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News Archive
November, 2002
| Date | Article |
| 29 Nov 2002 | Wanted: 420s in South Oz |
| 29 Nov 2002 | Aussie Wins Route Du Rhum |
| 27 Nov 2002 | Sail Melbourne International Regatta 2003 - November Update |
| 24 Nov 2002 | Victorious win for Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron |
| 22 Nov 2002 | Sailing Ashes – Australia v England for 2003 B14 World Title |
| 25 Nov 2002 | Amendment 2 to Notice of Race - Australian Youth Championship |
| 22 Nov 2002 | What's happening on Sydney Harbour? |
| 18 Nov 2002 | 18 Footers Sprint Series |
| 13 Nov 2002 | Important information for AYF SSSC Instructors in Sydney |
| 11 Nov 2002 | On the way to Athens - SIRs stop over |
| 11 Nov 2002 | Action and Colour from the 18 Footers |
| 10 Nov 2002 | Shockwave Outsails Bird Islet Fleet |
| 5 Nov 2002 | Buon Giorno feels exhilaration in the Hope Island Farr 40 OD Regatta |
| 5 Nov 2002 | AYF Moves to New Office |
| 4 Nov 2002 | Change of Venue for 2003 Admirals Cup and revised Race Schedule |
Wanted: 420s in South OzMark Rothfield, Friday, 29 November 2002South Australian sailor Peter Marshall has advised of a shortage of second-hand 420s in SA. The demand for boats in the $3500-5000 range is buoyant but there are no boats for sale. "I currently have two definite buyers and a third potential. We have just sold three boats this week," Marshall said "We have recently established new fleets at Port Lincoln and also at the Adelaide Sailing Club. Each should have five 420s this season. A small fleet is also now established at Meningie on the South Lakes." Four of the 5 boats at Port Lincoln will come in a container from Sailboats Enterprise in Indonesia. The company is also offering charter for about $1000 per week, which could then be purchased after the 420 Nationals and AYF Australian Youth Championship for about $6000 each (without sails). Peter Marshall can be emailed at pmarshall@au.gateway.net. | ||||||||||
Aussie Wins Route Du RhumOffshore Challenges, England, UK, Friday, 29 November 2002
Isle of Wight based yachtsman Nick Moloney sailed his 50-foot yacht ASHFIELD HEALTHCARE into the history books today, winning class 2 of the gruelling Route du Rhum solo transAtlantic yacht race, and broke the race record at the same time. Nick, 34, has already made sailing history this year as the only non-French crewman on the 110ft catamaran ORANGE when she set a new Jules Verne record for the fastest non-stop circumnavigation of the world, completed in May. And now Nick has done it again. Nick has shaved nearly two days off the course record for class 2 50 foot monohulls with his overall time of 18 days, 16 hours, 23 minutes and 04 seconds, for the 3,540 mile voyage from Saint-Malo in France to Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. The previous best time of 20 days, 11 hours, 44 minutes and 49 seconds for class 2 was set by Nick's Offshore Challenges Sailing Team stablemate Ellen MacArthur in the 1998 race. Nick beat this time by one day, 19 hours, 21 minutes and 45 seconds when he crossed the finish line off the town of Pointe-a-Pitre today. "It's totally different from anything else I have ever done but I feel totally stoked that I've done it. It's an amazing feeling to have accomplished that," said Nick, orginally from Australia. "In all honesty when I entered this race I just really wanted to finish. I'd go and do my best as I always try and do but I never dreamed I do this well. I had some big ghosts to lay to rest after my disaster in the 1999 Mini Transat, and I feel I’ve finally done it. It hasn’t been easy." Moloney led class 2 almost from the 1245hrs GMT start gun on November 9 off Saint-Malo. Pre-race favourite Yannick Bestaven on République Dominicaine had to delay his start after he tore his mainsail, but then he stormed back into contention and challenged Nick for the lead after two days. But Bestaven's relentless pushing in the harsh conditions finally proved to be his downfall. "I backed off heavily in the second evening of the race because I tacked on the continental shelf [off the Bay of Biscay where the water goes from five miles deep to one mile] and I found myself in some really really rough waves," explained Nick. "I thought if I kept pushing I'd break the boat, but he [Yannick] kept pushing and four hours later he was out of the race. That was a little bit of luck in my favour and bad luck at his end. If we both kept pushing as hard as we were then one of us would go down and fortunately for me it was him." This was Nick's first solo transAtlantic attempt since the ill-fated Mini-Transat race in 1999. A force 9 storm, gusting to force 11, in the first few days of the Mini-Transat damaged his 21-foot yacht and him beyond repair. The boat inverted for four minutes, damaging the mast, he broke his arm and, at one stage, Nick was washed overboard as the boat was knocked down and laid on its side, almost dragging him underneath – it nearly cost him his life. "I've thought about the Mini a lot," continued Nick. "Winning this makes me feel like I've won the mini." Nick came to the single-handed racing world from a team racing environment, having competed twice for Australia in the America's Cup and in the 1997/1998 Whitbread round the world race. "I thought I would be really lonely but I haven't been," he continued: "I've had