Russian sailors join Dragon fleet for Prince Philip Cup
by Peter Campbell on 2 Jan 2009
Gordon Ingate 2008 Andrea Francolini Photography
http://www.afrancolini.com/
The two Russians boats are Murka 3, skippered by Mikhail Muratov, and Murka 9, with Olga White on the helm.
The opening event is the Martin Graney Memorial Trophy, a round-robin match racing event to be sailed Friday and Saturday, followed by a three heat fleet racing series for the Ted Albert Trophy and Charles E Davies Memorial Trophy on Sunday.
The seven race Prince Philip Cup, the Australiasian Championship for the Dragon class, starts on Monday, 4 January and continues through to the following Saturday.
Defending the Cup, which he won on Hobart’s Derwent River last January, is 81-year-old Gordon Ingate, a longtime member of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, which is the conducting club for the regatta. Ingate will again skipper Whim.
Among his strongest opponents in the 24-boat fleet will be Tasmanian Nick Rogers, who sailed with Ingate as mainsheet hand and tactician in winning the Prince Philip Cup on the Derwent. Rogers is a former World Champion in the Dragon class and will be attempting to win his ninth Prince Philip Cup as a skipper and crew. He will be skippering his recently launched Karabos IX with a crack crew from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.
Current International Dragon class president Robert Campbell will be on the helm of Toogara, with owner Robert moving to the mainsheet position, while New Zealand will be represented by Scott Palmer, sailing Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Returning to the Dragon class is prominent Etchells skipper Matt Whitnall, helming the extensively overhauled Taranui.
Of the 24 entries for the Prince Philip Cup, four are from Victoria, three from Western Australia and two from Tasmania while 11 boats will be representing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and NSW.
Four skippers are contesting the Martin Graney Memorial Trophy series – Gordon Ingate in Whim (NSW), Tasmanians Nick Rogers in Karabos IX and Andrew Crisp in Kirribilli II, and West Australian Sandy Anderson in Sassafras.
Each skipper will match the others once during today’s round-robin, with the finals tomorrow.
Prince Philip Cup - Entries
RUS92 RUS Murka 3 Mikhail Muratov
RUS99 RUS Murka 9 Olga White
AUS144 WA Hotspur Ken Stevenson
AUS145 VIC Waliki Andrew Merrett
AUS165 VIC Beverley II Donald Blanksby
AUS166 TAS Kirribilli II Andrew Crisp
AUS167 NSW Isis Grant Bellamy & Wolf Breit
AUS175 NSW Toogara Robert Alpe
AUS176 VIC Amazing Grace Tony Moody & Charles Stanton
AUS179 NSW Imagination Martin Cooper
AUS180 NSW Karabos VIII Norman Longworth
AUS183 NSW Magic Tony Pfeiffer
AUS184 NSW Taranui Matt Whitnall
AUS188 WA Sassafrass Sandy Anderson
AUS189 NSW Sidewinder Carl Ryves
AUS192 NSW Abracadabra David Seaton
AUS198 NSW Whim Gordon Ingate
AUS199 WA Allegra Geoff Totterdell
AUS201 NSW Wizzardry Anthony Armstrong
AUS203 NSW Tatsu Wolf Breit
AUS204 NSW Liquidity Richard Franklin
AUS205 TAS Karabos IX Nick Rogers
USA304 NZL Yankee Doodle Dandy Scott Palmer
GBR600 VIC Tarakona Hugh Howard
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/52436
