Thumping start for big fleet in SORC

by Peter Campbell on 24 Nov 2007 Savills SORC is under way off Sydney Heads with all divisions racing in a 15 knot south-easterly breeze and lumpy seas.

Middle Harbour Yacht Club sent the new IRC/PHS Racer/Cruiser division on a 15 nautical mile race to Coogee and return, with the conditions more like a Rolex Sydney Hobart start for the fleet of 39, which includes several Sydney Hobart entrants.

The start, off Watson's Bay, was marred by a resounding collision between Stomp and Balance as the big fleet tight reached up to the line before bearing away to hoist spinnakers for the run down the harbour.

Balance, Paul Clitheroe's Sydney 47CR hoisted a protest flag while Stomp, Nick Dedlaine's radical Stomp 38 pulled off the track to do her penalty turns.

Andrew Short's maxi Andrew Short Marine Brindabella jumped out at the start and led the fleet to sea from Scooter, the former AAPT now owned by Peter Harburg. Close astern came a group of boats including Kirribilli, Adrian Abbott's Farr ILC40, David Pescud's Lyons 54 Sailors with disabilities, and Vaughan Stibbard's new The Business, a Melges 32.

In the first race for the Fsarr 40 OD class, Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan took the lead on the second windward leg to round the weather mark ahead of Kokomo, with Neville Crichton on the helm.

In the opening race for the Sydney 38 class, the early leader was The Tavern (Ian Guanaria) from Simon Green's Thirlmere and Calibre (Geoff Bonus).