Staples storms to another victory

by Rob Kothe on 4 Jan 2002 Royal Prince Alfred's past Commodore Bruce Staples has added the 2002 IRC Overall win, to his own very long list of wins and placings emblazoned on the winner boards in the entrance stairway at Coffs Harbour Yacht Club.

Staples campaigned the IOR Farr 40 Witchcraft II, one of the most successful racing boats on the Australian East Coast for many years and that boat was responsible for many of his successes.

His newest boat, co-owned with anothe past Commodore Jim King, 'The Dark and Stormy Witch' is a heavily modified Murray 36, now with a new swept back spreader rig, extended hull and now a new keel. Her new configuration is edging closer to that of a Sydney 38 and she is now building an excellent offshore record.

This season, Staples, King and the third member of the 'Dad's Army', Brian Ellis as navigator who has sailed with Bruce in all his offshore races have already won the Sydney to Southport 2001 IRC division and has now added the Coffs 2002 division 3 and overall wins.

Yesterday afternoon's strong easterly provided excellent finishing conditions for the mid-sized IRC boats and this shows in the results.

Royal Queensland's Bill Wild has steered his Mumm 36 Corum into second place and third was the Sydney 38 London Tavern. Michael Lee's Lyons designed Amity was fourth.

Barry Moore's Sydney 38 Blowfly was fifth, the turbo-charged Sydney 40 Sledgehammer sixth with Sydney 38's Wadadili, Rush, Cardinal Sin and Asylum rounding out the top 10 placings.

Full division by division results are available now http://www.rpayc.com.au/coffs2001/results/