ST GEORGE MIDNIGHT R	Ed Psaltis/	Bencsik/Thomas	1	1.193	1.1848	1.2295
7027	THE GOAT	Goat	Syndicate	2	1.098	1.0728	1.0586
SM117	TILTING AT WINDMILLS	John	Alexander	2	1.046	1.0052	0.9725
6377	TRITON	Michael	Cranitch	1	1.403	1.3906	1.4153
AUS5299	VICTOIRE	Darryl	Hodgkinson	1	1.352	1.3264	1.4256
248	WAX LYRICAL	Les	Goodridge	2	1.145	1.1238	1.0121
4343	WILD ROSE	Roger	Hickman	2	1.047	1.0355	1.0558