SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week day 2 - Lunchtime Legend's afternoon

by SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week media on 1 Sep 2012 SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week 2012 day 2 was a morning re-run of yesterday’s weather; land breeze, a glass-out, then the arrival of the afternoon sea breeze.

Under blue sky and in warm and sunny conditions, the fleet was held ashore with the AP coming down at 12:30.

The Race Committee set the IRC Racing and Performance Handicap Divisions windward/leeward races on Cleveland Bay, while the Cruising Divisions and Multihulls were sent on the 15 nautical mile White Rock Race, sailing to the east of Magnetic Island up beyond Orchard Rocks and across picturesque Horseshoe Bay to White Rock and return.

Out on the White Rock course the Cruising with Spinnaker Division 1 was gunned away.

Mr Gybe was fast off the pin. David Redfern’s new Jeanneau and Paul Lindemann’s Biddy Hu II were well forward. Warrigal (James Finch) and Redline (Mark Burton, Geoff Adams) missed the start by about one minute. The breeze shifted left by 10 degrees.

In Cruising with Spinnaker Division 2 Tide Up, Barry Smith’s Noelex, was fast at the Committee Boat end. Peter McKenzie’s Le Rossignol, while deep at the start and 30 seconds back, carved through the fleet going uphill.

Russell McLaughlin’s Freya was very quick off the line at the Cruising Non Spinnaker start. Peter Cox’s Valhalla was well back.

Graeme Etherton’s The Boat won the Multihull start by ten seconds.

At Orchard Rocks Brennan O’Dempsey’s Armadeus had made big gains on the inside close to Magnetic Island but delayed her spinnaker hoist, whereas Biddy Hu II hoisted her Living Doll kite and accelerated away.

The Boat led the multihulls at Orchard with Mc Moggy a close second. Neither of them was fast to hoist and Intrigue came from 600 metres astern to hit the lead.

In the Grand Prix IRC Racing Division it was a strong display from the former Mooloolaba Yacht Club Commodore Bob ‘ Sir Robbo’ Robertson, racing his finely tuned Beneteau First 40 Lunchtime Legend. With Adam Brown calling tactics, Robertson took three wins from three races and the Lunchtime Legends are going to be hard to beat.

The veteran Robertson has been on the national circuit since the 1970s and with a good team around him and with the boat in great shape, he was an impressive second at the recent Airlie Beach Race Week and the form has continued this week. With some short course work under his crew’s belts, Robbo is next taking Lunchtime Legend down to Sydney for all the lead up regattas to the Hobart race.

In the first race today Lunchtime Legend was second across the line behind Wayne Millar’s Zoe but the big winner on handicap. Her sister ship Tony Ross’ Beneteau First 40 Black Label was second and Leon Thomas’ Sydney 38 Guilty Pleasures IV third.

In the second race Guilty Pleasures took line honour from Townsville’s Zoe, who was just twelve seconds behind. Lunchtime Legend again took the handicap win, with Guilty Pleasures IV second and Black Label third.
Lunchtime Legend leads the IRC Racing Division, with Tony Ross’ Black Label second and Jason Close’s White Noise from Victoria third.

It’s been very close racing in the IRC fleet and while the Lunchtime Legend has the results, anything could have happened out on the course today.

The second race was a perfect example.

Black Label again had a good start on the pin and Lunchtime Legend was forced away. Black Label held the advantage over Lunchtime Legend at the top mark, but the Legends crew picked the shifts and she led her sister ship. Ahead of them Guilty Pleasures IV led at the top mark and extended over Zoe with better crew work but behind them the two Beneteau closed up and Lunchtime Legend won her third race.

Dockside ‘Sir Robbo’ commented ‘It’s been hard racing, much closer than the results show. Our crew work has been steadily improving and that has helped us and we are definitely going the right way on the race track. But there is a fair way to go in this regatta yet. ‘

In race one of the day for the Performance Racing Division Geoff Lavis’ Inglis/Murray 50 UBS Wild Thing was once again the easy line honours winner but it was ‘Goliath and David’ on handicap with the smallest boat in the fleet, Dennis Coleman’s Boatspeed 23 Diva tied on corrected time with Gary Davidson’s Clipper of Capricorn. Peter Boxall’s Amaya II was third, while on handicap UBS Wild Thing was buried back in eleventh.

UBS Wild Thing took line honours again in the second race. Peter Robin’s Farr 1104 Akarana took handicap honours with Tony Muller’s Broadsword and Ron Knott’s Farr 11.6 Dusty Muzzle filling the minor placings. Overall after three races, Dusty Muzzle leads from Peter Boxall’s Amaya II with Mike Steel’s Boadicea third.

In Cruising with Spinnaker Division 1 David Redfern’s Catalina 350 Mista Gybe was the line honours winner. Brennan O’Dempsey’s Bavaria 44 Amadeus won on handicap from Redline 1 (Mark Burton and Geoff Adams) and Pacific Phoenix (Alan Sneddon). Overall, the leader in Cruising with Spinnaker Division 1 is Mark Burton and Geoff Adams Redline 1 from Mista Gybe. Biddy Hu 11 (Paul Lindemann) is third.

In Cruising with Spinnaker Division 2 Peter McKenzie’s Le Rossignol, a Ross 7.8mod, won both the line and handicap honours. Le Rossignol had an ordinary start today, but made every post a winner on the upwind legs for an impressive double victory. Tide Up (Barry Smith) was second on handicap and Librian (Stanley Barnes) third.
Overall results for Cruising with Spinnaker racing class division two was Peter McKenzie’s Le Rossignol a Ross 7.8mod with handicaps of one and one. Barry Smith’s Tide Up was second with two and four and Stanley Barnes’ Librian third with three and three.

Cruising Non Spinnaker division line honours went to Andrew Burford’s Tucana. Handicap honours went to Murray Mackay’s Tradition (Hans Christian 41t) from Tucana (Andrew Burford) and Last Tango (Colin White).
Overall leader of the Cruising Non Spinnaker Division is Murray Mackay’s Tradition, from Tucana and Freya (Russell McLaughlin).

Peter Hackett’s Intrigue, a Corsair 27, again took the Multihull line honours. After a good sail today Graeme Etherton’s The Boat, took the handicap win from Intrigue and Mc Moggy (Alasdair Noble).

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Tomorrow Sunday 2 September is the lay day for all classes except for IRC and Performance Racing classes, wo will be sailing windward leewards and racing continues on Monday and continues through until Tuesday 4 September.

For more information please visit the 2012 SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week website www.magneticislandraceweek.com.au