really good communication with our land based facility [in Cowes, England] but I was quite alarmed in the storm as I had a lot of water inside the boat that knocked out a lot of my main communication equipment [Mini-M satellite phone]. "At that point I was really really concerned that I wasn't going to be able to communicate with the outside world. That was quite frightening for me. "Otherwise, when there is a difficult manoeuvre to do then I obviously miss a second pair of hands and I miss chatting to people you know on a regular basis throughout the day but I do speak to the Offshore Challenges mission control as much as several times a day." Nick's second biggest worry coming into this race was sleep deprivation. "I've struggled with the whole fatigue scenario and eating and all the rest of it. You have so much to do. The first few days were just brutal. I was quite stressed about the race and the weather and I've never been so tired. "The second half of the race has been better, but quite stressful with the squalls really keeping me on my toes. I had some real shockers in the night, being wiped out as the big gusts came through, but after a while I learnt to throttle back a bit during the night. "I slept on deck for most of the race, right next to the helm. The custom beanbag was a glamour, really saved me!" Nick slept outside in the cockpit of ASHFIELD HEALTHCARE so he could feel the first drops of rain, the telltale sign that a squall is about to hit. "I'd be quite fatigued for several hours and then I'd probably nod off for about half an hour or an hour maximum [note: Nick probably averaged four hours sleep per day for the duration of the race]. The Route du Rhum has been a race of attrition right throughout. Twenty-four of the 58 starters have retired so far, most after a storm equivalent in strength and ferocity of the 1998 Sydney Hobart yacht race. The monohulls have however faired relatively well... After the storm the fleet sailed in a high-pressure region - where there is little wind. For a day it looked like Frenchman Luc Coquelin on FLORYS was in a better position to pick up the new north-westerly breeze but Nick pushed ASHFELD HEALTHCARE to the absolute limits and managed to keep his bow out in front. But two days out from the finish, one of the vicious nighttime squalls that are synonymous with the southern North Atlantic almost cost him the mast, and the race. "It was all going so well," explained Nick. "We were sailing along with the gennaker up and full main at about nine knots, pretty relaxed...then suddenly we were hit by a big squall... BANG, I ran on deck oilskin trousers half way on....I grabbed the helm, smoked the gennaker sheet, but it was too late, we literally flew into a to HUGE wipe-out, mainsail in the water....then BANG again and the tack line broke leaving the gennaker free flying! BIG BIG wipe-out. "I really thought it was all over. I don’t know how the mast is still up, the mainsail was totally inverted and full of water at the foot. I managed to get control of Ashfield Healthcare eventually and we bore away and took off again at I’ve no idea what speed...Couldn’t see f*** all, really s*** myself....then to really finish it off, 20 minutes later I’m sat in the middle of this cloud with absolutely no wind at all, sails flapping, wind going around 360 degrees, total despair." But Nick held it together over the last few hundred miles and at 0108 hours local time [0508hrs GMT], ASHFIELD HEALTHCARE crossed the Pointe-a-Pitre finish line to secure line honours for class 2. The last night was hard and long, the 50 mile coastal course particularly gruelling after so many miles. On behalf of his sponsors Ashfield Healthcare, Business Development Director, Drew Harrison said: "Nick’s achievement is absolutely tremendous! "We’ve been following his progress daily and his strength, skill and determination has never ceased to amaze us. We were delighted to have had the opportunity to sponsor Nick’s boat in the Route du Rhum in the first place, but to play a part in the winning of the race has exceeded all our expectations!" "This is an awesome achievement by Nick, and completes a great double for the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team," said Mark Turner, director of Offshore Challenges. "Nick has followed in Ellen’s footsteps by winning Class 2 in the Rhum – this was the starting point for Ellen’s Vendée campaign in 1998. And better than that, he’s beaten her time by 2 days! I know Nick had some real mental mountains to climb, and we’re really proud of him for this result." Monohull race winer and new 60 foot record holder Ellen MacArthur was also delighted with the Offshore Challenges double: "Awesome!" said Ellen. "Not only has he won is class, he’s sailed a great race and best of all he enjoyed being out there. He should be really happy with his result, and its great to see him again!" But Nick only has a few days to recuperate in Guadeloupe before he dives straight into his next project - to better his own round the world record as part of Ellen’s Kingfisher II crew. The boat has undergone a thorough refit at the Offshore Challenges base at Cowes, Isle of Wight, and will hope to go on standby for the right weather window from mid-January. The goal is to better Nick's current time of 64 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes and 24 seconds.
