Hamilton Island Race Week 08!

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Hamilton Island Race Week 2008

Full coverage with photos beginning with the latest at the top of this page. Begin at the bottom.

And the winner is….The Philosopher’s Club

When the skipper of The Philosopher’s Club, Peter Sorensen, arrived in Geelong, Victoria in January 2008 to contest the opening event of the Audi IRC Australian Championship, he took one look at the Audi Q7 on display and announced to his crew that the car was going to be his.

The fourth and final event of the national series, the Silver Jubilee Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, finished Saturday and when the final results were tallied, Sorensen’s ambition had been realised.

At the official prize giving dinner for the 25th anniversary of Australia’s most awarded keel boat regatta, Audi’s managing director Joerg Hofmann announced the Audi IRC Australian Champions for 2008, handing Sorensen the keys to his brand new Audi Q7.

“Less than one point divided the winner from second place. This kind of down-to-the-wire excitement makes for a great championship series,” Audi’s Joerg Hofmann said.

“The Philosopher’s Club fought hard, and won. Congratulations.”

Late last year Sorensen dipped into his superannuation to buy the Sydney 36CR. He told the audience at Saturday evening’s presentation, “I cashed in my superannuation to buy the boat...the way the share market is going, this is much better.”

A two time world 18 foot skiff champion, offshore sailor and Adams 10 Australian champion, the Middle Harbour Yacht Club member has owned plenty of boats in his time, more than 30 at a quick count, but he always finished in the second half of the fleet on handicap.

After looking at a lot of different IRC boats, Sorensen settled on a Sydney 36CR - and it has exceeded all expectations.

In the opening round of the Audi IRC Australian Championship, Skandia Geelong Week in January, Sorensen won his division and repeated the result at the next event, Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta in March. In the Audi Sydney Gold Coast The Philosopher’s Club finished third in division and in the final round, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, they placed second in division.

Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest proved a fine competitor and in the end, less than a point separated first and second in the national championship pointscore with Audi Hamilton Island Race Week IRC Grand Prix Division 1 winner, Alan Whiteley’s Cougar II, third on the points table.

“I can attribute our consistency to the boat and my outstanding crew,” Sorensen said. “They are all ex skiff sailors and all amateurs and I’d back them against the professional crews any day.

“I’m tired of my current car. It’s time I had a brand new car and I’m looking forward to driving the Q7.”

Curtain closes as divisional winners announced

As the curtain closes on the Silver Jubilee Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, results have been finalised across the board and divisional winners announced for this record breaking anniversary year.

IRC Premier Passage

Graham Jones’ Bluewater, the IRC Premier Passage winner, almost came to grief in the final race today after shaving the north east corner of North Molle Island a little too close and finding themselves stranded on an outlying reef for just under a minute.

“We didn’t do any damage...not that we know of anyway,” said Jones this afternoon. The Beneteau First 45, which represented both Sydney and Port Douglas at this regatta, is only a month old and this week was its first regatta hit out.

“I’m sailing a new boat with a pretty regular crew, some of us have been sailing together for 20 to 30 years,” said the ecstatic skipper as his crew partied in the background.

Bluewater beat Spirit of Lexus (Michael Keough) and Ross Wilson’s Eagle Rock.

IRC Passage

Luke McGrath’s Sydney 36CR Brookwater Golf sailed to a win in the IRC Passage Division, finishing the series on 11 points just a pinch ahead of Peter Sorensen’s The Philosopher’s Club on 12 points. Matthew Percy’s Beneteau First 44.7 Alacrity from Southport Yacht Club finished third.

PHS Grand Prix

Getaway-Sailing.com skipper Peter Goldsworthy said his PHS Grand Prix win had been unexpected in what was an exhilarating final race for the former round-the-world Volvo 60.

"The weather was a bit kind to us but it still wasn't an easy race," he said. "The crew really came together today."

