Secret Mens Business fights back for a win

by Di Pearson on 26 Jan 2010
Having led Division 1 of the Audi IRC Series at Audi Victoria Week until yesterday, Geoff Boettcher and his Secret Mens Business crew from South Australia had just one last chance to regain control in the final Race 6 sailed today on Corio Bay – and their second place overall was enough to overcome yesterday’s leader, Terra Firma, to win the trophy.

Boettcher sailed his Reichel/Pugh 51 to second place overall in a building breeze that steadied at around 20 knots from the south in Race 6. The Sydney TP52 Quest won its third race of the Series today, notching up more wins than any other yacht, but a disqualification after a protest by Living Doll and a 16th in Race 1, left Bob Steel out of contention.

Melbourne yacht, Terra Firma, a Sydney 47 owned by Nicholas Bartels, scored her worst result today, with a ninth place finish, but she had enough in the bank to finish second overall from a second Melbourne yacht, Rob Hanna’s TP52 Shogun with veteran American champion Dave Ullman calling tactics, after Living Doll, the Farr 55 owned by Michael Hiatt, accepted an arbitrary penalty and dropped to fourth in what was billed as 'the best 50ft and over grand prix fleet around.'

Winner of this event in 2007, Boettcher has had a terrible last 18 months as far as sailing and yachts go. His former Secret Mens Business was badly structurally damaged after being ploughed into in the pre-start of Race 1 at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in 2008. Put on a truck with its mast, the truck was involved in an accident and the mast and all its rigging was written off.

Forced to put in an order for a new yacht, the Adelaide supermarket owner’s new Reichel/Pugh was sluggish, so he had to go back to the drawing board. 'Our biggest hiccup was the design. I had 18 very frustrating months. The boys needed this win – I needed it,' a relived Boettcher said from the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, which hosts the event, this afternoon.

Boettcher and his crew, including navigator Steve Kemp and tactician Michael Dunstan, thought the breeze would remain light today. 'We went out thinking ‘light east-nor-easter’, so we didn’t prepare for a heavier breeze,' he said.

'We haven’t sailed any of the grand prix fleet in heavy conditions before, so of course we’re ecstatic with how she went. This is the best IRC fleet around. My boat is classy and our crew work is slick.

'Kempy and Michael are fabulous – they do their job so well, which allows me to concentrate on steering the boat. We have three new young guys on the boat who haven’t raced at this level before, and they rose to the occasion,' he added.

'I’m relieved with our result and happy with our win. To finish among the boats we did is fantastic; to knock them off is even better,' Boettcher enthused.

An elite field of 27 yachts competed in Division 1 of the Audi IRC Series, which is Round 1 of the Audi IRC Australian Championship. Secret Mens Business is the leader on 1 point from Terra Firma on 2, Canute, the Division 2 winner is third.

Three events in the Championship remain, with three of the four to count in each yacht’s point score. The next event is the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta in March.

Highlights from the Audi IRC Series can be viewed on 1HD television, February 10 at 10.00pm.

NB: In the protest involving Quest’s disqualification, Living Doll was the protestor, not Cougar II as originally reported. We apologise for any embarrassment caused.

www.victoriaweek.com.au