Lion Island Botany Bay race - Overall honours to AFR Midnight Rambler

by Di Pearson on 4 Dec 2011 AFR Midnight Rambler has claimed the overall win in the Lion Island Botany Bay race.

Super maxi Lahana sailed to a record breaking line honours victory at the penultimate event of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Blue Water Pointscore Series (BWPS).

Lahana crossed the Rushcutters Bay finish line at 16.27.41 on Saturday, setting a new record of 6 hours 27min 41sec, beating the 7 hours 13min 59sec Martin James’ Infinity III set in 1995. The race was discontinued some years ago and resurrected this year in agreement with boat owners.

'The record can only be put down to one thing,' Millard reckoned of Lahana’s success. 'Our crew boss Paul Magee had to be home by 4.30pm to meet a water taxi at the finish line, so he could make his daughter Mia’s ballet performance at 5.00pm. There was little alternative, as the consequences were unthinkable,' he said from the yacht he co-owns with John Honan.

Once again, the race belonged mostly to the mid-range boats, and the standout was AFR Midnight Rambler, owned by old sailing mates Ed Psaltis, Bob Thomas and Michael Bencsik. The new Ker 40 has moved to within three points of BWPS leader, Victoire, Darryl Hodgkinson’s Beneteau 45, which remains at the top of the series leaderboard after finishing the race third overall.

Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin finished the race second overall, the TP52 the only boat over 50ft to figure in the top five results. Super boat Loki, at 63ft, was once again stymied by her smaller contemporaries when the building nor’ easter brought them home fast.

However, the day belonged to Psaltis, Thomas and Bencsik, who scored a 21 and 22 minute overall win from Ragamuffin and Victoire respectively. Ever since the yacht was launched in late August this year, rival yachtsmen predicted a bright ocean racing future for the Ker 40. Her owners have put their heads down on got on with the job they do best – ocean racing.

None of AFR Midnight Rambler’s crew were available for comment this morning, as they were out fitness training in their preparation for Hobart. However, at 11.00am, training over, Psaltis commented: 'We’re all very satisfied, it all came together well, whereas in the past, things have not been quite right.'

The Sydney yachtsman said once they had finally got out of Sydney Harbour to head north, 'we set our Code Zero – it was the first time we’ve had it up against the others – and it went great. We sailed in a very pleasant east/nor’-easterly and carried the sail to Long Reef, when we changed to an asymmetrical and flew to Botany Bay. I reckon we won the race between Long Reef and Botany,' he said.

By 3.00pm, the wind had gone to the nor’ east and at its best, reached 17 knots. Once around the island, Psaltis and those around him, beat to the finish. 'We caught up with Celestial (a Rogers 46) on the way back; I thought they would in front of us going upwind, so that was exciting for us. We know the boat is quick downwind, but to find she is as fast upwind excited us all.,' Psaltis, a member of the CYCA for decades said.

While the Sydney yachtsman is thrilled with his yacht’s performance since its launch, he says: 'There’s still room for further improvement; we’ve only being sailing it for three months. The boat’s quick, no doubt about it, and we have to learn how to sail to her potential.

'I’ve got one of the best crew’s I’ve ever sailed with and it’s all coming together. It’s all about Hobart for us, so we’ll be doing a long offshore stretch overnight starting around December 15. We want to get some night sailing in and then it’s about boat preparation; it can account for around 30 percent of success or failure,' he said.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart, which Psaltis and Thomas won with a former AFR Midnight Rambler in the fatal 1998 race, will be the decisive race for the Blue Water Pointscore Series and their new boat is looking hot.

Right now, Victoire and AFR Midnight Rambler are the standouts. With only three points separating the two for overall BWPS victory, and nine-time winner Ragamuffin six points behind AFR, all three have to be regarded favourites to take out the 628 nautical mile race to Hobart for the Tattersall’s Cup. Of course the likes of Loki and Paul Clitheroe’s Beneteau 45, Balance, have to also be considered.

The ORCi results are a carbon copy of the IRC results, with AFR Midnight Rambler, Ragamuffin and Victoire top three, making for an interesting finale, as the trio are tied on eight points each in the pointscore. Ragamuffin and AFR have two wins each; but AFR holds the lead on countback with a second in his tally.

Bruce Dover’s Warwick 44, EZ Street came out on top in PHS, with Phil Molony’s Archambault 40 Papillon second and Bruce McKay’s Sayer 12, Wasabi third. Although she finished seventh overall, NSC Mahligai, the Sydney 46 owned by Murray Owen and Jenny Kings still has a substantial lead in the series and will be difficult to overcome.

Finishing within half an hour of Lahana, Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki also finished inside Infinity III’s record. Jim Cooney’s Brindabella and Ragamuffin were next to cross the line. The last four yachts dribbled into the Harbour late last evening.

Of the race, Millard commented: 'Lahana had an enjoyable day out, although the first hour of the race was a little frustrating for everyone,' Peter Millard said in reference to the next to nothing nor’ easterly breeze and incoming tide at the 10.00am start on Sydney Harbour.

'Once we were outside the Heads, the breeze built nicely and the reach up and back suited us – a good first hit-out for our December build-up,' the Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours contender added.

Participating yachts coughed and spluttered their way across down Sydney Harbour in a 2-3 knot east-nor-easterly breeze after their start off Point Piper at 10.00am this morning. An incoming tide did not help their collective cause, nor did the Bureau of Meteorology’s predictions of a south-easterly wind.

'It was painful to watch,' according to Race Officer, Robyn Morton, who sent the 21 boat fleet on its way. 'It took them ages to get out of the Harbour,' she said.

Full race results and provisional Blue Water Pointscore Series standings here