Former CYCA Commodore Geoff Lavis finished divisional runner up with his Inglis/Murray 50 UBS Wild Thing, just half a point in front of Ian Ford and John Griffin’s Beneteau 47.7 Whalewatchingsydney.net

PHS Passage Division 1 & 2

Local Hero owner Peter Mosely from Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney originally thought he had gone from hero to zero in today’s regatta closer. He was elated to discover later in the day that the team had taken out PHS Passage Division 1.

"We feel phenomenal because we really thought we had gone down the gurgler, then the crew phoned in and found out the results," said Mosely.

Taking out PHS Division 2 today also came as a shock for Just Quietly owners Sue and Donald Swanson who were scratching for extra crew this week after one of their original crew dropped out.

Sue Swanson said the competition had been exceptional. "There was some good competition from boats of similar sizes. We were very happy with the way our boat sailed," she said this afternoon.

Cruising Divisions

Full Frontal owner Mark Travis from Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club has claimed the top prize in Cruising with Spinnaker Division 2 in his first Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

"We just sailed our own race and we won. Of course we couldn't be anything but pleased.

"Sailing here is superb," said the winning skipper this afternoon.

For full results for the cruising divisions and all remaining divisions go to www.topyachtsoftware.com/results/2008/hammo/series/index.htm

Final words from the regatta director

Regatta director Denis Thompson is already thinking about how he and his team can improve for next year.

“The courses won’t necessarily stay the same each year, we’ll just keep adjusting as we go by looking at the tides and different courses sailed,” said Thompson this afternoon.

“This year’s record fleet has been great and the level of competition, particularly in the IRC fleet has been strong with results in many divisions going down to the final race.

“The week-long match race between Wild Oats X and Black Jack has been tremendous to watch, like dinghy racing.

“I’m also very encouraged by the level of competition and camaraderie within the cruising fleets. While the big boats get most of the accolades, the strength of the regatta lies with the huge cruising fleet.”

Tonight the winning crews will be called to the stage at the official prize giving dinner to collect their well deserved silverware.

Cougar II ambushes its prey

Alan Whiteley’s Victorian TP52 Cougar II travelled 1,500 nautical miles to outsail a world class IRC Grand Prix division 1 fleet at Australia’s most awarded regatta, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

“It’s a better result than we expected,” said a delighted Whiteley this afternoon. “We have been sailing in very esteemed company...the crew is ecstatic about taking out the grand prix division.

“Logistically it’s hard work getting up here from Melbourne but it’s been well worth it. The courses are great, the event is well run and it’s great fun.”

In the overall pointscore Cougar II finished two points clear of Bob Steel’s sistership Quest from Sydney and nine points from the third placed Victorian Cookson 50 Living Doll, skippered by Michael Hiatt.

Cougar II and Quest have faced each other on the start line – and swapped the lead - many times before but today it was Whiteley’s turn.

“Congratulations to Alan and his team,” said Steel this afternoon. “We were very pleased to come second.”

Eventual IRC Grand Prix division 2 winner Honeysuckle, the Beneteau First 45 skippered by Ray Harris, finished today’s Molle Island Race then waited in the wings, scanning the horizon for Rod Jones’ Archambault 40 Alegria, their series nemesis.

Once the required gap had past, in terms of the number of minutes Honeysuckle had to put between them and Alegria, the crew was confident enough to celebrate their win on board.

“We are very elated...it was a tough series,” said a relieved Harris. “Apart from having the sails up to check them and the rig, our first proper sail was last Saturday’s opening race. It’s been a roller coaster.

“The boys had the boat flying today. We had a good downwind leg and we opened up a gap on Alegria then worked really hard to maintain speed,” Harris added.

Hamilton Island CEO Glenn Bourke this afternoon helped sail Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats X to the perfect regatta finish – line honours and a handicap win in today’s race.

“From our perspective we are so pleased with the regatta,” said Bourke. “Sometimes breeze makes or breaks a regatta and we had breeze the whole week. So many have said it’s a further improvement on last year,” added Bourke, who called tactics this week on Wild Oats X.

Island owner Bob Oatley concurred, declaring it “a fantastic regatta...the best ever”.

