Catching the 0230 to Port Fairy

by Rob Kothe on 12 Apr 2006 This Good Friday morning, in the very early hours at 0230, the annual Melbourne to Port Fairy Race, a 135 nautical mile race west, will start off Queenscliff near the Bay exit. Traditionally races start at times like 1100 or 1300, so for non-Melbourne sailors it’s a shock to the system.

The reason is pretty simple however. Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne Australia has large tidal flows which mean that sailing through the notorious ‘Rip’ out into Bass Strait can be a problem. Lives have been lost, dating back into the 1840’s as sailing vessels negotiated the racing tide in windy conditions.

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, the major offshore racing club in Victoria, recognises the importance of sailors approaching the 'Rip' with caution. They conduct 'Rip Tours', not quite a tourism ‘famil’ but along the same lines, to make sure potential offshore sailors understand the dangers of the 'Rip' and how it can be safely crossed.

Race Director George Shaw explains, ‘Slack tide is safest, there is around a two hour window, but by starting our race 30 minutes before slack tide we provide the best and safest conditions for our fleet... hence the 0230 start. As most of the fleet sails down from Melbourne 30 miles to the north after work finishes on Thursday, it’s not such a crazy start time really. We are used to it.’

This Easter Race destination is one of the prettiest on the ORCV calendar according to the Club. This year the fleet ranges in size from Bill Rawson’s pocket maxi Helsal II down to Justin Brenan’s little SS34 Western Morning.

George Shaw's own boat, the Cavalier 37 BOOTS will be part of this year’s fleet, but Shaw will not be on board. Last year Shaw, sailing with Robyn Brooks, won the 85-mile Tam O’Shanter race (IRC), which is sailed around Port Phillip Bay and then won the Port Phillip Sea Pilots long distance double-handed race.

Then Brooks and crew won the annual Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron’s three-day Women’s Keel Boat Regatta.

As a result, for only the third time in Victorian offshore racing history, there will be an all women crew racing in a major offshore race.

As Shaw explains; ‘I made the mistake of mumbling to Robyn something along the lines of, 'if you do well you can have the boat for an offshore race.' They won the Regatta and then announced I had been sacked from BOOTS for this race.

'I guess the benefit is, as Race Director I will get to spend more time in Port Fairy and it’s a great little port. Anyway I have plenty of racing ahead.’

He certainly does. Shaw and Brooks sailed Cavalier BOOTS to Osaka in 2003 and are aiming to repeat the dose in 2007. As part of their long term preparation they are lining up for the South Pacific Boomerang, the 1,850 nautical mile race to Vanuatu that starts in Melbourne on July 2nd and then sails on from Port Vila to Mackay in Queensland, on August 1st.

Event Entry List  Melbourne - Port Fairy

Race Date  Start: 02:30:00

Division: AMSA H'cap

Ruthless Sm186 John Geist 11.58 Northshore 38 0.854

Tevake II H191 Angus Fletcher 13.7 Radford 13.7 1.017

The Bookmaker G6336 Ben O'Brien 10.84 Jutson 0.953

Vapour Trail Sm748 S La Peyre / A Doggett 10.35 Farr 1020 0.817

Western Morning R298 Justin Brenan 10.1 S&S 34 0.789

Division: IRC H'cap

Addiction S16 R McGarvie / P Davison 11.6 Inglis 37 1.131

Bacardi Sm377 John Williams 13.34 Peterson 44 1.042

By Order of the Secretary Sm371 Robyn Brooke 11.2 Cavalier 37 0.978

Chikara G990 Bill Morgan 10.02 Dibley 990 1.101

Living Doll R50 Michael Hiatt 15.24 Cookson 50 1.312

Ruthless Sm186 John Geist 11.58 Northshore 38 0.992

Secret Men's Business #1 B3300 Nigel Cunniffe 12.75 Murray 42 1.157

Tevake II H191 Angus Fletcher 13.7 Radford 13.7 1.208

The Bookmaker G6336 Ben O'Brien 10.84 Jutson 1.085

Vapour Trail Sm748 S La Peyre / A Doggett 10.35 Farr 1020 0.959

Western Morning R298 Justin Brenan 10.1 S&S 34 0.913

Division: PHDA H'cap

Addiction S16 R McGarvie / P Davison 11.6 Inglis 37 0.915

Affrayed Knot PF6620 Doug Abbott 11.58 NSX 38 0.860

Bacardi Sm377 John Williams 13.34 Peterson 44 0.925

By Order of the Secretary Sm371 Robyn Brooke 11.2 Cavalier 37 0.835

Chikara G990 Bill Morgan 10.02 Dibley 990 0.860

Gigi G4747 Alex Drysdale 12.3 Dufour 40 0.850

Helsal II R930 Bill Rawson 20.18 Adams 1.080

Ingénue B88 D James / R Colahan 12.2 Jeanneau 40 0.740

Living Doll R50 Michael Hiatt 15.24 Cookson 50 1.190

Mirrabooka B429 David Bingham 12.7 Jeanneau Sunfast 42 0.845

Ruthless Sm186 John Geist 11.58 Northshore 38 0.835

Secret Men's Business #1 B3300 Nigel Cunniffe 12.75 Murray 42 0.945

Spirit of Downunder R1200 Laurie Ford 12 Cameron de Lange 1 0.980

Tevake II H191 Angus Fletcher 13.7 Radford 13.7 1.050

The Bookmaker G6336 Ben O'Brien 10.84 Jutson 0.925

Vapour Trail Sm748 S La Peyre / A Doggett 10.35 Farr 1020 0.795

Yoko R186 Robin Hewitt 15.4 Lexcen 0.860

Young Ones Sm5558 Ian Miller 11 Young 11 0.865

Tuesday, 11 April 2006

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For non Victorians here is a little on the race destination.

The historic fishing town of Port Fairy is on the the eastern headland of Portland Bay.

The area was first explored as early as 1810 by Captain James Wishart, a sealer working the southern coast, who anchored near the entrance to the Moyne River, he explored the river and revisited the area regularly and by the mid-1820s the 'harbour' was known as Port Fairy, after Wishart's cutter 'The Fairy'.

By 1835 a whaling station had been established on the island at the mouth of the Moyne River. A town began to grow in the early 1840s, initally named Belfast, agriculture in the area developed rapidly and by the 1870’s up to 20 vessels were coming to Port Fairy just to load the onions and potatoes for sale in Melbourne.

In 1887 the town was renamed Port Fairy and today its home to one of Victoria’s largest fishing fleets and is a much loved tourist destination.