Prawns for lunch or shrimp salad?

by Rob Kothe on 13 Aug 2005 The first ever race for Stephen Ainsworth’s new Loki at Hogs Breath Race Week 2005 was a gem.

A first up win again some very classy competition, but their second race on the azure blue waters of Pioneer Bay could not have been more different.

A perfect tropical winter day and Principal Race Officer Tony Denham gunned the Grand Prix IRC fleet away in 18-22 knot southerly.

Loki started fast on the pin, while Wild Joe was midline and was soon going right followed by Dekadence, Hardys Secret Mens Business and Shogun.

Dick Cawse edged Vanguard the same way, but when Loki took her shift she crossed just ahead of Wild Joe, with Vanguard a few hundred metres back.

Wild Joe was enjoying the flatter water today, showing more pace than her conventionally ballasted rival and gained three boat lengths around the outside, to lead into the windward mark.

Loki, coming with pace, kissed the mark and hooked it. Within a few seconds the afterguard realised the problem and the big Reichel Pugh 60 eased 100 metres off the course to clear off the large orange Hogs Breath mark.

Vanguard, already on the layline, turned where the mark should have been, as did Hardys Secret Mens Business, but the following boats decided Loki and her orange mark were the new turning mark.

The fleet flowed down the course, for another three or four minutes before Loki was able to untangle the line, do her penalty turns and set out down the course, but the worst was not over.

As Loki dropped her kite, she overran it and came to a dead halt with a very very large brand new North Sail prawn net at stern. A dozen red shirted fishermen spent the next 20 minutes hauling in the net, with a couple of crew assisting with clearing dives.

Then came lunch for the Loki crew, as Ainsworth, sailing manager Tony Kirby and the rest of the crew called it a morning. What did they eat? Probably green prawns or maybe a little raw shrimp salad.

Wild Joe won the race on line honours and handicap from Vanguard, with Alan Whitley’s Beneteau 44.7 Cougar continuing her excellent Melbourne form for a third ahead of Lucas Downs’s Beneteau 40.7 Ticket of Leave.

IRC HC results Windward-Leeward Bay Races 1.5 nm beat Wind 15 knots at 165 deg. Waves 0.8m.

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

1 AUS7002 WILD JOE RPAYC 57:51 1.467 01:24:52 Steven David 1.0 11:42:51 Reichel/Pugh 1

2 6377 VANGUARD CYCA 01:01:22 1.398 01:25:47 Dick Cawse 2.0 11:46:22 Lyons/Cawse 60 2

3 SM447 COUGAR SYC 01:18:02 1.110 01:26:37 Alan Whiteley 3.0 12:03:02 Beneteau First 44.7 8

4 47 TICKET OF LEAVE MYC 01:22:05 1.068 01:27:40 Lucas Downs 4.0 12:07:05 Beneteau First 40.7 9

5 SM46 DEKADENCE SYC 01:12:58 1.208 01:28:09 Philip Coombs 5.0 11:57:58 DK 46 5

6 YC3300 HARDYS SECRET MENS B CYCSA 01:09:20 1.279 01:28:41 Geoff Boettcher 6.0 11:54:20 REICHEL PUGH 3

7 4343 WILD ROSE CYCA 01:25:03 1.055 01:29:44 Roger Hickman 7.0 12:10:03 Farr 43 11

8 B1 EUN NA MARA RBYC 01:30:16 0.998 01:30:05 Nick Chapman 8.0 12:15:16 FIFE 17

9 6151 KATO SYC 01:23:05 1.091 01:30:39 Bruce Eddington 9.0 12:08:05 Mumm 30 10

10 G4646 SHOGUN RGYC 01:15:16 1.206 01:30:46 Robert Hanna 10.0 12:00:16 Mills DK 46 7

11 SM288 NLC INTRUSION 01:41:34 0.905 01:31:55 Luke Reinehr 11.0 12:26:34 Swarbrick S80 21

PRO R50 LIVING DOLL RYCV 01:10:18 1.313 01:32:18 Michael Hiatt 12.0 11:55:18 Cookson 50 4

13 RQ68 MDBS KOOMOOLOO RQYS 01:38:12 0.941 01:32:24 Mike Freebairn 13.0 12:23:12 Kaufman 20

14 4715 MARLOO CYCA 01:26:59 1.068 01:32:54 George Girdis 14.0 12:11:59 Jarken 12.5 13

15 9000 AMITY MYC 01:26:41 1.091 01:34:34 Ian Griffiths 15.0 12:11:41 Lyons 12

16 G162 PROWLER RGYC 01:15:09 1.260 01:34:41 Christian Jackson 16.0 12:00:09 Elliot 6

17 5395 CAVALIER EXPRESS HIYC 01:33:01 1.018 01:34:42 Jeff Mitchell 17.0 12:18:01 Cavalier 395 19

18 AUS150 SYNERGY RQYS 01:27:43 1.091 01:35:42 Alex Douglas 18.0 12:12:43 Mumm 30 14

19 PH3000 LONDON CALLING BSC 01:29:51 1.081 01:37:08 Stuart Bancroft 19.0 12:14:51 Mumm30OD 15

20 PC6 IMMIGRANT PCSC 01:30:13 1.091 01:38:26 Jeffrey Paul 20.0 12:15:13 Mumm30OD 16

21 HKG1088 CORUM M.Y.C. 01:31:11 1.097 01:40:02 Michael Balkin 21.0 12:16:11 Farr/Welbourne 18

DNF 60000 LOKI CYCA 1.398 Stephen Ainsworth 23.0 Reichel Pugh 60