Cygnet Regatta - Red Back takes line honours

by Peter Campbell on 12 Mar 2012 Cygnet Regatta, hosted by Port Cygnet Yacht Club, was held this weekend in southern Tasmania. Huon River yacht Red Back, David O’Neill’s Kaufman 40, dominated line honours, leading the fleet home in the Friday evening race to Kettering, the Saturday afternoon dash from Kettering to Cygnet, and Sunday’s final Cygnet Regatta race.

However, the red-hulled sloop’s winning margins were just by seconds in the race from Kettering to Cygnet and in the Cygnet Regatta.

Port Cygnet Sailing Club’s attracted 68 entries from all Hobart, Channel and Huon River clubs.

There some close encounters throughout the weekend, culminating in a protracted protest hearing after the regatta, 'the first, and hopefully the last…as we pride ourselves on being a friendly regatta,' commented regatta director Phil Jeffs.

Red Back, which is on the register of both the Port Cygnet Sailing Club and the Huon Yacht Club, had an easy line honours win in the race from Hobart to Kettering. Handicap honours going to Coquette, Graeme Jones’ Farr 1220 from Grizzly Adams, Joel Bultman Adams 8, third place going to the Van De Stadt 40 (Patrick Hyman/Lisa Guy).

However, Red Back’s winning margin in the dash down the D’Entrecasteaux Channel from Kettering to Cygnet was a mere 16 seconds from It Happens, Mick Souter’s Payne 40 from Kettering Yacht Club.

The race started in a light breeze but by the time the fleet was abeam of Gordon, it encountered 20-25 knot westerlies for the beat to the Huon River. Once in the north-running Port Cygnet, the wind was fickle, with boats losing or gaining several places in minutes.

It happens won Division 1 on corrected time from the Farr 1104 Rumbeat (Justin Barr) from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and the Farr 30 Cleopatra, skippered by Scott Sharpe from Huon Yacht Club.

Division 2 saw the Bellerive Yacht Club entrant Silicon Ship, David Wyatt’s half tonner, win both line and handicap honours. Second place on corrected time went to Two ‘B’, an Adams 36 skippered by Brendon Boon from Geilston Bay Boating Club, third to Wayne McNeice’s South Coat 32 Riverdance from the Derwent Sailing Club.

For Sunday’s Cygnet Regatta race, sailing conditions were 'very trying' on the first leg around Port Cygnet, with the wind swinging from north-east to north-west and west, depending on which side of the bay one was sailing, ranging in strength from zero to 15 knots.

Later in the afternoon, a north-westerly breeze, with gusts of 25-30 knots, kept crews on their toes. Red Back looked to have an insurmountable lead until becalmed, with Ian Stewart’s Mumm 36 TasPaints getting to within 13 seconds of the bigger boat.

On corrected time in Division 1, first place went to Ian Hoyle’s Farr 41 IMX, Zephyr, from the RYCT, second place to It Happens and third to Grizzly Adams.

The half tonner Silicon Ship was again the fastest boat in Division 2, but first place on corrected time went to the timber Top Hat, Wyvern, built locally by Stan Kay and skippered by Athol Walter from Port Cygnet Sailing Club.

The Rhodes-designed ketch Soana, skippered by Ben Marris from Kettering Yacht Club, placed second, third place going to the host club’s Highway 21 trailer sailer, Bandicoot (David Ellis).

A crew of 15 and 16-year-old teenagers from Kettering Yacht Club, with Ollie McKay on the helm, sailed Janus to victory in the race for the classic D-class yachts.

Overall winner of the Cygnet Regatta was the Division 2 boat, Solquest, a 46-foot, 26 ton cruising boat, skippered by Garth Wigston from Kettering Yacht Club. Under regatta rules, the Overall winner is ineligible for division trophies.