Africa wins XXXX Round Whitsundays race

by Ian Grant on 28 May 2005 Whitsunday Sailing Club skipper Chris Nicoll firmed a stronger grip on the Club championship trophy when his crew toughed it out on the deck of Africa to win the XXXX Round Whitsundays race.

Nicoll a previous winner of the WSC Club title trophy has mastered the full range of offshore sailing conditions to build a commanding 19 point lead over the defending champion Kevin Fogarty in Idle Time.

Africa stepped up the pace when her crew showed their class to win the Cape Gloucester race earlier this month and then continued to firm a stronger claim on the Club title by hanging on to be the only yacht to complete the physically demanding long race last week.

Consistency has been the key to their impressive 1-3-2-3-3-2-2-1-1 score achieved over the past seven months.

Skipper Nicoll and the Africa crew were again forced to be ‘camped’ on a wet and windy weather rail but their enthusiasm failed to be suppressed as they ground out the tough miles to claim the XXXX Round Whitsunday’s trophy and set up what appears to be an unbeatable lead in the Club Championship Offshore series.

The battle for the minor places is much closer with Kevin Fogarty in Idle Time facing a tough task to ward off a late challenge from the Craig Piccinelli skippered Wobbly Boot.

Idle Time on 37 points holds the upper hand with a narrow 4 point margin as the Wobbly Boot crew who won the 2004 Boss Hog trophy at Airlie Beach Race Week continues to show improved all angle speed.

Both crews have a point to prove however their Club championship rivalry will be set aside as they prepare for another tactical ‘dog-fight’ when the sails are tensioned for the more important Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week.

Wobbly Boot and Idle Time have confirmed their entries while Chris Nicoll, who has proved his boat speed with Africa in the battle for the Club championship, is expected lodge his entry with Race Director Denis Thompson.

Rod Sawyer who steered Surefoot to another comfortable win in the Airlie Sails trophy series on Pioneer Bay last week is also expected to complete a strong Whitsunday Sailing Club challenge for the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week trophies.

Surefoot continued to express her proven light wind speed in a variable 10 knot East South East breeze to record a 40 second win over Jeff Shipsey’s Elan 37 Sunrise, while Colin Pruden steered Sandpiper into third another 14 seconds off the pace.

After three races Surefoot with a 3-1-1 only needs to finish in the top five in this week.s final to win the Airlie Sails trophy, while True Love (Roger Down) 2-6-4 (12 points) and Africa (Chris Nicoll) 1-4-8 (13 points) are poised to match race for the minor places.