2016 BLiSS Regatta - Wild Melbourne weather cuts BLiSS short

by Lisa Ratcliff on 4 May 2016

S80 Take One - 2016 BLiSS Regatta Steb Fisher

2016 BLiSS Regatta - Melbourne’s wild autumn weather cut this year’s BLiSS regatta schedule in half and upgraded the scores from Saturday’s three races to the final series results, giving skipper Tracey Baldwin and the crew of Greg Clinnick and Paul Holden’s Sydney 38 Audacious their fifth consecutive multi-division win.

Twenty-seven mixed crews led by their female helm turned up at Royal Brighton Yacht Club (RBYC) last Saturday morning, April 30, many keen to add more heavy weather experience to their repertoire. By start time some of the less seasoned helms had made the prudent decision not to start in the 20-30 knot northerlies, leaving the rest to press on.

Winds eased to 18-20kts throughout the afternoon and seas stayed flat with the northerly flow, then overnight conditions worsened thanks to thunderstorm activity generating strong 30-35kt NW-W winds blowing onshore and churning up Port Phillip.

BLiSS fleet on Port Phillip in 20kt N - 2016 BLiSS Regatta © Steb Fisher

Sunday’s long BLiSS race was meant to be scored for the RBYC Associates Cup and race five of the 2016 Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series but all racing was abandoned, cutting short the points addition and the BLiSS timetable. Instead crews went straight to a pre-planned lunch and trophy presentation where the vibe was upbeat and cozy given the buffeting going on outside the Brighton bay clubhouse.

Saturday’s three races decided the BLiSS winners for 2016 and in a re-run of last year Audacious (RBYC) made a clean-sweep of IRC, AMS and YV handicap results. For the past five years Tracey Baldwin and her crew have taken out the IRC and AMS top scores. “I’ve never helmed on the bay in such strong conditions, it was a whole new experience and exciting,” Baldwin said, adding, “for as many regattas as I can remember it’s been light air so it was really great to have a different experience.”

S38 Audacious Tracey Baldwin winner - 2016 BLiSS Regatta © Steb Fisher

Saturday was Baldwin’s turn to give her partner a taste of her usual role on Audacious, as the bow person/ for’ard hand/fordeckie. “I’m normally up the front, this time I sent my partner to the bow and within five minutes he was saturated, and that’s how he stayed for the next five hours. He was glaring at me...” she laughed.

Those who competed on Saturday were challenged but grateful for the opportunity to test out their skills in strong winds and generally flat waters,” said PPW championship series coordinator and BLiSS skipper Rosie Colahan who placed third in IRC and AMS skippering the Beneteau First 45 Schuss (RBYC).

As BLiSS chair, Baldwin noted more competitive women and a higher standard of sailor participating, and was delighted to welcome 14 new boats and eight first-time skippers to the annual regatta.

Among the new owner/skippers, Kellie Knowles sailing for Mornington Yacht Club competed with her S80 called Take One and an all-women crew in training for the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (AWKR) in June. “I love windy days!” Knowles said. “It was the first time out with a new crew, to see how we gelled for the AWKR.”

Knowles is late to the sport and keen to cement her plan B after knee injury from a skiing accident cast doubt over that sporting pursuit. “I had a skiing injury and wasn’t sure if I’d sail again. I bought the boat last May and I’m setting it up slowly so there’s less need for so much strength, and just starting to understand the tactics of racing. I though the BLiSS regatta ran very smoothly and was well organised, and owning a lightweight boat I was relieved that day two was abandoned,” Knowles added.

Bluebird Hanini - 2016 BLiSS Regatta © Steb Fisher

A first-ever Bluebird division was added to the BLiSS program and five of these keelboats, with origins dating back to 1947, competed in their own one design fleet. Samantha Smith and Blue Volvo top scored with one, two, two results, too good in Saturday’s strong breeze for her Royal Yacht Club of Victoria clubmate, Jacqueline Prestedge and her Bluebird, Drambuie.

John Chatham through AMS Racing provided two days of pre-regatta training and prizemoney for AMS BLiSS placegetters.

Second on IRC was Kate McCombie skippering the Beneteau First 45 Reverie and second under AMS results was Louise Cotter with Jake, a J111 design.

With the PPWCS wrapped up, the next women’s event on the bay is the AWKR for all-female crews over the June long weekend.