The three-time Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours winning crew on Wild Oats X has had fickle fortunes on the water while learning how to get the most out of their new swept back spreader rig. Yesterday their canting keel motor burnt out resulting in the crew having to work well into the night to install the spare motor, but today it was all smiles on board Wild Oats X after they capped off their week with a third and final line honours win – and an outright win - in the 23 nautical mile Molle Islands Race.

Peter Harburg’s slight development of Wild Oats X, Black Jack, not only proved an excellent sparring partner for Wild Oats X, they broke the Reichel Pugh 66’s two year stranglehold on the fastest boat around the track with five firsts from nine races.

Mark Bradford says the owner is undecided about contesting this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart, “we’ll wait for the dust to settle then make up our minds,” skipper Mark Bradford said dockside this afternoon.

One by one 11 divisions lined up in an orderly fashion in Dent Passage this morning for the postcard shot of the series. With most out of silverware contention it was a laid back affair at the start, the 5-8 knot sou’easter providing easy going conditions for the 2,000 plus sailors who have been hard at it – both on and offshore – for a week.

The Roulettes’ final fly over of the fleet at the start was the only noise to be heard, replacing the yelling that accompanied the fresher winds at the start of the week when many crews fancied themselves as top three placegetters.

In the inaugural South Pacific Cup results, the Aussie team of Living Doll, Yendys and Alegria romped home on 45 points, beating the Kiwi team of Pussy Galore, Wired and Carrera by 29 points.

Trophies will be presented tonight at the official prize giving dinner before weary crews head back to their home ports.

Momentous regatta-long tussle will go down to the wire

The momentous tussle at the top of the IRC Grand Prix Division 2 pointscore will go down to the wire tomorrow with Rod Jones’ Alegria and Ray Harris’ Honeysuckle still separated by just one point after six days of racing.

“We’ll just have to keep the throttle down” said Honeysuckle’s navigator Michael Spies this afternoon. The final result will depend on who beats who tomorrow...if it goes to a countback we will be better off.”

After scoring sixth and seventh in today’s two windward/leewards, Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest has moved the wrong direction in the podium placings. Quest, which was called OCS in the second race, has slipped from second to third on the series leaderboard whereas they need to be moving in the opposite direction if they are to have any chance of winning the prestigious Audi IRC Australian Championship which will be decided tomorrow.

With Quest no longer breathing down their necks, Alan Whiteley’s TP52 Cougar II from Melbourne has a more comfortable lead on 18 points from Michael Hiatt’s Victorian modified conventional keeled Cookson 50 Living Doll which has moved into second overall on 25 points in IRC Grand Prix Division 1.

The week’s line honours contest has been stamped Black Jack’s with their fourth and fifth fastest times from eight races in today’s two short course races. The score stands at five to Peter Harburg’s Black Jack, two to Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats X and one to Andrew Short’s Shockwave – Club Marine with one race to go.

Regatta director Denis Thompson sent the rest of the 225 boat fleet contesting the 25th anniversary regatta on a 21 nautical mile course around Long Island. There was plenty of colour and action on the Dent Passage start line and overhead with the Airforce Roulettes weaving their aerobatic magic for the on-water procession.

In the PHS Passage division, Mike Freebairn’s classic 1968 built S&S 49 MBDS Spirit of Koomooloo scored its first bullet of the series, the heavy 22 time Rolex Sydney Hobart entrant quick off the start line in the 10 knot sou’east breeze.

“Today we had a nice breeze and good crew work, and when we went around Long Island we think those behind us were hurting,” said Freebairn this afternoon. “On the last work we had good height and just enough breeze to keep the boat pressured up. Short tacking into the finish is not our forte but the final results went our way.”

In the PHS Grand Prix division, Rob Reynolds’ Middle Harbour Yacht Club boat Pla Loma IV has found form in the second half of the regatta, continuing to hold a three point lead over Whalewatchingsydney.net which won today’s islands race.

