Sunset dreams shattered for Djapana

by Rob Kothe on 12 Aug 2005 Six retirees from Tin Can Bay Yacht Club on the Queensland coast just south of Fraser Island had planned all year to spend six winter weeks sailing the Whitsundays and enjoying a few quiet little drinks before sunset.

This afternoon’s sharp little southerly front in the first race of the 2005 Hogs Breath Race Week and the dismasting of Djapana has ended their adventure.

Just after Christmas, Tin Can Bay sailor Bruce Whan bought the Farr 1106 and the six sailors, with a total age of 383 and a 63.3 batting average, set up their program.

Whan explained dockside this afternoon ‘We sailed here at Hogs Breath last year, it’s a fun series and a great town and we enjoyed it a lot, so we back again. We were here to do Hogs and then Hamilton then we were set for a three or four week cruise in the Hinchinbrook area.

‘In this afternoons race we had the spinnaker up and we were charging along nicely, at that stage in only a little over 20 knots when one of cap shrouds went, then everything thereafter.

‘The mast creased and fell forward to port into the stanchions. The spinnaker went overboard, but the mainsail was just everywhere.

‘It all looks a bit crook at the moment., but if we sleeve the mast and get a few caps shrouds and some sail repairs and we will be right.

‘Not sure what we are going to do now.. We might have a couple more beers. The important thing is we are all OK..

The boat name is of aboriginal origin means ‘Sunset Dreaming and it seems like it will be another year before the Dreams are fulfilled.
While the Tin Can boys were cleaning up the mess, the Cruising Spinnaker fleet managed to round the northern Islands and make it back to the Airlie Beach finish line. With the postfrontal breeze fading to nothing, time looks like to expire for at least a dozen boats.

Dan Nolan’s Cavalier 395 My Girls enjoyed a narrow win over Terry Balson’s Farr 11.6 Effarvescent and third was the Radford designed Sea Quest.
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PHC results Double Cone - Armit Island Race 6 nm beat

Place Sail No Boat Name Elapsed AHC HC Cor'd T Skipper Score Fin Tim Type

1 6395 MY GIRL 04:14:37 0.760 03:13:30 Dan Nolan 1.0 16:26:37 Cavalier 395

2 B707 EFFARRVESCENT 04:15:28 0.760 03:14:09 Terry Balson 2.0 16:27:28 Farr 11.6 Cruising

3 6285 SEA QUEST 04:00:34 0.820 03:17:16 Cintra Ptyl Allsail 3.0 16:12:34 Graham Radford

4 6523 HOLY COW! 03:54:09 0.850 03:19:02 John & Kim Clinton 4.0 16:06:09 Beneteau Oceanis 523

5 4260 RISING FARRST 04:24:35 0.760 03:21:05 Peter Robbins 5.0 16:36:35 Farr 11.04

6 6654 GUCCI 04:26:20 0.760 03:22:25 Brent Dewhurst 6.0 16:38:20 Warwick

7 1142 SPIRIT 04:21:47 0.780 03:24:12 Brad & Maryke Barker 7.0 16:33:47 Beneteau First 435

8 HI9 NIGHT OWL 04:29:55 0.760 03:25:08 Ken Hart 8.0 16:41:55 JEANEAU S/O 40

9 B76 LA DOLCE VITA 04:25:35 0.780 03:27:09 Ken Karn 9.0 16:37:35 Beneteau 41S5

10 6520 DIOMEDEA 04:25:31 0.790 03:29:46 David McKay 10.0 16:37:31 Van de Stadt Tasman

11 5824 TRECENTO 04:17:20 0.820 03:31:01 David Bean 11.0 16:29:20 Beneteau 42 s 7

12 W677 SUNRISE 04:23:58 0.800 03:31:10 Helen & Jeff Shipse 12.0 16:35:58 Elan 37

13 5471 THE POACHER 04:24:24 0.800 03:31:31 John Foster 13.0 16:36:24 Cavalier 350sl

14 M707 JUST ONE MORE... 04:30:34 0.790 03:33:45 Paul Ryan 14.0 16:42:34 Bavaria 42 Cruiser

15 1770 SARABANDE 04:31:28 0.790 03:34:28 Basil &Angela Diethe 15.0 16:43:28 S & S 44 SWAN

16 66 SANDSTONE 04:27:17 0.810 03:36:30 Mike Davies 16.0 16:39:17 Jeanneau Sunfast 36

17 M40 4TH DIMENSION 04:28:08 0.840 03:45:14 Len Griffin 17.0 16:40:08 Dufour 40