An Honour for Lady Ann in BMW Sydney Winter Series

by Peter Campbell on 19 May 2003 When well known international yacht racing rules judge John Kirkjian launched his Farr 37 several years back he not only listed his wife, Ann, as co-owner but he also named the boat in her honour - Lady Ann!

John and Ann Kirkjian have enjoyed great pleasure from Lady Ann in Harbour racing but also in the occasional Sydney Hobart and other long races, where Ann has shown her skill as a navigator.

Their children, Sean and Justine, also have had great enjoyment racing Lady Ann, both being excellent sailors in their own right.

In fact, John and Ann have given son Sean the helm for the BMW Sydney Winter Series, and today he steered Lady Ann to victory from the 26 boat fleet in Division B. Second place went to the ocean racing Beneteau 40.7, P&ONedloyd (David Beak), third to the Sydney 38, Blue Chip (Karl Stechmann and Peter Mason).

The CYCA Race Committee shortened today’s pointscore race to just one circuit of the Harbour course, sailed in light and flukey winds, but at least without rain.

The BMW Sydney Winter Series fleet continued to grow each Sunday, with 150 boats lining up today and, despite the light winds, enjoying keen sailing.

For Division F winner, Phil Bower in Wild Child, today’s race was in marked contrast to this time last year. Wild Child, a Mini Transat 21-footer which Bower and David Eastwood are racing in partnership, won Division F today from Wild Blue Yonder (T.Rhodes/N.Nevell) and Quambi (Justin Pelly).

In an email last Wednesday, Bower recalled that on that day last year he was living in a dry suit (still half wet), halfway to New Zealand. “My log for this day last year shows I was working in easterly breezes, a few hundred miles to New Plymouth.”

It took 10 days for Wild Child to reach New Plymouth, where Bower had three days to prepare the boat for the single-handed race back across the Tasman to Mooloolaba. Wild Child and Bower won that race by a mere 12 minutes from Tony Mowbray’s Solo Globe Challenger and he is now preparing for the 2005 Mini Transat.

David Bower received a bonus from the sponsors after today’ win, the use of a magnificent BMW 318i for a week!

Fresh from his success in the Brisbane to Gladstone Race, CYCA Director Matt Allen sailed his powerful Farr 52, Ichi Ban, to first place today in Division A, winning from the Volvo 60, Magnavox 2UE, owned by Julie Hodder, Mark Gray, Peter Sorensen and Stan Zemanek, third place going to Austmark Gunther Schmidt-Lindner.

In Division C, first place went to Very Tasty (Christopher Sligar) from Hocus Pocus (Michael Penney) and Rumblefish (John Brown) while the big Division D fleet produced some close racing with front marker Out of Sight (Matt Wilkinson) holding on to its lead to win by 43 seconds from Foreshore (Don Young) and Wirrajurnd (Peter Whitford).

Division E saw another front marker, Movran 4 (Eric Lavalou) maintain its lead to comfortably beat the classic early Admiral’s Cup team yacht, Caprice of Huon (David Champtaloup, and Sayonara (Greg Maughan).

It’s been a weekend of success for Guy Irwin and Paul Lyons in their Endeavour 26, Clewless. On Saturday, Clewless look line honours and first place on corrected time in the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club’s Winter Series.

Today, Clewless scored another impressive victory in the CYCA’s BMW Sydney Winter Series, second fastest time around the shortened course and first on handicap in Division G. Second place went to Splay (Marshall & Christie), third to Sans Terre (Ed Tacey).

The Non-Spinnaker Division F saw Starstruck Daveau (Ken Davis) sail through the fleet to win from fellow back-marker Tanami (Lance Peckman and Bruce Foye), third place going to Privateer (Bill Morrow).