Close racing expected today in Savills SORC

by Peter Campbell on 25 Nov 2007 Racing off Sydney Heads today will decide the winners of each division in the Savills 30th Short Ocean Racing Championship with only a handful of points separating the top yachts after yesterday’s close contests.

Middle Harbour Yacht Club race officers are hoping the forecast east to north-easterly seabreeze will come in early and quickly freshen to the predicted 10-15 knots, enabling them to complete the scheduled three more races for the IRC division and the Farr 40, Sydney 38 and Sydney 32 one design classes.

After three races yesterday Bob Steel’s Transpac 52 Quest leads the pointscore in the grand prix IRC Racing division one while Bill Ebsary’s Le Billet from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and Chris and Ian Rabbidge’s FKP Mean Machine from Middle Harbour are equal on points in IRC Racing division 2.

Pittwater based Marcus Blackmore is leading the Farr 40 class with Hooligan in a close duel with Kokomo, helmed by Sydney yachtsman Neville Crichton.

In the Sydney 38 class, Calibre, skippered by Geoff Bonus from the CYCA, heads the pointscore while in the Sydney 32 the leading yacht is If, owned by Martin and Anna Cross from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club,

Andrew Short is confident that his maxi yacht ASM Brindabella from the CYCA will again take line honours in the passage race for the IRC/PHS Racer Cruiser division and also repeat its IRC handicap win. Winner of the PHS division yesterday was Adrian Abbott’s Kirribilli, a Farr ILC 40 also from the CYCA.