Jester takes out Sprint Series

by Media Services on 21 Feb 2005 Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club have concluded their Combined Club Sprint Series, a 15-race regatta for the Sydney 32’s held over five race days throughout the summer.

Seven Sydney 32’s competed in the event held on Sydney Harbour with first place overall going to Dave and Zorana Bull’s well sailed Jester, which won by nine points from Richard Harper and Ross Glasson’s Larrikin which had some great moments.

The first day’s racing was close, with almost every entry leading at one mark rounding or another. The right hand side of the course payed off for all those who used it on the work and an early gybe kept you in the pressure. In the end Jester took the gun in two races, Larrikin the third.

A blustery southerly in mid-November for the second round, and only one heat took place. Wirrajurnd (Peter Whitford) showed excellent control in the conditions, and took the gun.

Quickie (Muirhead/Caldwell/Kench), emulating its name, would certainly have been towards the front of the fleet, had it not been for a damaged main. This was a great shame for a first outing, but a good performance never the less.

Some crews reported gusts as strong as 40 knots, and it certainly played havoc with the course – on the first lap the wing mark moved some way from its original position. During lap two, it must have been at least 400m off station!

Day three and an excellent performance by Angus Grinham (Gusto). In a hurry, Grinham won the first two races before having to leave for a wedding! This opened up the window for Quickie, her owners pleased with their first win on only their second sprint series outing. It did not take them long to get up to speed with their new boat.

Day four showed that Quickie’s performance was no fluke, two more bullets, with Jester keeping the racing interesting by also taking a gun.

This day was also notable in that there were twice as many Sydney 32s entering the regatta as there were 38s. Heat three of the day was forced into a re-run, when all the 32’s overtook two of the 38s that had managed to get tangled in the windward and wing marks.

The final day had near perfect 15 knot conditions, and other than an unfortunate port/starboard incident that saw one boat disqualified, close racing between the fleet was enjoyed by all. Jester scored two more wins during the day and was awarded the third.

Is the Sydney 32 fleet coming of age?

This is their second full season, and they have a full programme of events during the year. The combined clubs sprint series had seven entries and six yachts regularly turned up (the Hobart bound Rollercoaster did not return to complete this series, but will be back racing with them soon).

Middle Harbour Yacht Club also has a Sydney 32 point score within their Sports 30 division giving the Sydney 32 owners the chance to race one design even when there are no regattas.

The final results for the combined club series were:

1. D. and Z. Bull - Jester 12pts

2. R. Harper/R. Glasson - Larriken 21

3. S. Muirhead/B. Caldwell/A. Kench - Quickie 26