Scaramouche wins Cruising 1 at Hamilton Island

by Ian Grant on 27 Aug 2007 Mackay Yacht Club skipper Graham Smith justified the purchase of his X43 ocean racing sloop Scaramouche when he steered her to a deserved win in the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week Cruising Class 1 championship in Dent Passage on Saturday.

Scaramouche opened the six island passage race series with a second in the Lindeman Island Race and apart from becoming temporarily engaged in a tactical battle in race two eventually showed her class in the variable strength trade winds to become the star performer.

Skipper Smith was the driving force however her had some really smart thinkers who provided the sail handling and trimming skills which allowed Scaramouche to sail above her handicap rating.

The Scaramouche crew were not concerned when former Brisbane to Gladstone race winner Graeme Jones steered Escape to win race two and lead the series with a 6-1 compared with Scaramouche 2-6.

Skipper Jones and his Escape crew had no answer to the consistent and tactically clever strategy applied by the Mackay crew when they were unmatched for handicap rated boat speed winning the next two races by comfortable margins to become the yacht to beat with their 2-6-1-1 score.

They continued to apply the smart option of sailing in clear wind to eventually wrap up the Club Marine Trophy and the class championship finishing the ‘gun boat’ when they filled 6th place to win the series with a race to spare.

Scaramouche had to fight hard for her win but it was a challenge which her crew accepted as the skilfully applied the required tactics, speed and technique to beat a classy fleet of 41 rivals to claim seven point title victory over Escape while Robert Milligan piloted the American sloop Ram to win the Bronze medal.

Club Marine Cruising Division 1

Entries: 41     Races Sailed: 6     Discard: 1

Provisional Results

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2007

Series Place	Sail No	Boat	Type of Boat	Owner	Handicap	Series Points	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6
1	MK143	Scaramouche	X-43	Graham Smith	181	16	2	6	1	1	6	21
2	100	Escape	Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49	Graham Jones	200	23	6	1	8	5	12	3
3	HI30	The Oceanic Hustler	Olsen 50	Bruce Finlay	291	31.5	9	5	2	11	28	4.5
4	YC477	Ishtar	Beneteau First 47.7	Edward Earl	162	33	11	8	4	9	1	26
5	2086	Magic	Farr 1104	Doug Ryan	283	34.5	1	42	5	4	20	4.5
6	7210	Piano Man	Adams/Radford 44	Chris Carlile	232	37	10	4	13	12	9	2
7	5223	Excapade	NSX 38	Noel Gough	240	39	7	7	6	16	3	19
8	29	Ram	J 130	Robert Milligan	216	40	4	3	7	8	18	20
9	5090	Fish Frenzy	Frers 50	Stephen Keal	156	42	14	10	10	6	2	18
10	YC222	Jeaux de Guerre	Jeanneau 49 DS	David Urry	222	50	8	2	3	25	36	12
11	8455	Europa	Wauquiez Centurion45	David Mason	190	51	19	21	11	7	5	9
12	999	True Love	Farr 11.6	Roger Down	215	52	15	14	14	2	7	35
13	RQ7800	Marisa	Morgan	Reaburn Reynolds	264	52	12	9	26	3	21	7
14	66	Sandstone	Jeanneau Sunfast 36	Mike Davies	287	55	3	13	16	22	25	1
15	W677	Sunrise	Elan 37	Helen & Jeff Shipsey	300	73	13	29	15	17	22	6
16	I1933	Mandrake	Murray 51	Darryl Pike	154	79	24	23	20	10	4	22
17	202	Pucker Up	Murray 42	Nigel Hilton	190	92	21	20	24	14	13	28
18	RQ117	Soul Provider	Van de Stadt 34	Robbie Fowell	326	93	5	22	9	33	37	24
19	6607	Wirrajurnd	Sydney 32	John Groves	230	93	23	19	22	24	16	13
20	50	Swordfish	Northshore 38	Doug & Clare Barry	270	95	17	17	18	13	30	30
21	PF57	Planit Flashdance II	Adams Radford	Brian Evans	248	99	22	11	29	23	33	14
22	RQ444	Asylum Years	Lyons 39 Sport	Nico Sieling	230	101	30	16	17	31	11	27
23	SM5558	Young Ones	Young 11	Ian Miller	225	101	20	15	19	30	17	33
24	6562	X-to-Sea	X-562	Robert Green	180	107	25	25	21	26	10	31
25	5612	Abracadabra	Tripp 47	James Murchison	170	107	32	28	30	19	14	16
26	Z19	Ika-tere	Jeanneau 49DS	Peter Johnstone	240	110	27	12	25	36	31	15
27	5656	Mondo	Farr 35	Ray Sweeney	260	113	34	24	27	15	15	32
28	4411	Spirited	Young 11	Robert White	230	116	42	31	33	21	23	8
29	6701	Media Partners	Jeanneau 37	Warren Boadle	270	118	26	18	23	27	24	34
30	3663	Lloyds Brokers Too Impetuous	Holland	Rudy Webber	250	126	16	30	34	20	26	38
31	6676	Totally Wild	Mazram 920	Graham Macdonald	250	128	29	38	37	18	34	10
32	B52	B52	Sydney 41	John Bankart	180	128	28	32	35	32	19	17
33	181	Azzura	Grand Soleil 38	Maclom Edwards	275	129	31	27	31	29	38	11
34	YC214	Prime Example	Davidson/Murray 52	Simon Benson	164	144	38	42	28	28	8	42
35	1142	Spirit	Beneteau First 435	Jonathon Green	270	146	37	37	12	39	35	25
36	W888	Mista Gybe	Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49DS	David Redfewrn	240	157	18	36	42	35	32	36
37	F550	Mustang Sally	Farr 14.2	Warren Batt	182	157	36	26	32	34	29	37
38	MH68	Star Ferry	Marchi 39	John Brand	335	170	33	34	36	38	41	29
39	B60	Gusto 1	Open 60	Brian Pattinson	88	171	39	42	42	40	27	23
40	533	Pippin	Farr 37	Roger Sayers	280	182	35	33	38	37	39	40
41	SYD101	Blue Bottle	Beneteau 47.7	Bob Proberts	180	193	40	35	39	41	40	39

PROVISIONAL SUBJECT TO AUDIT