Ichi Ban seals CYCA Bluewater Championship

by Lisa Ratcliff on 20 Mar 2005 A consistent eight-month campaign with his Farr 52 Ichi Ban has delivered the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s current Ocean Racer of the Year, Matt Allen, one of his lifelong dreams to become the CYCA’s Bluewater Champion.

The Sydney Mooloolaba Race which finished yesterday wrapped up the CYCA’s Bluewater Pointscore Championship which began with the Sydney Gold Coast Race in July last year and included the double points earner, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in December.

‘It was a huge commitment to turn up for every Bluewater race in addition to our Rolex Farr 40 World Championship campaign.

Keeping the two programmes running concurrently was a big ask on the crew,’ admitted Allen this morning.

‘After a top three Rolex Sydney Hobart Race handicap result, we were in pretty good shape heading into the last couple of Bluewater races.

It is a great thrill to win the double of the Bluewater and the Tasman Performance Series’.

Matt Allen’s Farr 52 Ichi Ban, arguably the most extensively campaigned keel boat on the east Australian coast, beat Gunther Schmidt-Lindner’s Austmark by a convincing 21 points while Ed Psaltis’ AFR Midnight Rambler finished in 3rd place in the IRC Bluewater Pointscore.

Ichi Ban also placed first in the Tasman Performance Series (PHS) two points clear of the Volvo 60 Seriously TEN (John Woodruff and Eric Robinson) and Austmark, which finished in third place 9 points behind Seriously TEN.

But it doesn’t stop there for Matt Allen.

He will join Leslie Green as joint skipper of Green’s Swan 45 Ginger which is part of a three-boat team in charge of defending the Admiral’s Cup for Australia at Cowes in July this year.

His other big project is an all-Australian entry in the next Volvo Round the World Race, the first true all Australian entry he believes.

He has partnered with project manager Grant Wharington, owner/skipper of the 98-foot super maxi Skandia, and a Volvo Open 70 is in the final stages of construction at Hart Marine in Victoria.

‘Depending on sponsorship, we are hopeful of finalising our Volvo entry in April, launching the new boat in May and shipping it overseas for the start in November,’ said Allen.

‘Australians are amongst the best in the world when it comes to big boat racing and we have the best marine industry in the world but it’s time to put up a credible Australian challenge for the Volvo Race and hopefully the next America’s Cup.

It’s time we sailed the boats we build’.