Hobart bound Volvo 70 breaks Flinders record

by Lisa Ratcliff on 22 Oct 2006 In perfect record breaking conditions, early this morning Matt Allen’s Volvo 70 Ichi Ban shaved 17 minutes off Bumblebee’s 1999 record for the Flinders Islet Race, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s penultimate Blue Water Pointscore race in the countdown to the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Following the 8.00pm start from Sydney Harbour last night, the fleet of 19 yachts enjoyed a two hour spinnaker ride south in a sprightly nor’wester before a 40 knot southerly hit hard, making conditions uncomfortable for crews as they clambered to the rail for the beat to windward.

Once Ichi Ban, the reconfigured Brunel, rounded Flinders Islet off Port Kembla,to the south of Sydney, in conditions tailor made for a Volvo 70, they cracked sheets and steamed towards home ahead of the 30-40 knot southerly but during the downhill slide to the finish, their huge spinnaker, which was stretched to its limit, suddenly became unclipped and ended up in the tide.

Not knowing why the incident occurred, Allen kept his foot off the accelerator for the rest of the race and still managed to break the race record, setting a new race time of 8 hours 30 minutes 29 seconds for the 92 mile course to Flinders Islet and return.

'It’s great to have our first race record under the belt,' said Allen. 'She’s a hard boat to hang on to, we still have a lot to learn,' he admitted today.

On IRC and PHS handicap, top honours went to UK yachtsman Chris Bull and his J145 Jazz. Bull has made Sydney his home for the summer and is vying for the CYCA’s Blue Water Championship title. Having missed the first race of the series, the Sydney Mooloolaba Yacht Race back in July, Bull admits he is playing catch up.

'We’ve given ourselves a tough assignment having lost our one and only discard,' said a delighted Bull, former Vice Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, this morning.

Chris Bull will apply to enter Jazz in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart and following a second overall in the chartered Nelson/Marek 46 Quest back in the 2000 race, he says he has 'unfinished business to settle'.

As well as importing the boat from his second home in Malta, Bull has imported a largely UK crew but is hoping, as he settles into the Australian racing scene, to take on a local crew.

On final IRC handicap results the J145 Jazz beat Ichi Ban and Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki while on PHS results, Jazz took the double, again beating Ichi Ban and Tony Levett’s Sydney 38 Horwarth BRI in third place.

In the wild conditions overnight, seven yachts retired citing torn sails and rig concerns.

The Flinders Islet Race is the third race in the CYCA’s prestigious seven race Blue Water Pointscore Series which includes the double points earner, the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The final race before the ocean classic starting 26 December is the 180 nautical mile Cabbage Tree Island Race on Friday 10 November 2006.

Most of those yachts which put to sea last night have been nominated for the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart with a total of 38 yachts on the entry list so far. The closing date for applications for entry is 3 November 2006.