Bankart & students win Waterford Crystal

by Ian Grant on 31 Aug 2006 Sunshine Coast blue water racing skipper John Bankart has added another important entry to his personal log book by winning an expensive Waterford Crystal trophy during the Hahn Premium Race Week at Hamilton Island.

Bankart an Australian Yachting Federation accredited sail training instructor steered his Jeanneau 37 to an outright championship win in the Cruising White class series when he and his student crew mastered a mixed range of winds to record an impressive 2-7-2-7-3-4 score.

The comfortable cruiser which is surveyed as a fully equipped offshore sailing ‘class room’ was cleverly helmed by her master to give an equally competitive group of rivals a lesson in consistent all angle sailing to eventually win the class championship by 3 points over the John Barter skippered Sydney sloop L’attitude and the Tasmanian yacht Muir Winches (Ross Muir).

This was the best performance recorded by a Sunshine Coast yacht and a deserved reward for the dedicated skipper John Bankart who is passionate about teaching his student crews the important aspects of safe and enjoyable offshore sailing.

The Sunshine Coast Sailing academy ‘flag ship’ will no doubt have a number of reserves on the bench when her skipper cruises north next winter to defend her title in the 2007 Audi Race Week at Hamilton Island.

Mooloolaba’s Dean Corbett also had a very successful regatta winning the Silver Medal in the Cruising Blue class with his Jeanneau 40 Silhouette.

Silhouette was unmatched for speed in the stronger breezes winning the Molle Island and Long Island races before the smaller New South Wales yacht Nessie won three of the lighter wind races to claim the title trophy by three points from Silhouette while the Victorian skipper Grant Chipperfield steered The Joker into third place.

Mooloolaba Etchells champion Rod Jones confidently steered his new A40 Alegria to an impressive sixth place in the very competitive IRC Cruising class championship.

Alegria still had traces of boat yard dust in her bilge as her crew led by tactician Adrian Finglas progressively race tuned the sloop to complete her maiden regatta with a 3-3-5 in her score and a commanding 30 point margin over her match racing rival the New South Wales A 40 Cabernet Sauvignon steered by Stephen Mackay.

The Alegria crew also claimed the best Sunshine Coast crew in the class when they managed to beat the Bob Robertson helmed Monkey Magic by one point after six testing island passage races.

There was also a deserved element of pride when Mooloolaba Yacht Club mates Col Thomas and Nick Cox showed that their new Hanse 370 cruiser racer Hans-on was exceptionally competitive to finish seventh in the intensely competitive Cruising Red class.

Hans-on was particularly impressive in the light wind race around Pentecost Island where she demonstrated the speed to finish second and provide the excuse for her crew to enjoy a well earned post race cockpit party.

“Nick and I are still fixed into the early stages of understanding the finer points with Hans-on, which is a very comfortable yacht for us older salts to sail” Said Col Thomas.