Victorian S80 Championships - Defending champion’s strong start
by Peter Campbell on 10 Jan 2015
Mood Indigo (Keith Chatto) and and Intrusion (Luke Reinehr) in close racing on the opening of the S80 Victorian Championships 2015. Intrusion won both races today. David Staley - copyright
On the opening day of the S80 keelboat championship on Port Phillip Victorian S80 Championships 2015 defending champion skipper Luke Reinehr today sailed Intrusion to two straight wins, opening up a commanding early lead in the seven race series over the weekend.
Victoria’s largest one-design keelboat class championship has attracted a bumper fleet of 20 S80s, including one crew from Western Australia and two female crews, but it was Intrusion from Sandringham Yacht Club that dominated the opening day’s racing.
Royal Brighton Yacht Club set a short windward/leeward course for the midday start of race one, following this with a challenging 13 nautical mile long race in a consistent 12 knot SSE breeze. By the time the S80s started, the morning rain had ended.
Although not winning the starts, Reinehr, representing Sandringham Yacht Club, steadily worked his way to the front of the fleet with good tactics and crew work, winning both races by a good margin to give Intrusion a two point score, three points clear of second placed Escape, skippered by Tony Beck from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.
Escape today had a consistent three-two result to be on five points while third place overall is shared by Skipjack (Bill Feore) from Hobson’s Bay Yacht Club and the Sandingham Yacht Club boat Imaginer (Chris Byrne). Both are on nine points, Skipjack today placing five-four and Imaginer six-three.
Only eight points separate the next five boats with Good Question (John Robertson) on 11 points (4-7), Mood Indigo (Keith Chatto) on 12 points (2-10), Merak (Bas Huiberts) on 13 points (7-6), Recycled Reputation (Tim Campbell) on 16 points (11-5) and Jack Tar (Rob Feigan) on 17 points (9-8).
The WA entrant, Rock and Roll, skippered by Tony Strickland from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, placed 13th in race one today but improved to be ninth across the line in race two.
Victorian S80 Championships 2015 - S-80 Line Results, Race one and two - 9.1.15.
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