Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo S Series

Combined Clubs Harbour Series Hobart Races 5 & 6

by Jane Austin 8 Feb 2022 18:41 HKT 5 February 2022
Cockwomble (left) and Assagai (right) neck and neck in Race 5 of the Combined Clubs Harbour Series in Hobart © Peter Watson

Match racing from the Melges and some fancy footwork from Footloose were the highlights of racing in the Combined Clubs Harbour Series on Saturday.

The series is going down to the wire with only one race day left in the sailing program, and the competition for podium places has intensified, setting the scene for a thrilling final race day in March.

Race Officer Nick Hutton got the fleet away in a near perfect 8-10 knot south easterly breeze for Race 5 of the series, the first race of the day. In Group 1, the high-performance one-design Melges 32s were in their element. Cockwomble (Andrew Smith), not a regular in the series, and Assagai (Chris Sheehan), match-raced for the entire first lap.

Cockwomble managed to pull ahead on the second lap and was set for a solid win, but Fork in the Road (Gary Smith) had other plans, piling the pressure on the 32-foot sportsboat, setting up for a close finish. Cockwomble took line honours by a mere two seconds and won on IRC and PHS handicap while Midnight Rambler (Ed Psaltis) won on AMS. Andrew Smith was impressed with his team's efforts and the racing overall.

"Anything under 10 knots in relatively flat water and we can compete with the bigger boats. My crew are brilliant to sail with, and we are lucky to have the smarts of Elliott Noye and Sam Tiedemann onboard - it was certainly a day of friendly, fair and competitive sailing," said Smith.

The breeze picked up to 12 knots for Race 6 and waterline length came into play, suiting the Fork perfectly. The Bakewell White 45 finished just over three minutes ahead of second finisher, Jazz Player (Brent McKay), which was enough to give them victory on PHS as well. Intrigue (David Calvert) won on AMS and Midnight Rambler on IRC.

In Group 3, Invincible (Bryan Walpole) had two bullets, but the day belonged to skipper Stewart Geeves and the crew of Footloose, who won each handicap division bar one, thrusting them into the lead on PHS and AMS in the overall harbour series. Geeves, from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, credits his team's success with getting the basics right, putting in the effort and consistent sailing.

"We are just a bunch of mates who sail together for fun - any wins are a bonus. But starts are the key to this short course racing. We are getting most of the fundamentals right - great boat handling, good boat speed and good tactics," said Geeves. "It is very tight with Invincible and Rumbeat (Justin Barr) both being very well sailed, and they are difficult to hang on to being so much bigger than us," said Geeves.

Rumbeat and Trouble (Dave Willans) misread the course for Race 5 and were disqualified but were able to discard that result when the drop kicked in after Race 6.

In Group 2, Arunga (Andrew Parker) had wins on PHS and IRC in Race 5. 42 South (Mark Ballard) won on AMS in both races and in Race 6, Small Gains (Steve Chau) took home the chocolates on PHS and IRC.

Innovator was in her element on the River Derwent with co-skippers Dean Aberle and Ian Smith sailing the comfortable Compass 33 perfectly to take out PHS in both races.

Related Articles

Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 2
Philip Köster triumphs again in Pozo Izquierdo The 37th edition of the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup delivered a thrilling second day this Sunday, once again marked by strong winds and the talent of the world's best windsurfers. Posted on 6 Jul
A perfect start to the 5th annual AEGEAN 600
Cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind At the very southern end of the Greek mainland at Cape Sounion in Attica, today's start to the 5th edition of the AEGEAN 600 was perfect: cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind. Posted on 6 Jul
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 4
One race, one storm, and one big lay day vibe With qualification wrapped and the fleet now split into six groups—Gold, Silver, Bronze, Emerald, Purple, and White—Day 4 of the 29er Europeans kicked off with early optimism and an earlier-than-usual launch in pursuit of the morning breeze. Posted on 6 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 1
Full foiling conditions launch the World Championship with four high-intensity races for both fleets The iQFOiL World Championship kicked off today in Aarhus with dynamic and demanding conditions that truly tested the world's top foiling windsurfers. The wind was anything but steady, shifting in both direction and intensity throughout the day. Posted on 6 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais overall
American Magic Quantum Racing win Rolex TP52 Worlds after breezy week in Cascais. Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing crew were crowned 2025 Rolex TP52 World Champions today in Cascais, Portugal. Posted on 6 Jul
Red Bull Sailing Academy Opens
A new hub for current and future superstars to reach the top of their sport Marina Monfalcone, North Italy, made waves yesterday, as sports superstars gathered to open the Red Bull Sailing Academy, marking the beginning of a new era in the sport. Posted on 6 Jul
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 1
Philip Köster edges out Marcilio Browne in one of the closest finals ever Philip Köster edges out Marcilio Browne in one of the closest finals ever as Pozo delivers 50 knot winds and waves. Posted on 6 Jul
America's Cup: French give the Brits the "Hurry-up
Frustration builds between Cup factions over lack of progress with Protocol. Last weekend's missive from the French America's Cup challenge team is further evidence over the building frustration with progress towards the 2027 America's Cup in Naples. Posted on 6 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted on 6 Jul
GKSS Match Cup & Nordea Women's Trophy overall
It is the first time the Match Cup Sweden title has been won by a Danish Skipper Denmark's Jeppe Borch/ Team Borch Match Race, and France's Pauline Courtois/ Match in Pink by Normandy crowned the new champions of Marstrand in a day of fierce weather for the final of 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand. Posted on 6 Jul
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeX-Yachts X4.0