Sail Port Stephens sends sailing icon to Croatia

by Jenifer Wells on 21 Apr 2010 Champion Australian offshore sailor Roger Hickman and his crew on Wild Rose were excited to return to beautiful Port Stephens over the weekend for the NSW IRC Championships.

Having participated in all three Sail Port Stephens Regattas, Hickman is adamant that the event is a draw card for close racing against excellent competition and great onshore entertainment.

'It is certainly a glamour spot and it is fantastic to see such fierce competition among the various divisions. We've already booked our apartment and will be back next year,' beamed Hickman.

Hickman will also be booking tickets to Europe, hopefully without encountering delays from Icelandic volcanoes, to depart not long after Sail Port Stephens 2011. He was the lucky and extremely grateful winner of the Mariner Boating Croatian holiday in June next year.

Winning the prize was poignant to Hickman and his crew, who are still grieving for their first mate Sally Gordon who died during the Flinders Islet Race in October last year. Sally skippered a charter holiday through Mariner Boating in Croatia with crew member Doctor Phil a few years ago and absolutely loved it. She will be in everyone's minds no matter who among the crew is able to join Roger in Europe to share the fabulous prize.

Notwithstanding who can make it to Europe, all of the Wild Rose crew felt like winners by participating in the close racing around the stunning race track and enjoying the onshore parties. 'Event coordinator Jody O'Brien and PRO Denis Thompson were both exceptional in their respective roles. Apart from organizing the whole event, Jody kept us extremely entertained off the water and Denis once again demonstrated his brilliance by getting six races off in IRC over three days of testing conditions in light and variable breezes,' said Hickman.

Unfortunately the light conditions did not suit the original 1983 Farr 43 Wild Oats (Rose) and, although trying hard, the crew struggled to overcome the strong competition. While Jody and Denis would have joined them in praying to the wind gods, the crew still managed to generate their own entertainment on the pristine water.

On the first day of racing an uncharacteristic Wild Rose protest led to a loud debate about whether to cut up a precious SLAM shirt from Sail Port Stephens 2009. The well worn red polo shirt got thrown up and down the companion way in a heated exchange with the scissors – which eventually prevailed. The crew member had been pleased to sacrifice the shirt off her own back for the benefit of the team, however it was later ruled that the innovative red flag had not been flown early enough. 'Never mind,' she said, 'I can now remember yesterday's 'Holey Dollar Rum Long Lazy Lunch' through my new holey shirt.'

To top off the fun the Wild Rose crew decided to entertain themselves and the rest of the IRC fleet during the postponement on the final race day while waiting for the much anticipated pressure to kick in. Motoring backwards to create their own breeze, the crew practiced trimming the kite with a sacrificial member hanging between the clews of the spinnaker.

'Kite surfing off a yacht should become a new sport,' said Hickman. 'No doubt we will try it off the coast of Croatia.

But it is fantastic to know that when we get back home, Sail Port Stephens will be on the perpetual yachting calendar.'