Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s Main Series sees narrow victories

by Peter Campbell on 4 Apr 2011 Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s (RSYS) Main Series.

Last race wins on Saturday gave narrow overall Main Series victories to Ellipse, Tingari and Kirsten II as the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s summer season for 2010-2011 came to an end with a brisk day of sailing on the Harbour.

Ellipse, Brian Bergin’s Northshore 38, won the final Division One race on Saturday to take out the Main Series by just one point from Charles Curran’s 60-footer Sydney, with another two points to Geoff and Debbie Davidson’s Beneteau 36 Jackie Clare, which had headed the point score going into the final heat of the 26 race season.

Jackie Clare won the IRC category of the Main Series from Sydney and Euphoria (Tony Coleman).

The Division One Summer Series went to Ambitious (David Matthews) from Sydney and Ellipse while Willyama (Richard Barron/S Sanlorenzo/Trish Bailey) won the RPEYC series from Sydney and Ellipse.

Australia Day Regatta management committee chairman John Jeremy found time to race his East Coast 31 Tingari with success in the Squadron’s Division Three in addition organising the Regatta’s 175th annual event on the Harbour.

TIngari, which Jeremy has owned for 30 years, won the Division Three final race to take out the Main Series by two points from Terry and Julie Clarke’s Bavaria 35 Senta. Third overall was Philip Crane’s Mingara III. Tingari also won the Summer Series and the RPEYC Series.

Going into the final race for Division Four, Kerstin II, John Bowman, Ken Chase and John Goldie’s much-raced Hood 25, and Lyndsay Brown and Jim Littlefield’s Folkboat Dreamtime were equal on points. Kerstin II narrowly won the race, Dreamtime placed third, thus giving the Main Series to Kerstin II by two points from Dreamtime. Third went to the Hood 23, Esquisse 2 (Richard Staines).

Kerstin II had yet another great season, also winning the Spring and Summer Series and finishing second to Dreamtime in the RPEYC Series.

In Division Two, the Laurie Davidson-designed Arcturus II (Peter Davenport and Michael Milne Home) ended the season with its 11th race win on Saturday to easily take out the Main Series. Arcturus II also won the RPEYC Series, finishing second to alouette (John Waring) in the Spring Series and third in the Summer Series, won by Cassamajor, Charles Moore’s cruising Etchells.

While the Interntional Etchells and International Ynglings ended the season with a mini regatta, Saturday was the final Main Series race for the International Dragon class.

In the Dragons, former champion Laser sailor and America’s Cup crewman Andrew York, sailing Wizzardry, kept a close cover in the final race on his nearest rival, former Olympian Carl Ryves steering Sidewinder.

Wizzardy finished third, Sidewinder fourth with the final race going to Shapes (Wolf Breit), giving Wizzardry the Main Series by a comfortable eight points. York also won the State championship, the Gold Cup and Mini Series pointscore. Over the season, Wizzardry notched up 14 first, four seconds and three thirds in club racing.

Third overall in the Main Series was Liquidity (Richard Franklin and Damien Hannes).

In the Etchells, Bushfire (Jervis Tilly) took out the Mini Regatta overall pointscore while Miss Pibb (Hamish Jarrett) won the Mini Regatta overall pointscore in the Ynglings.

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