Reynolds suffered fractures to his vertebrae and face when he fell down a set of stairs a few months back. He’s been out of action for the last ten weeks but with his doctor’s blessing he was not only allowed to contest Audi Hamilton Island Race Week but has helmed his DK43 in every race, taking the opportunity to steer sitting down whenever possible.

And the plan for tomorrow’s decider? “Sail as well as we have been sailing for the past couple of days and keep a close eye on Whalewatchingsydney.net and Hitchhiker,” said Reynolds this afternoon.

Tomorrow, Saturday 30 August, is the final day of competition at the 25th anniversary Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

The 23.3 nautical mile race Molle Islands Race for all classes will signal the close of Australia’s most awarded keel boat regattas.

The Club Marine Cruising Division 1 fleet will lead the fleet out of Dent Passage following the 9.30am start in what is usually the ‘cover shot’ of the week.

Between 9.30am and 10.35am 11 divisions will peel off, most likely under spinnaker, creating a stunning spectacle that is published worldwide as the showcase image for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week and Hamilton Island.

Trophies will be presented tomorrow evening at the Convention Centre prize giving dinner.

Tight at the top of the Audi IRC Australian Championship

With just two days of competition left at the Silver Jubilee Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, it appears just two boats remain in the running to win the second Audi IRC Australian Championship – and a new Audi Q7 performance SUV.

Following yesterday’s divisional win in the Whitehaven Beach Race, Bob Steel’s TP 52 Quest is closing in on the pre-regatta favourite, Peter Sorensen’s Sydney 36CR, The Philosophers Club.

Less than one point separates the two Sydney boats. For Sorensen, a two-time 18 footer world champion, and his Middle Harbour Yacht Club crew to be beaten from here, they would have to finish runner up in the IRC Passage division and Quest, which is flying the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s burgee, would have to better their position in the IRC Grand Prix division 1 – but only by a small margin.

“With four firsts, we are looking pretty good. It would be hard to see us being beaten but stranger things have happened,” said Sorensen this morning.

However, Sorensen is not one hundred percent comfortable with the idea that the four part Championship series trophy is already his.

“There is so much at stake, the Audi Q7 and winning the IRC Australian Championship....I’m not comfortable that we are there yet.”

For Steel, his salvation and the ultimate prize could be realised if Sorensen finishes second in division.

“I’ve always wanted to own an Audi and my current car is due to be replaced but Sorensen is going to be hard to catch from here. He’s sailed such a great series,” praised Steel this morning.

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week regatta director Denis Thompson is watching the final points shuffle with great interest.

“Peter Sorensen has got one foot in the door but it’s too tight at the top to say for sure,” Thompson said today. “The Championship could still be won by Steel.”

The Silver Jubilee Hamilton Island Race Week is the deciding round of the four-part Audi IRC Australian Championship which began back in January with Skandia Geelong Week, followed by Middle Harbour for the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta, and onto the CYCA for the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.

The final results will be calculated on the highest scores from three of the four part Championship.

The Audi IRC Australian Championship is endorsed by Yachting Australia.

Squark arks up after false start

A jittery IRC Grand Prix division 1 fleet lined up for this morning’s Whitehaven Beach Race off the Eastern starting line in Fitzalan Passage in a lighter sou’east breeze and lumpy seas. In the countdown to the 10.30am start signal the race committee was calling out those over the start line but for some it was already curtains, even for the headlining acts.

Peter Harburg’s Brisbane based Reichel Pugh 66 Black Jack was “a bit eager trying to get to the boat end of the start line” then found they couldn’t manoeuvre in amongst the smaller end of the grand prix fleet and had to re-start.

Despite suffering at least a two minute penalty and a couple of other minor issues around the track, the dynamic duo of Etchells and 2007 America’s Cup sailor Mark ‘Squark’ Bradford and his tactician, round the world sailor Peter ‘Billy’ Merrington, managed to peg back the rest of the fleet to claim line honours by 20 seconds from Andrew Short’s 80 foot maxi Shockwave – Club Marine.

“It’s difficult to build speed and start with the smaller boats when the boat’s not very manoeuvrable. That’s the sacrifice you make sailing a big boat,” said Bradford minutes after claiming his third line honours win from six races.

