Bay racing throws up some new winners at 74 Islands Distillery Airlie Beach Race Week
by Di Pearson/ABRW media 12 Aug 00:08 PDT
7-14 August 2025
Yesterday's lay day was enjoyed by all, but today it was back to the business of racing at 74 Islands Distillery Airlie Beach Race Week being held in the spectacular Whitsundays and courses were on Pioneer Bay today - giving those around the shoreline a fabulous view of racing under unsettled skies that were blue at times and cloudy at others.
On windward/leeward courses were PHS Racing (2 races), Weta 4.4s (3) and the VX One boats (4). However, the breeze was proving too strong for the Wetas and they were sent back to shore for a second time this past week.
The first PHS Racing division race of the day was dominated by two Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron boats. Neil Young's Carbontest.au got the better of Scott Mutton's Cool C4TS. Garry Gudmunson's Organised Chaos (NSW) took third place to lead the series.
"It's just the breeze that suits," Young said this afternoon of the Whitsunday Sailing Club's (WSC) regatta, now in its 37th year.
"We are smallest in fleet, so don't haven't as much rag as the rest, we're a trailable boat. When it blows, we get powered up. Slick crew work helped and we were in sync, but we prefer passage racing to windward/leewards, which is why we come to the Whitsundays.
"We thought we'd do better in Race 2 the other day, because we worked so hard, but the handicap didn't align. Then we had breakages in Race 3. We hoped for a windy regatta and we got one! Our top boat speed was 19 and half knots.
"We're very grateful the race committee kept us on Pioneer Bay today," Young ended.
In the second race, the Tim Dodds skippered Mako (NSW) prevailed against Sebastian Hultin's Georgia Express (NSW). Carbontest.au was third in what is shaping up to be a close series.
Team Hollywood (Ray 'Hollywood' Roberts, NSW) scored a fifth win from as many races, with Phil Simpfendorfer's Veloce (Vic) and David Currie's Ponyo (Vic) filling out the top three in the IRC Rating Passage series. Roberts has a clean score sheet to-date, despite damages.
"We broke a few things and Harry (a crew member) tore the spinnaker. We think he's in cahoots with the Kiwi mob on V5," Roberts said, laughing. "Fortunately, we have Cedric Reader, a sailmaker with us, so he is repairing it. Amazingly, we still managed to win the race.
On the breakages in general, Roberts explained, "It's been very strong downwind and an extra 10 knots in the gusts, so if you're not really concentrating on easing and trimming the sails, you find yourself easily out of control."
As to the five wins, he said, "Hollywood's secret to success is keeping the crew grounded and keeping them out of nightclubs. It's not easy to do!"
Terrence Stevens' local entry, Matchless, lived up to her name, winning Non-Spinnaker Division 1 from Maria Morrison's Namadgi 3.
Stevens shared, "It was a bit lighter (wind wise). We didn't get much more than 25 knots in the gusts. We were also a bit lucky we picked the right sail combination. And it was a Bay race, so conditions were better, easier. We got a good start; the boat went well. We are the smallest in the division, but our boat points very well while maintaining boat speed.
"The boat just had a refit with a new rig. It's good to have a win. We're hoping for similar racing tomorrow and Thursday. It's been hard work up till to today," he acknowledged.
Non Spinnaker Division 2 was claimed by another local, Alan Campbell's Lama from Lyn Evan's Prime Time (NSW).
The VX One fleet sailed three races and Dollop (Rob Douglass, NSW) won Race 6 for a five point series lead. Other winners today were David Williamson's Willpower (Vic) which won Race 4 and George Morton's Deadly (Qld), the victor of Race 5.
Douglass said: "I don't think there's any doubt we are sailing so well because we have our normal team here and all but one other doesn't."
The NSW sailor admitted, "It's a tricky race track but Nic's (his daughter) good at calling the shifts. You have to keep talking to your crew and choose the side (of the course) and hope it's the right one. Upwind we sailed well, but there were lots of shifts, some 35 degrees. And the pressure was up and down. Our wins have been a team effort."
All but one class got off the start line cleanly. In the Multihull Passage division, Sean Nichols' Room With A View started too early. Obviously the 'view' was not wide enough as Nichols seemed oblivious to his faux pas, despite race officials calling the boat on the radio.
The day came down to the best skill and crew work - and if you happened to be sailing a heavier monohull - then the conditions were tailor made, as they have been since the beginning of the event last Friday.
In other news, Coconuts (Start Malouf) and Cut Snake (Stuart Cox) were commended and given redress for standing by Pierre Gal's Fez after she capsized in the gusty conditions in the Multihull Passage Division on Sunday.
After being holed on Sunday in a start collision, Paul Jackson's BKT JAMHU (Just A Minor Hick Up) protested Smooth Criminal (Iyas Shaheen), Bowline (Ian Roberts) and Mako (Simon Glover). BKT JAMHU, which was leading the series, was given redress, while Bowline was disqualified from that race.
Racing resumes tomorrow.
For full results in all classes and divisions at 74 Islands Distillery Airlie Beach Race Week, please visit: www.abrw.com.au.