Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta

by Di Pearson on 5 Mar 2006 The Late Sir Frank Packer’s former America’s Cup skipper Gordon Ingate is leading the Dragon class the inaugural Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta, hosted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club, which started on Sydney Harbour yesterday.

Ingate, known in the yachting fraternity as 'Wing Nut', also represented at the 1972 Olympics and won the 1969 Scandinavian Gold Cup in the 5.5 Metre class. Despite his 80 years, Ingate, from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, is still a force to be reckoned with, showing up the youngsters in the fleet by winning two out of three races to lead the class.

Wine maker and Hamilton Island owner Bob Oatley is in a similar position having won two of his three races yesterday. With usual skipper Mark 'Ricko' Richards at the helm of his Reichel/Pugh 66ft Wild Oats, the Royal Prince Alfred YC crew lead the IRC racing series from Melbourne entry Shogun, a DK 46 from Geelong owned and skippered by Robert Hanna and the Vanessa Dudley steered Wedgetail, owned by Queenslander Bill Wild.

World champion sailor, previous Sydney Hobart overall winner and record holder Michael Spies has sailed his and David Beak’s Beneteau 44.7 Sirromet Wine (CYCA) to a clean nine point lead from Nigel Holman’s new Sydney 39CR (MHYC), with Howard De Torres’ Nips-N-Tux (CYCA) just a further point away in IRC division 2.

Farrout Edake (Jeff Carter) leads the tight IRC 3 division from Just a Dash (Phil Dash) and Cloud IX (Howard Piggott) on equal points.

Olympian and world champion sailor Nicky Bethwaite leads the Olympic class Yngling division from former Yngling world champion Neville Wittey. Following three straight wins, Bethwaite last night commented, 'I have my eye on that Audi A4 Avant,' which Audi, the German car maker, plans to give away as a prize to one of the lucky winners in the 17 divisions racing at the Regatta.

'I quite fancy myself driving a new Audi. I know I have to continue sail well, but who knows, it could be us,' said the Bethwaite, who is currently working on her third Olympic campaign and is the oldest of the Australian Sailing Team.

Plenty of other action on the Harbour as former skiff champion Peter Sorensen races the 'fastest sports boat in the world', his Bethwaite designed Vivace. And while Sorro may be fastest around the course, overall, Richard Jarvis’ Fly ‘N By leads the division from Sorensen in second place.

In the remaining classes, Melburnian Hugo Ottoway (Kaotic), leads the J24 class from John Crawford (Innaminicka), the Etchells has Matt Whitnall’s Dot leading from Peter Alexander (Tonic) and Peter Gardner (Humpback) on equal points and Brian Lees (Contentious) and Lindsay Rose (Eve’s Delight) share the Adams 10 lead in a very close series.

The Sydney 32s are also enjoying close racing on the water and on the pointscore, with the lead currently shared by Jester (David and Zorana Bull) and If (Martin and Anna Cross) with identical scores.

Trickerie Bay (Scott Lamb/Bruce Bowden) leads the Cavalier 28s, Imaginator (Robin & Annette Hawthorn) leads PHS 1, Forty Two (John McGrory/John Harris) leads PHS 2, Marco Tapia’s Bar-celona just has Peter Campbell’s Hornblower in PHS 4 and Brian Wilson’s Eos leads five of his contemporaries by four points in the Classic Yachts class, all of which are on eight points each,

The Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta is being sailed in conjunction with Sydney Harbour Week and finishes today in all but the Sydney 38 class, which finishes on Monday afternoon.

This is the biggest event on the Harbour since the Sydney 2000 Olympics as seven clubs assist Middle Harbour Yacht Club in the running of this massive task.