Audi Winter Series Race 12 - Minnows out run the sharks

by Lisa Ratcliff/CYCA media on 11 Jul 2010 Audi Winter Series sailed from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Sydney Harbour.

Today’s mild northerly breeze provided a pleasant change for the Audi Winter Series fleet of 131 temperature wise, but like the customary winter southerlies it was somewhat lacking in the oomph department, leaving PRO Denis Thompson to play judge and jury.

Thompson took a big breath and made the calculated decision to shorten all divisions just prior to a rain shower which preceded a long lull in the breeze, many competitors scurrying to their respective yacht clubs to enjoy the early mark while others pondered what might have been if the full course had been sailed.

'The big issue was whether to let the race go on knowing the back markers needed time to catch up. In the end we decided it was better for everyone to record a result,' Thompson said.

With just one lap to catch the front runners following the scratch start, the minnows mostly had it over the sharks today – and the divisional results were in many cases turned upside down.

David Pescud’s Lyons 53 Sailors with disABILITIES took on the division A heavyweights and easily held them out, securing the overall win to be sitting third in the pointscore with just one race of the series remaining.

Guest appearances on Sydney Harbour today included Rob Hanna’s JV52 Shogun and Geoff Boettcher’s RP51 Secret Mens Business 3.5, Hanna electing to join the division A fleet for a match up with the same sized Quest and Shortwave while Boettcher’s crew trained alone. Both interstate boats are in town preparing for the 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race at the end of the month.

A third place in today’s race has Gordon Anderson’s Beneteau 47.7 Sintara sitting pretty on the division B pointscore in first place but it will be a nervous wait for Anderson until the final curtain with Tony Kirby’s Patrice Six on equal points and Guy Stening’s Optimum just 0.8 points adrift - both within easy reach of the series silverware.

Consistency over the past 12 weeks is proving the winning formula for Rod Gibbs’ Flying Tiger Shere Khan, today’s second over the line in division E securing second on the pointscore while Justin Graham’s Jet, which is currently standing in the way of a series win for Gibbs, will drop today’s eighth place.

Phillip Dennison’ Cavalier 39 Gusto, at almost 30 years old by far the senior citizen of division K, showed the whipper snappers how it’s done, the 'clunker', which was launched in Auckland in the early 1980s by Dennison’s father and has remained in the family ever since, making the most of the moderate conditions to score the race win.

'It might have been a different story if we’d sailed the full course,' admitted Dennison this afternoon.

Still, he was happy to take the gun which has moved them to the top of the pointscore on a countback with Herman Heiligers' Hubcap II.

Other divisional winners included Clare Crawford’s Assassin (division B), Steve Trevillion’s Online (division C), Barry Crooks’ Devils Lair (division D), John Ackland’s The Luge (division E), Neville Blair’s Sports Bar (division F), Brian Carrick’s Velocity (division G), Peter Howes’ Sea Rug Hoo Ha (division H), and Pat and Roberta Easton’s Incahoots (division J).

In the Sydney 38 division Steven Proud’s Swish picked up the pursuit handicap win while today’s top scratch result for the one-design division went to Geoff Bonus’ Calibre.

Second placegetter in division G, Terry Rhodes (Wild Blue Yonder) was handed the set of keys to an Audi A5 Sportback 3.0 TDI quattro for the week, at this afternoon’s prizegiving.

Next Sunday marks the closing race of the 13 week Audi Winter Series pointscore and after three months of on-water competition, in many divisions it will determine who is throwing the bouquet and who is catching it.

Sunday 25th July is the traditional closing Ladies Day race and the following weekend the annual migration north will begin with the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race followed by Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week and finally, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

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Full race results http://www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/2010/club/2010-aws/12RGrp3.htm
Sydney 38 results http://www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/2010/club/2010-aws-s38/series.htm
Audi Winter Series divisional pointscore http://www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/2010/club/2010-aws/SGrp3.htm