It was a chilly and blustery Winter’s day for the 107 competitors in Race 7 of the Land Rover Winter Series with a strong westerly breeze keeping crews on their toes in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia organised race.
“Today was the coldest race of the season,” said Jeffery Taylor, owner of the C & C 41 Nemesis, that won Division J2. “It’s our first time on the leaderboard this season. We had quite a good race and the breeze was with us. It was quite gusty with the pressure up and down – from 9 to 26 knots that we saw right at the finish.
“For a 30 year old boat we managed to pull two horizon jobs – we looked back and there was no-one behind us! We managed to catch Inkonkoni and Baltic Lady on the second last leg, had no tactical issues and the boat was well behaved in the configuration of a full main and a number 3,” Taylor added. “I’m hoping we get lucky and win the Range Rover – that would be the icing on the cake.” And as luck would have it, Taylor was the lucky divisional winner to receive the keys to the Range Rover Evoque for a week.
Lahara II (Glenn Crane) finished second to Nemesis with Baltic Lady (Niel Burling) third. Nemesis, Baltic Lady and Inkonkoni (Arthur Lane) are all on 17 points in the overall series pointscore, however Inkonkoni leads from Nemesis and Baltic Lady on countback.
Race Officer Steve Kidson got the fleet away on time, on their respective course A, in a 16 knot westerly breeze with light rain sprinkling. “The sailors are having a beautiful day on water despite having to don wet weather gear,” Kidson said.
In Division D, John Markos and Michael Delaney’s Sydney 36CR Eye Appeal won from Speedwell (Colin Geeves) and Saltshaker (Peter Franki). “I’m thoroughly delighted with the win today,” said Markos, who is a Rear Commodore of the CYCA. “We had a tight run with Speedwell – as we often do – but we managed to beat them today. The win is a credit to the crew, three of whom are learning to sail and worked the foredeck.”
Eye Appeal sits in fourth place in the Division D overall series pointscore. Soundtrack (John Amos) leads by four points from Sommerbreeze (Hans Sommer) with Crosshaven (Justin Pelly and Sean Rahilly) third just one point behind.
“We got serious this week,” said Peter Lewis, owner of Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 37 LuLu Belle that won Division K. “We had a good fight with Great White – we kept overtaking each other all day. 30 knots was the top wind gust we saw right towards the end of the race which made things interesting.
“We got around the course in perfect LuLu Belle style – complete with a six course degustation lunch,” Lewis added. The menu onboard LuLu Belle is becoming legendary and today did not disappoint: sushi, pastizzis, vegetarian lasagna, followed by a fruit platter, homemade brownies and tea and shortbread.
“The crew snuck below deck during the race and decided it was much nicer down below leaving me and Wilson (the crew mascot) in control.
“If we get a bad handicap because of winning today, then we cordially invite those in our division to lunch on the proviso that they don’t pass us – in particular Stormy Petrel, who is currently leading the series pointscore,” Lewis laughed. LuLu Belle was also the lucky winner of the Noakes Group Lift & Stand Package.
It’s tight in Division K overall series pointscore – there is only one point separating Stormy Petrel (Kevin O’Shea) from LuLu Belle and Great White (Bob and Ann Penty).
Jason Daisley’s Beneteau Oceanis 43 Quattro secured his first win of the season in Division F from Selkie (Anthony Booth) and WindFlyt (Douglas Sturrock).
“I thoroughly enjoyed today’s race – the wind was perfect for us,” Daisley said. “We set our strategy early and stuck to it. The reef in the main also helped. It was pleasing to look over my shoulder and not see anyone. We got a clean start being the second boat off in our division and we just got ahead and stayed there.”
L’Eau Co. (Grant Pollock) currently leads Division F series pointscore by seven points from WindFlyt and Salona (Pacific Sailing School)
Other divisional winners today were: Division A1 – Wot Eva – SWD (David Pescud); Division A2 – Black Sheep (Derek and Martin Sheppard); Division B – Undercliff Public School – Wild One (Larki Missiris; Division C – Zora (Pacific Sailing School); Division E – Carats n Kilos (John Santifort); Division G – Double Dutch (Phil Tanner); and Division J1 – Elusive (Paul Billingham and Pete McGee).
With seven of the ten race-series having been completed and one drop being applied, it’s tight at the top of the leaderboard for the current overall series divisional pointscore leaders: Division A1 – Quest (Bob Steel); Division A2 – Kirribilli (Adrian Abbott); Division B – Next (Richard Holstein); Division C – Arch Rival (Steve Connors); Division D – Soundtrack (John Amos); Division E – Hick-Up (Bill Ure); Division F – L’Eau Co. (Grant Pollock); Division G – Velocity (Rob Armstrong); Division J1 – L’Attitude (Robert Hunt, Jon Short and Miles Bastick); Division J2 – Inkonkoni (Arthur Lane) and Division K – Stormy Petrel (Kevin O’Shea)
The Land Rover Winter Series pointscore continues next Sunday, 22 June.
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