Describing their entire race as “a bit unorthodox”, Bradford paid full credit to ‘Billy’ Merrington. “The tactics were superb...Billy got us out of trouble.”

It’s rare for Mark Richards to miss a start but today he misjudged the line and was also individually recalled, sending the Bob Oatley owned Wild Oats X back to the start line once they heard the ‘On Course Side’ call, which took a little time to filter through to the three-time Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours winning crew.

Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest threw off yesterday’s collision with Surprise Rock and subsequent damage, to record its second win on corrected time putting them one point behind Division 1 series leader Cougar II, Alan Whiteley’s Melbourne based sistership to Quest.

It’s a big effort bringing a boat to Hamilton Island from Melbourne and Whiteley is “quietly confident” that it’s been well worth his while.

“We have no great expectations, we are just here to have a good series but having said that, the boys are not making any mistakes and the conditions have been similar to what we are used to on Port Phillip Bay,” said Whiteley this afternoon.

In IRC Grand Prix Division 2 Stephen Ellis’ modified Farr 40 Splash Gordon rallied to win today’s race on corrected time from Nick George’s DK46 Exile.

Exile’s second today has put them into the top three on the progressive pointscore which still has Rod Jones’ Alegria leading Ray Harris’ Honeysuckle by one point. There were barely two boat lengths between Honeysuckle and Alegria at any stage today, the two creating some action at the top mark rounding when Alegria tried to shoot the mark inside Honeysuckle and almost drifted back onto it.

Kevin Horne’s Elliott 9.6m Wild Spirit from Maroochy River beat the rest of the Performance Grand Prix fleet today, outsailing Garry Holder’s The Real Thing and Walter Carpenter’s Pacific 50 Samarkand.

As the IRC Grand Prix and Performance Grand Prix fleets kept themselves sensible for racing, the remaining divisions enjoyed their second lay day for the week. A steady procession of yachts of all shapes and sizes began heading out of Hamilton Island Harbour early this morning to join the locals and tourists who’d already taken up position on the award-winning Whitehaven Beach.

A huge crowd gathers annually to enjoy the spectacular white silica sand, turquoise waters and to be entertained by the many planned activities including beach cricket and volleyball. Today the Airforce Roulettes RAAF Aerobatic team wowed the crowd with their twists and turns at the Whitehaven Beach Party, the biggest social gathering of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

Tomorrow the IRC Division 1 and 2 fleets will sail two windward/leeward races starting from Eastern start line and all other classes will sail a short around the islands race with the course yet to be announced.

Friday’s forecast has the breeze building back up to 15-20 knots from the SE/E for the penultimate day of racing.

In the nine race inaugural South Pacific Cup the Aussies have a handy 20 point lead over the three boat Kiwi team.

Awestruck youngster becomes winning skipper

A group of old sailing mates from around the world have gathered this week at the Silver Jubilee Audi Hamilton Island Race Week to campaign the stunning Muir 66 Van Diemen III in its debut regatta.

While sailing dinghies as a youngster in Spring Bay on the Tasmanian east coast, Robbie Vaughan was awestruck when an impressive motor yacht called Van Diemen pulled into the Bay. He vowed then and there that should he own a boat one day, he’d call it Van Diemen and many decades later, he’s campaigning one of the best looking boats in the record 225 strong fleet.

Amongst Vaughan’s crew of nine is Tasmanian educated Charles Blundell, a professional boat delivery skipper better known as ‘Chas from Tas’, and Sydney based Michael ‘Zappa’ Bell and News Limited columnist Piers Ackerman, the ‘Minister for Diplomacy’ aboard the yacht.

‘Zappa’ met Vaughan and joined him as a crewmember aboard the ocean racer Charisma in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1974. The pair then crossed the Atlantic on that yacht and were part of the crew when Charisma represented America in the Admiral’s Cup in England in 1975. Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is the first time since then that Vaughan and Bell have sailed together.