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Sail Melbourne International Regatta 2003 - November UpdateDi Pearson, Wednesday, 27 November 2002Entries are steadily building for the Sail Melbourne International Regatta 2003, to be sailed on the waters of Port Phillip in January 2003 in what promises to be a show-stopping event. Officials expect a strong Australian and international line-up for the Olympic and Invited Classes Regatta, the Inaugural Commonwealth Sailing Championships, and the B14 National and World Championships. In the Olympic and Invited Classes Regatta, to be sailed from 11 to 16 January and hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club, the entry list will be exceptional. As the only Australian Grade 1 ISAF (International Sailing Federation) ranked event, and a qualifying event for the Olympics in Greece in 2004, it is anticipated that all Australian sailors aiming at Olympic selection will compete, along with a number of international sailors with the same goal. In the exciting 49er skiff, Mark Turnbull/Nick Partridge AUS, will take on the new NSW pairing of former Olympian and world champion, Chris Nicholson with his new crew, Gary Boyd. Internationals will include Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello ITA (World Ranked 6), Ilya Ermakov/Maxim Logoutenko RUS, Kenji Nakamura/Masato Takaki JPN, with the possibility of Michael Hestbaek/Rasmus Terp Hansen DEN (WR8) and Pawel Kacprowski/Pawel Kuzmicki POL (WR9) also appearing. Dan Slater/Nathan Handley NZL, plan to make a flying visit from their America’s Cup campaign.
Sarah Blanck AUS (WR19), will head the Europe class competitors, having recently won the 109-strong World Championship in Canada. Jo Dikkenberg AUS, Sarah Macky NZL, Larissa Nevierov ITA, Lenka Smidova CZE (WR5), and hopefully Carolijn Brouwer NED (WR2), will join her. Australia will be well represented in the Yngling class, with the winners of the Olympic Test Event in Greece, Melanie Dennison/ Caroline Aders/Fiona Herbert (WR2) taking on Nicky Bethwaite/Kristin Kosmala/TBA, with the possibility of Shirley Robertson/Inga Leask/Sarah Aytons GBR making an appearance. Australia’s Michael Lancey and Jonathan Bonnitcha will face Jon-Paul Tobin NZL, Dominic Tidey GBR (WR5), and Sebastien Guter GER in the Mens Mistral class, while Natasha Sturges GBR (WR3), Julie Worth and Barbara Kendall both from NZL, Julien Savina FRA, Alison Shreeve AUS, head the Womens Mistral contingent. This event marks the Australian battle for the Star class Olympic spot with multi-Olympic representatives, Colin Beashel/David Giles, along with Iain Murray/Andrew Palfrey and Ian Walker/Nick Williams going head to head. Darren Bundock/John Forbes AUS (WR1), Silver medallists at both the Sydney 2000 Games and the Olympic Test Event, will head the Tornado group, and will be joined by Jordanis Paschalidis/Christos Garefis GRE and former Hobie 16 World Youth champions, Robbie Lovig/Josh Fugill AUS.
Anthony Nossiter, Dean McAullay and Josh Beaver will represent Australia in the Finn class against tough opponents in Sebastien Godefroid BEL (WR5),and Mateusz Kusznierewicz POL (WR3).
