Slam Sydney 38 title goes to Lou Abrahams

by Rowan Simpson on 8 Mar 2005 In one of the closest one-design regattas on Port Phillip Bay, Lou Abrahams (Challenge) has nabbed the SLAM Sydney 38 Victorian Championship from the John Savage/Andrew Plymton sailed 38 South.

A fleet of six Sydney 38’s raced a very close and hotly contested ‘SLAM’ Victorian Championship hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club.

After completing only one race last Saturday, racing was abandoned due to adverse conditions. Race 1 was sailed in a strong 25 knot south westerly and won convincingly by ‘38 South’ (RBYC) followed by ‘Alex’ (Jock MacAdie, RSYC) assisted by Ross Lloyd calling the shots.

Immediately after the start of Race 2, the fleet was hit by a front gusting to 35 knots with hail and zero visibility. Wisely, the race officer abandoned racing for the day calling for an early start on Sunday. The only casualty was a torn mainsail on Chris Lewins’ Another Challenge.

With a forecast for moderating winds on Sunday, racing started at 0930 and again ‘38 South’ dominated. It would appear Col Anderson’s Doyle Fraser sail configuration using a smaller No. 4 and Heavy Number 1 was paying dividends, providing a speed average over the rest of the fleet. Clockwork Orange (Shaun Winder, RSYC) sailing well, finished second. ‘Livewire’ (Terry Hall, SYC) had good speed to finish third.

Race 3 started with the fleet opting to use heavy Number 1’s and again 38 South looked strong, but ‘Alex’, working the shifts, managed take the lead on the second lap to take the gun.

After a very ordinary start to the regatta, Challenge finished third. At this stage of proceedings, the title looked to be a contest between 38 South and Alex.

The wind continued to moderate, as forecast, with major directional changes across the course making it interesting for both competitors and the race officer.

Competitors were warned that racing would be continuous, so there was little time between races to take a breath and calculate the pointscore. Spanners were used sparingly between races and there was barely time to pack sails.

Race 4 was won by Alex, again demonstrating good speed and tactics with Clockwork Orange second and Challenge third. Cumulative points with one drop had Alex and 38 South tied with two wins and second.

With the wind now fluctuating between 10 to 15 knots, changing gears was now obligatory for the fleet. With little time between starts, there was no time to relax and tacticians had to remain alert looking for both pressure and the favoured tack.

One mile beats made it imperative to stay in phase with the wind, as no one appeared to have a distinctive speed advantage in the moderating conditions.

Clearly, in Race 5, 38 South and Alex engaged in a private dual, giving the other competitors a great chance to improve their positions.

Livewire, having her best race of the series, led strongly and was unfortunate to be on the wrong side of a right shift on the run to the finish to eventually place third.

Consistent Clockwork Orange, sailing her own race, gybed early and took a narrow lead from Challenge. A luff on the finish line and a quick bear away gave Challenge her first win for the series by the barest of margins; one second.

With the sailing instructions indicating no racing to start after 1300 hours due to other club race commitments, the race officer had the fleet underway with three minutes to spare.

The breeze had swung left throughout the morning and was now10 knots and fading. Challenge’s afterguard, led by Carl Schmidt, saw wind to the right and split from the fleet.

With a major separation from the rest of the fleet, Schmidt later admitted the decision was going to be a great call or horribly wrong.

Fortunately, the tactic was correct and placed Challenge in a winning position to take out the race by a comfortable margin from Livewire and Clockwork Orange. The earlier regatta performers, 38 South and Alex had their own race to finish fourth and sixth respectively.

At this stage, everyone knew the results were close, but due to hectic race program, no one could work out the winner!

At a barbeque presentation it was ‘Challenge, stealing the title from 38 South by one point with Alex third on a countback from Clockwork Orange.

All three place getters won heats. Another Challenge was awarded the race officer’s encouragement award.

It should also be noted that Jock MacAdie’s gesture in loaning Another Challenge his offshore main probably cost him equal points with his adversary John Savage. The pair had a great dual throughout the weekend.

At the presentation Abrahams, with a grin, expressed surprise at the result, reflecting that had six races not been raced and had the wind not been kind and if Clockwork Orange had been two seconds quicker in race five, Challenge probably would not have placed in the regatta!

Given the conditions, Sandringham Yacht Club did a terrific job conducting the series.

Winners of the event appreciated the great gear provided by SLAM. Another highlight of the weekend was the air display by the RAAF FA18 and the Roulettes practicing for their Grand Prix appearance over the race course. No expense was spared providing an entertaining, enjoyable and exciting weekend’s racing.

Final Results

1st Challenge (Lou brahams) 11

2nd 38 South (John Savage/Andrew Plympton) 12

3rd Alex (Jock MacAdie) 13

4th Clockwork Orange (Shaun Winder) 13

5th Livewire (Terry Hall) 16

6th Another Challenge (Chris Lewin) 29