Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine 2019 728x90

WA IRC State Champions crowned after a tight contest off the coast

by ORWA/Suzzi Ghent 21 Dec 2020 17:30 PST

Perfect conditions offshore in Perth for the Ocean Racing WA IRC State Championships hosted by Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club. The weekend regatta was held over the 28 and 29 November as part of the Rockingham Race Regatta. The big yachts were watched by beachgoers in Cottesloe on Saturday morning and the locals enjoying their brunch. Racing was tight and exciting to kick off the event, a fantastic spectacle for the public.

For the IRC State Championship there was a mix of boats and experience. The racing included two coastal passage races of up to 27 nautical miles and up to four around the buoys (windward/leeward) races with a target time of 45 minutes each.

In Division Two, Hustler Race Team were out in their Etchells and Crush, a Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race contestant in 2019 is a Jeanneau Sunfast 3600. For Division One, great to see a couple of sports boats out from the river with Boom (Rob Scharnell’s Melges 32) and defending champions The Cadillac (Peter Chappell). They were up against seasoned offshore racers and Siska winners Ian Clyne’s J122 Joss and Craig Carter’s Carkeek 47 Indian.

The Race Management team were kept alert by the shifting morning breeze which was up and down in strength and coming from the south. This would eventually build to a fresh afternoon breeze that Perth is well known for. The Cadillac was off to a great start by winning the first two races. The MAT 1245 Obsession owned by Paul and Ceris Arns placed second in race one and race two went to Chris Higham’s Argo, an Archaumbault crewed almost entirely by sailors under 30. There were a few navigation mix ups by teams for the afternoon passage race south to Rockingham. It was won by Geoff Bishop’s CheckMate a Summit King 40 and The Cadillac placed fifth, this would be their discard over the six race series.

In Division Two David Davenport’s Crush was looking for a win in the event after being runners up in the 2019-20 championship. They followed the same great start with two wins in the short course racing in Cottesloe and then a fifth in the passage race. Racing on a chartered Farr MRX, Anthony Kirke’s team on Enterprise SP had two seconds and a third followed by Jason Poutsma’s Hustler with two third places then a second.

Teams moored overnight in Rockingham and enjoyed the hospitality at The Cruising Yacht Club. RFBYC’s Power fleet accompanied the yachts for the weekend to enjoy the social side and a weekend away with fellow yacht club members.

It was calm in Mangles Bay on Sunday morning but a southerly breeze again developed just in time for two short course races in view of the Rockingham foreshore. The racing was close, yachts crossing tacks many times and plenty of sudden moves ducking behind competitors who had right of way. It was a test of boat handling skills for the teams. Both The Cadillac and Crush had perfect scores again in the morning session. In Division One Joss and Argo sailed consistently to pickup a second and third and for Division Two, Royal Perth Yacht Club teams Wyuna (Dennis Vincent/Hilary Arthure) and Atomic Blonde (Simon Torvaldsen) picked up a third place.

Perth turned up the wind strength for the run back to Perth in the afternoon’s passage race, the last chance for teams to get a good score on the board. For Division One The Cadillac collected a win with Indian in second and Boom in third. Hustler and Enterprise SP drew for first place in Division Two with David Lynn’s Adams 10.6, Adams RIB, in third.

Overall results in Division One had defending champions from RFBYC, The Cadillac in first. Joss was second and CheckMate in third.

The team on The Cadillac are mostly sailors from the Etchells class. The 31 foot lightweight racer was built to put the fun in to sailing. She’s regularly seen with her large spinnaker set, charging up the Swan River in the Saturday afternoon keelboat racing at the Club. Owner Peter Chappell was pleased with the performance of his experienced crew. He commented “there were very few unused wind shifts for us, our team made the most of our downwind speed using the pressure lines and shifts to full advantage. We had a plan for the series against the bigger boats and that was to get a clean start and have the ability to take the first shift, stay in phase with the wind and to keep out of the packs, to stay out of trouble”.

Peter was extremely happy with the hard work and performance of his team. They certainly prepared themselves well and ensured they put in their best effort. Even their hull trim was a priority with a lot of attention paid to minimising drag both upwind and downwind. It all paid off for the team, after discarding their worst result, a fifth place, they kept only wins on their scorecard. A great team to watch, we hope to see them back again next year.