Featuring in the 470 Mens and Womens double-handed dinghy are Australia’s Gold Medal winners at Sydney 2000, Jenny Armstrong/Belinda Stowell (WR2), with fellow Australians, Nathan Wilmot/Malcolm Page (WR1) and brothers Mathew and Dan Belcher. Teams from Singapore, Cyprus, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and India will compete in both events, but Italy and Japan do not qualify for the CSC.
The return of Australia’s Michael Blackburn to the Laser class, in which he won Bronze at the Sydney Olympics, will provide good competition to other Aussies Brendan Casey (WR6), Ben Lamb and John Holroyd. Internationally, Ed Wright GBR (WR5), Diego Negri ITA (WR7) and Giorgio Poggi ITA, Roope Suomalainen FIN (WR9), Matthew Blakey NZL, Mark Powel and Russell McGovern GBR, with up to four competitors from India will take on the Australians, with Blackburn looking to ascend the ranking ladder after a period away from the class. With a number of athletes having been away representing at such events as the America’s Cup and Volvo Round the World Race, and a number of others changing class and crew, Sail Melbourne 2003 is the first major step for many to recoup losses on their world rankings. The International 2.4mR has also been included to enable a Paralympic Selection Event to be conducted with the same standard of quality race management that Sail Melbourne provides for all the other classes. Watch out for Australians Michael McLean, Peter Thompson and Zoltan Pegan, and at least one NZL boat. In the junior Optimist class, which is being strongly promoted on the East Coast of Australia, a fleet of about ten boats is expected to take part. In 2004, Sail Melbourne will host the Optimist National Championships, which should build fleet numbers even more. At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, over half of the sailing medallists had commenced their sailing career in the Optimist class.
Kevin Wood, Chairman of Sail Melbourne’s Management Committee, recently returned from the International Sailing Federation Annual Conference held in Cyprus and stated, "The Inaugural Commonwealth Sailing Championships should see sailors from fifteen or more Commonwealth countries vying for the medals. Paul Henderson, President of the International Sailing Federation and a Member of the International Olympic Committee, will be attending the Championships".
A large number of Commonwealth countries are demonstrating their support for the event, with entries from Canada, England, Malaysia, Singapore, Cyprus, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. New Zealand is expected to provide up to fifteen entries and this number may even be exceeded by India, which is sending two teams. Four Fijian and two Indian crews are expected to join numerous Australian entries in the Hobie 16 class.
Approximately 35 boats are expected to contest the fourth B14 World championship, to be hosted by McCrae YC, to take place from 5-11 January, following the B14 Australian championship in late December and early January. Six boats from the UK are on their way, with the remainder coming from NSW, Victoria and Tasmania to sail on what is expected to be breezy windward-leeward courses. With the U.K. winning the last two Worlds, and the remnants of the past two World title holding crew combinations taking part, the Aussies will need to work hard to beat their rivals. Notably, the current World title holding crew, Shaun Barber has teamed up with Jono Pank, who steered his way to 6th place at the World Titles on Lake Garda, Italy in 2002. Tim Fells, arguably the most consistent B14 sailor and class proponent, with a 2-1-2 record at the last three World championships, has teamed with Dave Cunningham in an effort to regain the title he won in Sydney three years ago. Of the Australians, Richie Reynolds/Lissa McMillan, current National and NSW State champions, Paul Hansen/James Ellis and newcomers, McCrae YC Commodore and ex International 14 sailor, Guy ‘Bangers’ Bancroft and his son Rhys are tipped to make life a little difficult for the Poms. Other Aussies with ability include Abby Parkes/Sophie Hunt and Peter Ray/Gareth Wells. A number of other classes will race at various locations in Victoria as part of Sail Melbourne, including the Australian Offshore Keelboat Championships to be sailed out of Royal YC of Victoria. Most of Australia’s top grand-prix racers will take part after finishing the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race. Yachting Victoria’s David Staley will oversee regatta Management, with assistance from Anna Ryan and Jane Moffat Sail Melbourne’s Principal Race Officer for the Olympic & Invited Classes and Commonwealth Sailing Championships Regattas is Kevin Wilson. All information on the regatta can be found at the Sail Melbourne website: www.sailmelbourne.com.au. Website for the Commonwealth Sailing Championships: www.csc.sailmelbourne.com.au. | ||||||||||
Victorious win for Royal New Zealand Yacht SquadronNicole Amos, Sunday, 24 November 2002