BLiSS 2016 participants & race mgt team © Steb Fisher

Results:

***Series Results [IRC] for Division 1 up to Race 3***
Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	From	Sers Score	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1		B331	AUDACIOUS	Tracey Baldwin	RBYC	5.0	2.0	2.0	1.0
2		B26	REVERIE	Kate McCombie	RBYC	8.0	1.0	1.0	6.0R
3	2.0S	B63	SCHUSS	Rosie Colahan	RBYC	10.0	3.0	5.0	2.0
4		SM1112	JAKE	Louise Cotter	SYC	10.0	4.0	3.0	3.0
5		B9	SERIOUS YAHOO	Vanessa Twigg	RBYC	13.0	5.0	4.0	4.0

***Series Results [AMS] for Division 1 up to Race 3***
Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	From	Sers Score	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1		B331	AUDACIOUS	Tracey Baldwin	RBYC	3.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
2		SM1112	JAKE	Louise Cotter	SYC	11.0	4.0	4.0	3.0
3	2.0S	B63	SCHUSS	Rosie Colahan	RBYC	13.0	3.0	8.0	2.0
4		B8188	REPUBLICA	Maureen Parolini	RBYC	13.0	6.0	3.0	4.0
5		B26	REVERIE	Kate McCombie	RBYC	14.0	2.0	2.0	10.0R
6		B5151	CLIPPER III	Susan Tuma	RBYC	18.0	8.0	5.0	5.0
7		B33	MARTINI RACING	Anne Florence Plante	RBYC	20.0	5.0	7.0	8.0
8		B9	SERIOUS YAHOO	Vanessa Twigg	RBYC	22.0	9.0	6.0	7.0
9		B310	WILD CHILD	Marg Neeson	RBYC	26.0	7.0	13.0C	6.0
10		R57	DRAMBUIE	Jacqueline Prestedge	RYCV	39.0	13.0C	13.0C	13.0C
10		AUS203	FRENZY	Stephanie Strong	SYC	39.0	13.0C	13.0C	13.0C
10		R471	NUNYARRA	Sue Burke	RYCV	39.0	13.0C	13.0C	13.0C

***Series Results [YV ] for Division 1 up to Race 3***
Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	From	Sers Score	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1		B331	AUDACIOUS	Tracey Baldwin	RBYC	4.0	2.0	1.0	1.0
2		B237	SUMMER WIND	Angela Woodman	RBYC	10.0	3.0	5.0	2.0
3	3R	SM1112	JAKE	Louise Cotter	SYC	17.0	6.0	7.0	4.0
4		B8188	REPUBLICA	Maureen Parolini	RBYC	17.0	7.0	4.0	6.0
5		B26	REVERIE	Kate McCombie	RBYC	20.0	1.0	2.0	17.0R
6		B23	KINGURRA	Heather Macfarlane	RBYC	21.0	9.0	3.0	9.0
7		B63	SCHUSS	Rosie Colahan	RBYC	23.0	5.0	15.0	3.0
8	6.0S	B99	GET SMART	Nicole Lichter	RBYC	25.0	11.0	6.0	8.0
9		B5151	CLIPPER III	Susan Tuma	RBYC	25.0	10.0	8.0	7.0
10		B455	MERSEA	Antonia Mochan	RBYC	32.0	12.0	10.0	10.0
11		B33	MARTINI RACING	Anne Florence Plante	RBYC	35.0	8.0	13.0	14.0
12		B9	SERIOUS YAHOO	Vanessa Twigg	RBYC	36.5	14.0	11.5	11.0
13		B310	WILD CHILD	Marg Neeson	RBYC	38.0	4.0	29.0C	5.0
14		S800	TAKE ONE	Kellie Knowles	MYCRMYS	39.0	13.0	9.0	17.0F
15		B999	XENIA	Stephane Howarth	RBYC	52.5	29.0C	11.5	12.0
16		B779	CAVARLO	Amanda Irving	RBYC	58.0	15.0	14.0	29.0C
17		00	JOTUDOM	Nic Dinic	RBYC	71.0	29.0C	29.0C	13.0
18		R57	DRAMBUIE	Jacqueline Prestedge	RYCV	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		01	SAGRED	Megan De Lange	RBYC	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		B126	FOXY LADY	Sue Slater	RBYC	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		AUS203	FRENZY	Stephanie Strong	SYC	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		R471	NUNYARRA	Sue Burke	RYCV	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		R385	COCOON	Megan Jackson	RBYC	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		B83	SANRAFAEL	Jess Dee	RBYC	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		R148	BLUE VOLVO	Sam Smith Paige Butc	RYCV	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		S411	ROCK N ROLL	Stephen Barker	RMYS	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		R720	AOI TORI	Hester Meldon	RYCV	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C
18		H113	HANINI	Dan Kennedy	HBYC	87.0	29.0C	29.0C	29.0C