Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week- Day 5 – Down to the Wire

by Rob Kothe & Al Constable on 19 Aug 2009 Blazing sunshine and strong winds provided another perfect day on the water for Day 5 of the 20th annual Airlie Beach Race Week.

In winds gusting into the mid 20’s the Grand Prix fleet sailed a 43 miler down to White Rock, around Denman, up past the Molles to Double Cone Island, then across to Gumbrell Island and home. Four other divisions sailed shorter versions of the same course.

The 2008 Airlie Beach Race Week champion, Ray Robert’s Cookson 50 (then Quantum Racing) Evolution Racing, won the race. With just one race to sail she has now hit the lead in the IRC Championship.

Ray Roberts commented dockside 'It was another day in Paradise. Conditions suited us well today, were really pressured up in 23-24 knots of breeze. We were reaching at 19-20 knots. Overall in this series we've made our gains upwind, our new square topped mainsail has been a race winner for us.

‘At Gumbrell Island Scarlet Runner had a problem with her spinnaker and that opened the way for us and we worked the tides probably better than Living Doll - very happy to get another handicap win.

‘It’s going to be tight so tonight is not a party night, we will have to stay focussed on the job. We will be happy if we have the traditional triangle tomorrow.’

Michael Hiatt's Farr 55 Living Doll was second today and is second overall. He commented ‘We managed better in the tide, our reach across the bottom of the course was our worst part of the race. We need to look at our sail inventory.’

Rob Date, skipper of the Reichel Pugh 52 Scarlet Runner was rueful as he climbed ashore this afternoon. 'We were in the race all day, but a halyard lock on our spinnaker failed to release and we headed towards Darwin, until we could get a sailor to the mast top to spike it and pull it down. That was the race.'

On Pioneer Bay, Royal Geelong Yacht Club's Cameron Rae sailed his T8 sports boat Laminar Capital into the lead in the Sports Boat fleet She is now five points clear of Townsville sailor Leon Thomas aboard his T7 Guilty Pleasures.

It was a wild day of glory and disaster for the Sports Boat fleet, which completed three windward leeward races in Pioneer Bay.

Chris Byrnes Composite Constructions T7 did not even make it to the start line, in pre- race training in the short, sharp, chop the crew detected movement in the keel and retired from the regatta.

Pierre Gal’s Sport 8xx racer was leading in race 8 when she broached and sat awash for agonising minutes, while her rivals sailed past. Colourful Gallic phrases of disappointment filled the air.

In the same race Mark Burbach's Raptor broke a main halyard just after the bottom mark and down came mainsail, with the line stuck at mast top. They were looking famous at the time but not so dockside, the boat a sorry sight, tipped on her side as the crew attempted repairs.

In races 7 and 8 Bob Cowan’s Steal 8 Stealthy had the quickest elapsed time, but in race 9 Conquistador took the honours.

Cam Rae’s Thompson 8 Laminar Capital is the new overall handicap divisional leader. After a first on handicap in race 7 today, she finished second to Bob Cowan’s Stealth 8 Stealthy in race 8 but won race 9.

Leon Thomas’ Thompson 7 Guilty Pleasures from the Townsville Cruising Yacht Club is second overall (3,4,5 today) with Heath Townsend’s Melges 24 What Tha third (2,3,2) but just one point adrift of Guilty Pleasures. So the pressure will be on for the final podium placings in tomorrow’s last race around Pioneer Bay.

Southport Yacht Club sailing manager Shane Smith, former 420 and 470 Olympic campaigner, sailing with two of his Southport sailing school graduates Jacob Restall and Adam Lahey, has won nine races out of the 11 sailed so far. They have won the Inshore Sports Boat Championship without needing to sail tomorrow.

Smith, who has not sailed at Airlie Beach before, was full of praise for the venue and the course area. 'Great place, great sailing. We've added a sports boat pack to the Blazer 23 and we think a lot of the other Queensland Blazer sailors will realise just what fun can be had in the Sports Boat fleets. Expect to see more Blazers here in 2010.'

In the IRC Cruising division, race 5 was won on handicap by the Geoff Pearson skippered Beneteau First 45 Carbon Credits. Barry Kelly’s Farr 395 Typhoon was second, with Stewart Lewis’ Marten 49 Ocean Affinity taking third.

Ocean Affinity took line honours from Carbon Credits and Typhoon.

Overall Carbon Credits and Typhoon are on equal points, with John Moore’s On Y Va third. The divisional championship hangs in the balance and tomorrow’s race will be ‘a make or break’ and will decide the winner.

The Performance Racing division sailed race 6 of their series today, with Kim Williams Melges 32 Rock n Roll the quickest around the Molle Islands/Cones racecourse. Nick Athineos’ Beneteau First 47.7 Kioni was second, followed by Charles Wallis’ MBD42 Reignition.

On handicap however, its local Whitsunday Sailing Club stalwart Roger Down who leads with his Farr 116 True Love. Fellow Whitsunday SC sailor Tim Osborne’s Farr 1104 Rising Farrst is second on count back over George Challoner’s Elan 37 Airlie Retreat. Another closely fought division, where tomorrow’s final race will decide the podium placings.

Mornington Yacht Club sailor Richard Nichols and five club mates have sailed his veteran Ligard 34 sloop into the lead in the Cruising Division 2 this week.

Nichols sailed last year at Magnetic Island Race Week in September and bought the boat, then called Come by Chance, there.

He sailed it back to Melbourne and reverting to her original name Seduction, cruised north again during May and June for his first ever Airlie Beach Race Week. He is heading north again for Magnetic Island Race Week (September 4-8th).

‘We’ve been having a blast here at Airlie Beach. Its been great sailing, great scenery and a very friendly cruising fleet, but we’ve over-trained a few nights and we did more than we should have on the Lay Day too!’

Today Race 5 for the Cruising division was won on handicap by Seduction from Rosie Colahan’s Jenneau SO 40 Ingenue. Terry Archer’s Bavaria 42 Africa was third.

Seduction scored the double after being fastest boat around today, finishing one minute and twenty seconds ahead of Africa, with Ingenue third.

On handicap overall the leader of the Cruising division is Seduction, from More Intrigue, Merv Stephensen’s Northshore 38C from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. Africa currently holds third, on count back.

In the Cruising Non Spinnaker division Tulip, Bernie Vanthof’s Swan 45 from the CYCA was fastest around today’s course, finishing over thirty minutes ahead of Peter McAdam’s Bavaria 44 Manly Too. Brian Pattinson’s Beneteau 44.7 Seaduction was third.

On handicap race 5 went to Manly Too, with Riff Raff and Azure Peter Hall’s Jeanneau 39I third.

Riff Raff, Dan White’s Beneteau Oceanis 440 leads on the division overall on handicap, but on count back from Manly Too, with Tulip third.

Tomorrow’s racing starts early at 8:55am for the IRC Racing and IRC Cruising fleets, as well as the Performance Racing fleet and the Cruising fleets. The two Sports Boat fleets will again each sail three windward leeward races on Pioneer Bay.

IRC Racing
Series Results [IRC] for Division 1 up to Race 6 (Drops = 1)
Place Ties Sail No Boat Name Skipper From Design Sers Score Race 6 Race 5 Race 4 Race 3 Race 2 Race 1
1 8899 EVOLUTION RACING Ray Roberts CYCA Cookson 50 8 1 1 1 2 [6.0] 3
2 R55 LIVING DOLL Michael Hiatt RYCV Farr 55 9 2 3 [5.0] 1 2 1
3 SM11 SCARLET RUNNER Robert Date SYC RP52 10 3 2 2 [6.0]