The boat’s designer, William Muir, is aboard as is Dave Blair, the New Zealand boat builder who constructed the boat from Alaskan yellow and western red cedar at Matakana on the North Island of New Zealand.

The boat was launched in 2005 and went to California for 18 months, where expatriate Vaughan is now living, before returning to Tasmania via Hawaii. Following Audi Hamilton Island Race Week Van Diemen III will cruise to Tasmania for the summer then return to the Whitsundays next year before gearing up for the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart.

“At some stage we’ve got to do ‘the Hobart’ in order to complete the big three,” said Vaughan.

“Our long term plan is to cruise in Australia then after next year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart travel to the USA for the Newport Bermuda Race and contest the Rolex Fastnet Race.”

This is the boat’s first regatta and they are leading the Cruising With Spinnaker Division 1 pointscore series by 2.5 points. Racing finishes this Saturday.

Summing up the week so far, Vaughan says “the racing conditions have been excellent with good competition in the cruising fleet, and we are meeting up with lots of old friends. It’s a very impressive scene and the Oatleys (Island owners) and Audi should be congratulated. This type of regatta doesn’t happen in the US.”

Most of the crew are sleeping on the boat, which is not as rough as it sounds given the boat is resplendent with Huon Pine spa bath, washer/drier and air con.

“On the fun metre so far this year’s Race Week has been right up there,” acknowledges Muir.

‘Chas from Tas’, who has “been to the moon and back” with 22,000 nautical miles alone behind him since last year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

‘Chas’ is a revered member of the crew, not only for his extraordinary sailing ability but also for his story telling. More than three decades as a professional sailor and boat delivery skipper all over the world means ‘Chaz’ has an extensive library of legendary stories to re-tell, most of them based on misfortune.

His run of bad luck began in the mid 1960s when he was washed off a fishing boat called Truganini and spent 30 minutes in the ocean off the Tasmanian east coast mid-winter and in the middle of the night. “That’s when I learnt to swim,” he chuckles.

He’s been shot at by pirates off Vietnam during a delivery from Hong Kong to Thailand, caught in a typhoon on a Chinese junk and rescued by a 70,000 tonner Italian bolt carrier and in the 1985 Fastnet he was on a boat called Drum that lost its keel and went belly up.

With those stories etched forever in his tanned face, ‘Chas’ will set off from Hamilton Island after Saturday’s closing race to resume his life of moving boats....until next year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week when Van Diemen III will return to the stunning playground of the Whitsunday Islands.

New boat turning heads

Rod Jones’ new Archambault A40 Alegria is turning plenty of heads at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, its debut regatta. With the results of today’s 26 nautical miler, Jones, who was declared the Audi IRC Champion at the end of last year’s Race Week, has held his one point cushion from Ray Harris’ Honeysuckle after five races.

“All we’d done coming into this year’s Race Week was a couple of training sails and the delivery from Mooloolaba. Today’s race five was the fifth race we’ve sailed,” said Jones this afternoon.

“Today’s course really tested our limited local knowledge. Michael (Spies) and Ray (Harris) from Honeysuckle have got a lot to teach us but we are holding our own on boat speed.”

IRC Division 1

IRC division 1 results have delivered Alan Whiteley’s Melbourne based TP52 Cougar II its first win on corrected time from Bob Steel’s sistership Quest. Despite coming to a crunching halt when they hit an outlying rock off Surprise Rock at low tide - the impact sending Quest’s helmsman Jamie Macphail flying forward causing him to break the port wheel post at the base - Steel and his crew not only managed to continue racing but finished second on the podium ahead of Andrew Short’s Shockwave – Club Marine.

Today three IRC Division 1 boats found out the hard way where the name Surprise Rock came from. A mark of the 26 nautical mile Course 12, the Baynham Island Course, eventual line honours winner Shockwave – Club Marine bumped over the reef surrounding the Island while Quest and Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll took much harder hits.

A thrilling tacking duel in Dent Passage, where many races have been won or lost, played out this afternoon before Shockwave – Club Marine claimed its first line honours victory from five races.

