Bird Island Race - last chance ahead of Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

by Di Pearson on 1 Dec 2016 Two races remain to complete the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s prestigious Blue Water Pointscore Series (BWPS) - the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - and this weekend’s 85 nautical mile Bird Island Race – a last chance to put in some decent ocean miles and suss out the competition ahead of the 628 nautical mile race starting on Boxing Day.

Australian Sailing president, Matt Allen, currently leads the BWPS with his TP52, Ichi Ban. There is little in it though, with Rupert Henry’s JV62 Chinese Whisper the major threat, three points adrift. A trio of TP52’s is close by. Koa (Andy Kearnan/Peter Wrigley), RKO (Aaron Rowe) and M3 (Peter Hickson), a further two and three points off the lead respectively.

Only RKO, owned by Aaron Rowe, will not feature in the final standings. Rowe, who recently joined the sport, will not race RKO to Hobart; instead he will co-skipper Karl Kwok’s Botin 80, Beau Geste.

Rowe is on a steep learning curve, but has taken to the sport like a duck to water and the Bird Island Race is all part of the master plan to win ‘The Hobart’, his first. The Sydney businessman is receiving tutelage from some of the world’s finest, including Beau Geste’s Gavin Brady, a past Olympian, America’s Cup sailor and pro-match racer from New Zealand.

“Gavin has helped me enormously and it’s been a steep learning curve,” Rowe said. “I don’t want to be a passenger; I want to immerse myself in the sport.”

So far, all his offshore experiences have been hard bashes to windward. “It’d be nice change to experience some downwind racing,” he wryly commented.

And Rowe just may get his wish. The Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast shows a 15-25 knot southerly for the morning start, perfect for surfing north. During the day though, winds are expected to ease to 10 knots and less when it move around to the south-east, so competitors will have to take as much advantage as they can early on.

There are seven TP52’s headed to Bird Island (a small nature reserve close to Budgewoi on the Central Coast), including Rolex Sydney Hobart reigning champion, Balance (Paul Clitheroe), Sam Haynes’ Celestial and Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin, with grandson Brenton at the wheel.

Interstate entries include M3 (WA), the Brian McMaster skippered Victoire (WA), Rob Fisher/Paul Mara’s Helsal 3 (Tas) and Robbo Robertson’s Bravo (Qld), winner of last month’s Cabbage Tree Island Race. Giacomo, Jim Delegat’s V70 from New Zealand is also a starter.

Ervin Vidor has entered Charlotte, his luxurious CNB 76, the envy of many a yachtie. Vidor, the co-founder of the Toga Group, is amongst the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race entries, but will do the race in some comfort and style.

Line honours contenders are Giacomo, Jim Cooney’s V70 Maserati and Chinese Whisper, which won line, overall and ORCi honours in the race last year.

The Bird Island Race starts on Saturday at 10am on Sydney Harbour. Entrants will be racing for the 60th Janzoon Trophy, while those contesting PHS glory will race for the 41st George Barton trophy.

For full race results and provisional Blue Water Point Score standings click here.

Bird Island Race - Entrants

Sail No	Boat Name	First Name	Last Name	IRC	ORCI O	PHSTCF	Cas?
8778	AFTER MIDNIGHT	Mark & Greg	Tobin	1.145	1.1437	1.1439
A140	ARIEL	R Forster	P Damp	1.079	1.0579	1.0820
6755	AUSREO	Ian	Creak	1.069	1.0310	1.0233
7771	BALANCE	Paul	Clitheroe	1.373	1.3653	1.4322
33345	BLACK SHEEP	Derek	Sheppard	1.110	1.0906	1.1234
B40	BRAVO	Robbo	Robertson	1.082	1.0697	1.0906
6952	CELESTIAL	Sam	Haynes	1.367	1.3538	1.4052
8824	CHANCELLOR	Edward	Tooher	1.116	1.0995	0.9969
AUS257	CHARLOTTE	Ervin	Vidor			1.2337	Y
AUS13	CHINESE WHISPER	Rupert	Henry	1.490	1.4959	1.5736
RF5095	DARE DEVIL	Sibby	Ilzhofer	1.227	1.1692	1.1623
GBR5790	ENIGMA	Jason	Bond	1.100	1.0778	1.0400
NZL70000	GIACOMO	Jim	Delegat	1.628		1.6018
262	HELSAL3	Paul	Mara			1.1243
AUS001	ICHI BAN	Matt	Allen	1.399	1.4035	1.4567
6774	JACKPOT	Adrian	Van Bellen	1.073	1.0529	1.0808	Y
52152	KOA	Andy Kearnan	Peter Wrigley	1.349	1.3428	1.3747
3430	KOMATSU AZZURRO	Shane	Kearns	0.927	0.8842	0.9005
294	LOVE AND WAR	Simon	Kurts	1.019	0.9869	0.9817
AUS52	M3	Peter	Hickson	1.354	1.3530	1.4007
ITA70	MASERATI	Jim	Cooney	1.672	1.8561	1.7000
8402	MORE WITCHCRAFT	John	Cameron			1.1125
MH777	PATRICE SIX	Shaun	Lane	1.110	1.0709	1.0483
99	PAZAZZ	Rob	Drury	1.134	1.1247	1.1037
11407	PELAGIC MAGIC	Simon	Dunlop	1.055	1.0380	1.0011
MH20	PHILOSOPHERS	Peter Sorensen	GordonKetelbey	1.140	1.1177	1.1550	Y
2001	QUETZALCOATL	BruceLee Warn	Er Sweetapple		1.1443	1.0526
AUS70	RAGAMUFFIN	Brenton	Fischer	1.344	1.3343	1.4425	Y
5930	REVE	Kevin	Whelan		1.0235	0.9800	Y
52000	RKO	Aaron	Rowe	1.378	1.3799	1.3894
6686	ST JUDE	Noel	Cornish	1.173		1.1370
421	THE GOAT	Seb Bohm	Bruce Foye	1.264	1.2529	1.0701
6377	TRITON	David	Gotze	1.416	1.4014	1.4048	Y
A5299	VICTOIRE	Brian	McMaster	1.351	1.3330	1.4371
248	WAX LYRICAL	Les	Goodridge	1.143	1.1254	1.0825