Idle Time serves notice for Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week

by Ian Grant on 29 Jun 2009
Whitsunday Sailing Club Commodore Kevin Fogarty has given notice that Idle Time will be on the pace when they contest the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week performance handicap class championship in August.

The name Idle Time may sit comfortable with her skipper and crew but the well sailed Kim Swarbrick designed Space sailor rarely spends time laying idle at her mooring.

Idle Time is regularly flying her battle flag in major North Queensland events including the interclub Whitsunday Ocean Racing Championship and recently recorded a deserved corrected handicap win the 220 n/ml Dent Island to Dunk Island race, adding the historical Hayles Trophy to an already successful 2009 season.

However while skipper Kevin Fogarty and crew were proud of the result, they remain on the hunt for further title success when the start on Pioneer Bay for the 2009 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week series.

He, like all of his Whitsunday Sailing Club rivals, have not hidden their individual desire to win this prestigious championship trophy which suggests there will be some spirited rivalry played out during the Island passage events and the around the buoy races on Pioneer Bay.

Idle Time will be among the front runners, however both her skipper and crew will need to be aware that they will be a target and will need to protect the important option to sail in clean wind and sea space.

This will not be easy with Craig Piccinelli and the Wobbly Boot crew adding Idle Time to their ‘hit list’.

The two radically different designed yachts, raced by equally determined and experienced offshore sailors, are relatively evenly matched with the pressure placed on the Wobbly Boot crew to find the required all angle sailing speed to outpace her higher handicap rating.

Skipper Craig Piccinelli and his veteran tactician Roger Vickery possess an excellent understanding on sailing Wobbly Boot on a straight course, but they too will have to sail smart to finish ahead of Idle Time when both crews go head to head, in a mate against mate match race for the best local boat performance.

Defending champion Reignition, jointly owned and skippered by Charles Wallis and Seddon Cripps, and local veteran Roger Down in True Love are expected to produce some stiff opposition with the Wobbly Boot crew hoping for some ‘grunt’ in the trade winds to reproduce the form that will allow them to win their second ‘Boss Hog’ yacht of the series trophy.

Interest will also focus on the Peter Mosely skippered Sydney sloop Local Hero, which won the 2008 Performance Handicap Division 1 title at the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

Local Hero has been racing consistently in the Middle Harbour Yacht Club events on Sydney Harbour and her skipper and crew have now entered the Airlie Beach series as an excuse to escape the cold of the Sydney winter.

Their reputation suggests that the Whitsunday Sailing Clubs Idle Time, Wobbly Boot, True Love and Reignition will be hard pressed to eliminate Local Hero from becoming a hero with the locals.