Valmadre Cup series - Carter Cruisin’ again

by YWA Offshore on 27 Jun 2011
Tony Carter, a Past Commodore of Royal Perth Yacht Club and owner/skipper of the Beneteau First 40 Just Cruisin’, was depressed when he left the IRC Forum held at his club in May.

The fifty-strong crowd had been told that the IRC supremos in Europe had made a policy decision to reduce the penalty on lightweight forty footers, whilst increasing the rating on the heavier yachts in that size range. Fair enough, perhaps, as the eight tonne First 40s had performed very well, winning their division in the past two Sydney-Hobarts, including the incredible overall IRC quinella in 2009.

But Carter’s angst was short lived, as his nervous opening of 'The Envelope' revealed that Just Cruisin’s rating had, in fact, been reduced by six IRC points from 1.087 to 1.081. Other than re-measuring the sails for shrinkage, no changes had been made to the boat. So it was with a spring in his step that Carter and his well-credentialed crew embarked for the 25 nautical mile Arlene Race on Saturday, the first heat of Fremantle Sailing Club’s four-race Valmadre Cup offshore winter series.

The optimism paid off, with Just Cruisin’ sailing very well in the challenging 6-18 knot conditions with a sloppy sea state, the legacy of the previous day’s gale. Just Cruisin’ took the twelve yacht Division Zero IRC win by just over two minutes from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club Commodore Peter Ahern’s Farr 40OD Yo! 2, with Frank Saraceni’s Bakewell-White 36 Al Fresco, sporting a pole and symmetrical spinnaker for the first time, another 2 ½ minutes back in third place.

Under the performance-based YAH handicapping system, Al Fresco turned the tables, taking first from Yo! 2 and Laurie & Maddie Flynne’s Archambault A40RC Aardvark. Trevor Taylor’s champion Marten 49 Optimus Prime recorded fastest time, holding off the fast-finishing Farr 47 Sled, sailed by arch rival Tony Mitchell, by a mere minute.

The thirteen boat Division One was not as hotly contested as expected, with Anthony Kirke’s Archambault A35 Archimedes romping away to win on IRC by nearly eight minutes. Jonathon Clough, sailing the Farr 30 Problem Child, added the IRC second to its fastest time, with Richard Adrian’s C&C115 Alchemy snatching third, just 27 seconds ahead of sistership, Bill Henson’s Circa.

Under YAH, Archimedes snared the double by a big margin, with Circa second and Alchemy third.

Competition was very tight in the eleven boat Division Two, where East Fremantle’s Peter Kennington completed a good day for commodores, piloting his beloved Whiting 32 Traffic Jam to the IRC win. In fact, Traffic Jam’s IRC corrected time was the best of the day in any division, an outstanding achievement for the 1980s-vintage yacht. Dennis Vincent’s Beneteau First 34.7 Wyuna was a courageous second, with Peter Hickson’s First 35 Mulberry finally showing some form to add the IRC third to its fastest time.

Under YAH, it was a Traffic Jam double, from Todd Giraudo’s new Jeanneau Sunfast 3200 OD Kraken, and Wyuna third. The double-handed Kraken crew of Giraudo and David 'Dubbo' White is eagerly awaiting the boat’s IRC certificate, as the yacht is expected to be very competitive with an IRC rating of just under 1.000.

Division Three is looking for more competitors, with only three yachts making the line. Paul Arns’ Hanse 40 No Rehearsal continued its good summer form, taking first on YAH from Clodagh Irwin’s Beneteau Oceanis 33 Anastasia and Graeme Cole’s Cole 32 Double Vision. This division is targeted at smaller and cruising-orientated yachts and is sailed on slightly shorter courses under YAH performance handicap only. It is very suitable for club racers who do not aspire to IRC competition at the present time.

The next race in the Valmadre Cup series is the Ensign Race on Saturday week, 9th July 2011. With competitors able to drop one race of the four-race series, it is still possible for a yacht to join the series and achieve a good result.