The team of Crush were delighted to take the overall win in Division Two, they are keen to achieve this season throughout the Ocean Racing WA series. Runner up for 2020-2021 was Anthony Kirke’s team on Enterprise SP, with a new yacht on the way for next year they are sure to be back for another go at the state title. Jason Poutsma’s Hustler came in third.

The event wound up with a Cocktail Party at RFBYC a few days later. It was a fun evening to present the awards and included the lucky draw for the IRC Youth Cup Series. Thirty-five youth and young adult names in the event this year with the full set of wet weather gear won by Amelia Catt from the Argo team.

The volunteer Race Management Team ran an excellent series of races. It was a great weekend for the yachts contesting the Ocean Racing WA IRC State Championship and the additional eight yachts who joined in for the passage races. The Dolphin Race and Gordon Craig Ocean Race are part of the RFBYC 44th Farrawa Cup Series and the Dolphin Race is one of the eight ORWA Short Haul races towards the Siska Trophy.

Related Articles

Q&A with David Brookes
And the Hobie Cat Association of Western Australia The Olympics is a unique experience that many sailors and officials aspire to be part of. We often hear from the sailors and coaches about their preparation to qualify to compete in the Olympics and what it's like during the games. Posted on 1 Dec
Applications open for Warren Jones Youth Regatta
RFBYC is pleased to invite entry applications for the 2025 event RFBYC is pleased to invite entry applications for the 2025 Warren Jones International Youth Regatta. Now in its 21st year, the event will take place from Monday, 27 January to Friday, 31 January 2025 and will be sailed in the Foundation 36 yachts. Posted on 7 Aug
2024 Etchells Worlds at Fremantle overall
Magpie soars like an eagle to claim the title James Mayo (1999) and Richard Allanson (2019) have previously won the Etchells World Championships, but this is the first time in 20 years that Graeme Taylor can claim the honour. Posted on 22 Mar
2024 Etchells Worlds at Fremantle Day 4
Magpie flies away with 11-point lead Magpie's Graeme Taylor, James Mayo, and Richard Allanson spread their wings and launched themselves into an 11-point lead after Race 7 and Race 8 of the 2024 Etchells World Championships in Fremantle, Western Australia. Posted on 21 Mar
2024 Etchells Worlds at Fremantle Day 3
Shiftier than a bag of snakes! Day 3 of the 2024 Etchells World Championships brought a new level of frustration for the 40 competing boats, with light and shifty conditions across the race course all afternoon. Posted on 20 Mar
2024 Etchells Worlds at Fremantle Day 2
Big changes and bigger gains The second day of racing at the 2024 Etchells World Championships saw a big change in conditions and bigger gains across the scoreboard. Posted on 19 Mar
2024 Etchells Worlds at Fremantle Day 1
Sendy first day, just what the Doctor ordered When Race Officer Ross Wilson called for an early start, the competitors knew they were in for an exciting first day of racing for the 2024 Etchells World Championships in Fremantle, Western Australia. Posted on 18 Mar
2024 Etchells Bill Steele Regatta overall
Graeme Taylor on board Magpie with James Mayo and Richard Allanson take the win At the end of day 3 of the Pre-Worlds Bill Steele Regatta, Graeme Taylor on board Magpie with James Mayo and Richard Allanson took the win, with a consistently competitive scorecard including a couple of bullets. Posted on 14 Mar
2024 Etchells Bill Steele Regatta Day 2
Day 2 brought cloudy conditions, lighter breeze but still plenty of action With two days done and dusted, and four races in the bag, day 2 brought cloudy conditions, lighter breeze but still plenty of action around the marks - and perhaps a few scratches to buff out before the final day's racing. Posted on 13 Mar
2024 Etchells Bill Steele Regatta Day 1
The pre-worlds regatta begins in Fremantle, Western Australia Today was the perfect day for sailors to ease into the Pre-Worlds event that is the Bill Steele Regatta off of beautiful Fremantle Sailing Club. Sunshine, a steady breeze and a glamour seastate saw two races completed. Posted on 11 Mar
Trinidad and Tobago - Sail Service StayAllen Dynamic 40 FooterArmstrong 728x90 - Wing FG Board Range - BOTTOM