Hornblower wins by a long halyard - Peter Campbell's boat for sale

by Media Services on 6 Jul 2009 The Bonbridge 27 Hornblower has scored many great wins, sailing through conditions that have ranged from drifters to gales, pea-soup fogs and even on a harbour blanketed by bushfire smoke, not to mention some boat on boat incidents, during her career spanning 29 seasons on Pittwater and Sydney Harbour.

However, her win in Division H of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Audi Winter Series on Sunday was one of her most remarkable, not to mention proving that she is still a winner.

Owned since being launched in November 1979 by yachting journalist and editor Peter Campbell, Hornblower is currently being skippered by well-known yachtsman and seaman Steve Sweeney, as Peter now lives in Hobart.

Hornblower yesterday scored a comfortable win in her division, but only after an incident-packed race and outstanding seamanship and quick thinking by Steve and the skipper of the Quatre Quart, Rob and Sue Segaert’s Beneteau 40.

Starting off 0, Hornblower held a comfortable lead over the fleet throughout the first lap, relishing in the fresh 15 knot southerly breeze, the crew of three, Steve, Brian and Marzi handling the conditions well as they set a spinnaker after rounding the Garden Island mark for the first run down the Harbour.

Opening up their lead on the work to windward back up the Harbour, Hornblower was a good 400-500 metres ahead of nearest rivals Sea Rug Hoo Ha (Peter Howes) and Imagine (John Ackland) as they sailed through the gate. Not long afterwards, the drama began.

This is how Steve Sweeney related the incident that could well have resulted in a dismasting of one, if not two boats:

'After starting with the other Bonbridge, Imagine, we got to the Garden Island mark still well in front and hoisted the spinnaker on starboard gybe, enjoying a fast run down the harbour to pass the Bradley’s Head mark.

'Just after rounding that mark, Hornblower suddenly stopped, the spinnaker inverted and then the boat almost capsized, with the spreader only one metre from the water.

'Looking aloft I released that we being pulled down by a loose halyard streaming from the mast of the Division B boat, Quatre Quart, which had been beating to windward, their crew unaware of the flying halyard. It had hooked round Hornblower’s mast as they sailed by.

'I quickly swung Hornblower around and Quatre Quart also came head to wind, easing the tension. I shouted to the helmsman to undo the knot in their halyard and release the clutch, which he did immediately…and the two boats parted company.

'We quickly powered up again, sailing clear, re-setting the kite and continued on course – with 20 metres of 12mm Spectre flying from Hornblower’s masthead!

'Fortunately, the halyard clip did not hook on to our rigging, and the halyard came loose, with Marzi dashed forward to retrieve the halyard.'

Hornblower’s day of drama was not over. Rounding the Lady Bay mark, she became involved in a mark rounding incident with Sine Wave, both skippers disputing the new three-boat length rule.

With Sine Wave’s skipper shouting protest, Steve elected to take the penalty turns, Hornblower losing more time after the estimated four minutes lost in the entanglement with Quatre Quart.

But Hornblower was still leading Division H as they beat to windward back up the Harbour, only to be passed by the backmarker Racy Lady off Neilson Park. 'Oh well, second is still better than a dismasting,' the crew philosophised.

With the breeze dying away to two knots, Hornblower finally drifted across the finish line astern of Racy Lady and to the crew’s surprise, got the gun. It seemed that Racy Lady had sailed the wrong course and retired.

Back at the CYCA marina, several crew from other boats who had witnessed the halyard hooking incident stopped by Hornblower to congratulate Steve on his good seamanship in saving a potentially dangerous dismasting situation. The skipper of Quatre Quart also arrived to collect his 20 metres of Spectra halyard and present Steve and the crew with a bottle of rum.

Sadly, after owning the ‘Mighty Hornblower’ for near 30 years, Peter Campbell has put the Bonbridge 27 on the market. 'I now live in Hobart and while she is a great boat, Hornblower is a bit small to sail down to Tasmania and the cost of transporting her by road and then by ship across Bass Strait is just too expensive considering the value of the boat,' Peter said today.

'Hornblower has contested every CYCA Winter Series since we first brought her down from Pittwater about 25 years ago and I asked Steve to continue again this winter. My congratulations to Steve and his crew, Brian and Marzi for such a fine example of good sailing and seamanship in Sunday’s Race,' he added.

Anyone interested in buying Hornblower as a competitive harbour racing yacht, with Quantum and Doyle Fraser state-of-the-art sails and gear, and with potential for comfortable day/overnight cruising, should contact Peter Campbell on 0419 385 028 or email – peter_campbell(at)bigpond.com