With Black Jack bow down with her big Code 0 flying and closing the gap on Shockwave in the closing miles as the two rounded the northern tip of Hamilton Island, it looked like the 80 footer was going to be relegated to second. But once the maxi turned the corner into Dent Passage and her huge sails filled with the sprightly 12 knot sou’easter, she gathered speed and was able to cover the Peter Harburg skippered pocket rocket Black Jack in an exciting battle to the finish.

Most of the week the two have raced within throwing distance but today the Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X couldn’t hang onto Black Jack, letting them slip through on the first upwind leg which is how the positions on the track remained. Steven David’s Reichel Pugh 66 Wild Joe had its best day of the regatta, rounding Baynham Island in second and finishing fourth over the line.

Unlike the outcome of this morning’s tug ‘o war between the Australian and South Pacific Cup teams on Channel 7’s Sunrise sports cross, New Zealand’s chances in the inaugural nine race series took a knock today with the Auckland based Bakewell-White 52 Wired unable to race while they waited on a part to be delivered on the 1pm flight.

Today the IRC and Performance fleets, bar the Performance Grand Prix boats which sailed two windward/leewards today on Eastern Course, had their first taste of the “navigators’ choice” option which is being trialled for the first time at the 25th anniversary Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

Regatta director Denis Thompson is looking forward to the fleet’s feedback this afternoon to know whether “I’m in the penthouse or the outhouse”.

Performance Grand Prix

In the Performance Grand Prix division, Rob Reynolds’ DK43 Pla Loma firmed its grip on the series pointscore with a win in the first windward/leeward race today sailed in Turtle Bay. Pla Loma is ahead on the leaderboard from Peter Briggs’ Hitchhiker, winner of the first Race Week in 1984 which has been trucked from Perth to compete in the silver jubilee.

Cruising Divisions

The cruising fleet provided the colour on the water today with Divisions 1 and 2 setting off on Course 11 (25.8 nautical miles) and Cruising 3 and non-spinnaker completing Course 10 (22.3 nautical miles).

With gentler conditions to the early part of the week when the prevailing trade winds tested the fleet, the four cruising divisions took the opportunity to enjoy a more relaxed sail, some with beer in hand for the long and gentle spinnaker ride across the north of Pentecost Island and in the company of pods of humpback whales frolicking in the stunning turquoise waters.

Tomorrow is the world famous Whitehaven Beach Race for the IRC Grand Prix and Performance Grand Prix divisions while the remaining divisions will enjoy their second lay day of the week.

IRC Grand Prix division 1 is the first off the start line tomorrow, beginning on Eastern start line at 10.30am. The forecast is for SE winds 10-15 knots reaching 15-20 knots.

No short – edge of surprises

Today three IRC Division 1 boats found out the hard way where the name Surprise Rock came from. A mark of the 26 nautical mile Course 12, the Banyham Island Course, eventual line honours winner Shockwave – Club Marine bumped over the reef surrounding the Island while Quest and Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll took much harder hits.

A thrilling tacking duel in Dent Passage, where many races have been won or lost, played out this afternoon before Shockwave – Club Marine claimed its first line honours victory from five races.

Most of the week the two have raced within throwing distance but today the Mark Richard’s skippered Wild Oats X couldn’t hang onto Black Jack, letting them slip through on the first upwind leg which is how the positions on the track remained. Steven David’s Reichel Pugh 66 Wild Joe had its best day of the regatta, rounding Banyham Island in second and finishing fourth over the line.

Today the IRC and Performance fleets, bar the Performance Grand Prix boats which sailed two windward/leewards today on Eastern Course, had their first taste of the “navigators’ choice”, which is being trialled for the first time at the 25th anniversary Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

Regatta director Denis Thompson is looking forward to the fleet’s feedback this afternoon to know whether “I’m in the penthouse or the outhouse”.

Tomorrow is the world famous Whitehaven Beach Race for the IRC Grand Prix and Performance Grand Prix divisions while the remaining divisions will enjoy their second lay day of the week.