In the lead up to the final decider for the repechage Royal Queensland Yacht Club were doing extremely well upwind but they were outsailed downwind by 15 seconds by Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. It took 4 races to find the winner of the four-day International youth event held on the Pittwater, Sydney Australia. Laurie Jury, Daniel McLean and Sam Tucker RNZYC all 19 years of age and showed exceptional crew work. Conditions were sunny, hot and perfect for sailing with increasing north easterlies gusting up to 15 knots in the afternoon making the final races of the day a spectacle to watch. Laurie Jury and crew showed awesome boat control today but had some extremely tough competition from the Royal Yachting Association (UK). It was head to head for the whole four races, one up, one down, one down, one up… Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron won the first and second race. The second race saw some gutsy moves by Paul Campbell-James helmsman for the RYA. It was either now or never and Paul decided to give it a try. After two penalties and ending the race with a Black flag Paul said it was worth a try. The RYA comes back with a vengeance, which carried them down wind to finish first place in the third race. It was then in the final race that RNZYS used powerful strength and manoeuvred their way to a victory. Dan Corlett, Martin Trembath and Alex (Chuck) Anderson all graduates from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Youth Development Program excelled and came in fourth place after the Royal Queensland Yacht Club’s Matthew Chew, David Chew and Dean Horton in third place. By the end of the round robin the scorecard saw Balboa Yacht Club (USA) come in 7th, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (Red team) come in 8th, South of Perth Yacht Club come in 9th, Mission Bay Yacht Club (USA) 10th, Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club 11th and Fukuoka Yacht Club (Japan) come in 12th. Chief Umpire David Tallis said, "Over the four days of racing there were some spectacular moves and teamwork. The standard of racing was excellent and the most competitive and technically demanding match-racing youth event I’ve done. The whole event was extremely well run and I am proud that a competitive event like the Harken is held in our own back yard". For further details contact Nicole Amos Tel: 02 9997 1022, Fax: 02 9997 8620 Email: nicolea@rpayc.com.au Website: rpayc.com.au | ||||||||||
Sailing Ashes – Australia v England for 2003 B14 World TitleDi Pearson, Friday, 22 November 2002Approximately 35 boats are expected to contest the fourth B14 World championship, as part of the Sail Melbourne International Regatta 2003, in January. Hosted by McCrae YC, and to be sailed on Port Phillip Bay, the championship will take place from 5-11 January, following the B14 Australian championship in late December and early January. Six boats from the UK are on their way, with the remainder coming from NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. If numbers are a factor, then the Aussies are looking good, but past experience suggests that what the English contingent lack in numbers is made up for in quality. Hot favourites for the title come from across the sea, and are remnants of the past two World title holding crew combinations. Notably, the current World title holding crew, Shaun Barber has teamed up with Jono Pank, who steered his way to a creditable 6th place at the last World Titles on Lake Garda, Italy in 2002. Tim Fells, arguably the most consistent B14 sailor and class proponent, with a 2-1-2 record at the last three World championships, has teamed with Dave Cunningham in an effort to regain the title he won in Sydney three years ago. Representing Grafham Waters SC in the UK, their boat, AT&T is due to arrive in Melbourne shortly. This Championship promises to be an Aussie versus the Poms affair; with the Australian contingent keen to redeem themselves from the floggings they received at the last two Worlds. Richie Reynolds and Lissa McMillan from Woollahra SC, NSW and sailing The Nude, were the best of the Australians in Italy, finishing 15th, with the previous best by an Australian crew being a 5th on Sydney Harbour by Sydneysiders, Murray Walters and Rob Brewer, three years ago. Australia’s competitors are hoping that Melbourne will provide an opportunity for a fresh battleground that should, by rights, favour them. Current National and NSW State champions, Paul Hansen and James Ellis, (Gosford SC), sailing Priority Powder Coating, are hoping for a windy series, having won their titles in those conditions. Recent form, however, also suggests good performances from the Reynolds/McMillan combination who sail well in all conditions, and newcomers, McCrae YC Commodore and ex International 14 sailor, Guy ‘Bangers’ Bancroft and his son Rhys. The pair recently made a trip to Sydney, their first foray away from home waters, and won a race in 15-20 knots from a quality fleet. They are pioneering some Lindsay Irwin (International 14 sailor) sails made a surprise impact on the NSW crews.