IRC Grand Prix division 1 is the first off the start line tomorrow, beginning on Eastern start line at 10.30am. The forecast is for SE winds 10-15 knots reaching 15-20 knots.

Quantum leaps into lead

Ray Roberts’ Cookson 50 Quantum Racing now leads the IRC Grand Prix division 1 pointscore following an outright win in today’s 59 nautical mile Club Marine Classic Hayman Island Race.

Despite having to cop a 720 degree penalty turn off Dent Island for clipping Pussy Galore’s backstay with their kite, tactician Steve McConaghy and the rest of this winning outfit were able to make up for lost time to beat Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll and Anataole Masfen’s Pussy Galore from Auckland to the post.

Roberts and his crew are again showing ominous form following their double line and handicap honours victory in the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Race earlier this month, and a handicap win in the lead in Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week last week.

Rod Jones’ Archambault 40 Alegria is leading the IRC Grand Prix division 2 series pointscore by just one point from Ray Harris’ Beneteau First 45 Honeysuckle after four races. Jones placed second today to Honeysuckle, the two enjoying nail biting tussle as the competition approaches the mid way point.

In a day of high dramas and high winds three sailors were injured and some of the best racing ever was experienced at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week today.

While none of the cruising division sailors were seriously injured, all three were treated in the Hamilton Island Medical Centre before being transferred to a mainland hospital for further observation.

It’s even scores in the line honours stakes after four races at the 25th anniversary Audi Hamilton Island Race Week with the Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X shaking off its near sistership on the longest race of the week, the 59 nautical mile Club Marine Classic Hayman Island Race.

“The good start helped, and we pulled our socks up today,” said Richards dockside this afternoon once he’d shaken hands with Mark Bradford, skipper of Black Jack which finished just under four minutes astern.

“Upwind we thought they had the legs on us but we held our own comfortably. We made a gain on the reach also,” added Richards.

The fleet set a blistering pace today in the moderate to fresh sou’easterly breeze, Wild Oats X recording a top speed of 20 knots and averaging just over 11 knots around the track.

This morning’s spinnaker start in Dent Passage was a spectacular site as six divisions set off in five minute intervals starting at 8.15am.

In the IRC Grand Prix division 1 and 2 start, Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest, with Jamie Macphail on the helm, launched off the start line before executing a text book kite hoist to lead the charge out of Dent Passage towards Hayman Island.

Chris Dare’s Corby 49 Audi Centre Melbourne, with veteran Roger Hickman and one of Australia’s best known navigators, Adrienne Cahalan aboard, also showed blistering pace at the start, creating a stern wave for Living Doll to ride.

The Performance Passage fleet was sent on the 41 nautical mile Double Cones Island Race with Tim Casey’s Nelson Marek 46 St Hilliers Quest from Sydney getting the gun this afternoon in only its third race.

Casey took ownership of the boat just 10 weeks ago and after a complete rebuild of what was originally Bob Steel’s Quest, he reckons today’s result “is not bad for a bunch of punters.”

Sighting at least six humpback whales over the course of today, Casey was happy to report they had an incident free race. “It was a very enjoyable day...today’s race was in the true spirit of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.”

Tomorrow is a well earned lay day for all divisions, an opportunity for crews to take a break from the racing schedule and enjoy some land based activities including the Audi Drive Challenge and UBS Moet & Chandon Lunch.

There are many boats still racing with the tail enders due around 7pm tonight.

High dramas and high winds at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

In a day of high dramas and high winds three sailors were injured and some of the best racing ever was experienced at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week today.

Back on the race track its even scores after four races at the 25th anniversary Audi Hamilton Island Race Week with the Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X shaking off its near sistership on the longest race of the week, the 59 nautical mile Club Marine Classic Hayman Island Race.

“Upwind we thought they had the legs on us but we held our own comfortably. We made a gain on the reach also,” added Richards.

The fleet set a blistering pace today in the moderate to fresh sou’easter, Wild Oats X recording a top speed of 20 knots.

The bigger boats may also have a chance today on corrected time with the smaller boats finishing against the tide.