Other Aussies with proven ability include Abby Parkes/Sophie Hunt from Sydney, who placed 26th at Lake Garda, and Peter Ray/Gareth Wells from Gosford, always showing good speed but lack consistency due to gear failure. With a lot of water having passed under the B14s since the last Worlds in Italy, and a committed training program both north and south of the NSW border over the winter and into this summer, it is difficult to gauge how the UK and Aussie battle will stack up.
If history can be used as a guide, the smart money will be on an exciting, fun and exhausting social program. McCrae YC have a proven track-record in running well organised regattas, and their preliminary efforts to-date have provided ample evidence of their commitment. The B14 was designed by Julian Bethwaite, and first went on display at the Earls Court Boat Show in England, in January 1989. Bethwaite anticipated that the huge budgets associated with the 18 footers unlimited design would result in a crash in their popularity, and so set about designing a two handed, body swung skiff. Originally christened the Exocet, the name was changed as a result of the Falklands War to ‘B14’. An exciting racing skiff, the B14 features asymmetrical spinnakers, requiring energetic and enthusiastic crew to keep it on the plane, both up and downwind. Optimal racing weight is the subject of conjecture, with conventional wisdom suggesting a combined weight of between 135 – 160kg. Windward-leeward courses allow the lighter crews to catch up downwind what they may have lost upwind, allowing for a wide range of crew weights to be competitive. Father-son, husband-wife and all girl crews are the norm, with one third of the fleet at the recent NSW State Titles being female. There are two B14 fleets racing in NSW - Woollahra SC on Sydney Harbour, and Gosford SC on the Central Coast. Victoria and Tasmania also boast fleets, as a direct result of interest in the upcoming Australian and World Titles. Australia has some work to do, with the last three World champions hailing from the UK. The Poms should arrive in Australia in good form too, having just completed their summer season. | ||||||||||
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What's happening on Sydney Harbour?NSW Waterways Authority, Sydney, NSW, Friday, 22 November 2002There is always something happening round the water, here are some of this weekends actvities .....MARITIME FESTIVALThe Waterways Authority will be at the Maritime Festival at Point Claire (near Gosford) on Saturday, 23 November. Boating Service Officers will be there to answer questions about safe boating in NSW this summer, and distribute copies of the new Safe Boating Handbook. Organised by the Australian Navy Cadets and the Royal Volunteer Coast Patrol, the Festival will feature a wide range of displays and exhibitions on boats and marine safety. The Festival will be held from 10am to 5pm, at Kurrawa Avenue, Point Claire. For more information contact Pat Marsh on 02 4324 2788. BRIDGE TO BRIDGE WATER SKI CLASSICThe Bridge to Bridge Water Ski Classic will be held on Sunday 24 November. The race is expected to start at 9am, with an exclusion zone in place between Dangar Island (near Brooklyn) and Windsor from 7:30am to 2pm. To ensure the safety of both the competitors and spectators, nine Waterways Authority vessels will be on patrol. Key safety messages to remember include:
For more information contact Jan Thurgar from NSW Water Ski Association on 0419 489 412 60 HOUR SKI CHALLENGEThe World 60 Hour Ski Challenge will be held from Thursday 21 November to Sunday 24 November on the Tweed River between Fingal and Murwillumbah. Brenton McGrath is a very experienced water-skier in remission from leukaemia. He is hoping to break three world waterskiing records and raise funds to purchase a holiday unit for families of cancer patients. Spectator vessels are reminded not to transit the ski course for 5 kilometres in front of the vessel towing the skier and 0.5 kilometres behind the skier, unless authorised to do so by a Waterways Authority Officer. For more information click here. NAVAL HERITAGE DAYOn Sunday 24 November the Navy will hold its first ever Heritage Day at the historic northern end of Garden Island. Visitors will be able to tour the beautiful gardens, buildings and dockyards, as well as the 128 year old barque James Craig and the HMAS Huon, a modern coastal minehunter and naval training vessel. A maritime painting, photographic and model exhibition is planned and there will be hourly performances from the RAN Band, the Federation Guard Display team and the Heritage Marine Corps dressed in period costumes. Garden Island will be open from 10am to 4am and entry is free. Access is via the main gate on Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo or the Sydney Harbour ferry service from Circular Quay. For more information click here. 2002 HARKEN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIPSThe Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Pittwater is hosting the 2002 Harken International Youth Match Racing Championships. This is one of the most competitive youth events in the world, as it provides sailors with equalised boats, and as a result, it is more a test of sailing ability than design, materials, and development. Racing started on Wednesday 20 November and will conclude on Sunday 24 November. For more information click here.
Waterways media contact: 0418 279 465 or 0418 167 812
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18 Footers Sprint SeriesSam Crichton, Monday, 18 November 2002Sunday saw the final round of the Australian 18 Footers League Sprint Series saw Trevor Barnabas on Omega Smeg overall winner of the series with 115 points. Only two points separated first and second with Tony Hannan on Total Recall on 113 points in second place. Trevor had 3 wins, 2 seconds and a forth during the series to take out pole position. Overall placing's for the Sprint Series: 1st Omega Smeg Trevor Barnabas 115 2nd Total Recall Tony Hannan 113 3rd Aristocrat Gary Phillips 94 4th Rag and Famish Hotel John Harris 91 5th Casio Seapathfinder Michael Coxon 84 6th Sunday Telegraph Clynton Wade- Lehman 82 7th Avaya Peter Morrison 71 8th Yandoo John Winning 67 9th Terry Hogan Prestige Cars Chris Dixon 64 10th Asko Appliances David Lumb 63 11th Express Post Hugh Stodart 62 12th Churchills Sports Bar Ben Austin 52 13th Rosemount Micah Lane 26 14th Team Rollerson Grant Rollerson 20 15th Computer Associates Jack Young 0
Next weekend will see the first weekends racing of the NSW State Championship with the series running for the following three weekends. This series will be the lead up event to the JJ Giltinan being raced from January 2-12 in 2003. The spectator ferry will be following the racing during the NSW State Championships leaving the wharf at Double Bay each Sunday at 2:15pm. For more information please check the website at www.18footers.com.au | ||||||||||
Important information for AYF SSSC Instructors in SydneyCarly Gray, Wednesday, 13 November 2002Please could all AYF Instructors who use the facilities at the Qantas Jet Base Pool in Mascot, please note that Photograph ID is required with no exceptions for all people entering the Jet Base. | ||||||||||
On the way to Athens - SIRs stop overSam Crichton, Monday, 11 November 2002SIRs the Sydney regatta in the Sail Down Under series is again shaping up to be a fantastic 4 days of racing. Champions from State, National and World rankings are entering SIRs this year in many of the classes being run, which will give competitors the chance to race against potential rivals for Athens 2004. Woollahra Sailing Club, Rose Bay will again host the 11th annual Sydney International Regatta (SIRs) from December 14-17. The keel boat classes will again be based at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Kirribilli. More than 200 sailors from both Australia and overseas are expected to compete at this event, which sees Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Class boats in action on Sydney Harbour. Being part of the Sail Down Under Series, which also includes regattas in Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland, SIRs will have an ISAF 2 grading. Classes that will be sailing are 49ers, 29ers, 470, 420, Europe, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, Star, Tornado, Yngling, 2.4mr. The regatta will be hosting the OK Dinghy NSW State Championships. The event is handily timed to give competitors in the Olympic classes a thorough warm-up before their next SDU event in Melbourne in January as well as providing vital training and experience in the build-up to Athens. The regatta will use the courses from the 2000 Olympic sailing east of the Harbour Bridge. Competitors will be able to enjoy ideal summer conditions as well as various post race day celebrations.
Information about SIRs 2001 is available on the YA of NSW website at www.nsw.yachting.org.au or phone Regatta Director Sam Crichton on 0407 63 64 16 | ||||||||||
Action and Colour from the 18 FootersSam Crichton, Monday, 11 November 2002January 2003 will see teams from Australia and overseas sailing for one of the oldest sporting trophies in Australia, the JJ Giltnan Trophy. Racing will commence on January 3rd with racing each day starting at 2:30pm with the last day of competition on January 12th. Competitors from Italy, the UK, NZ, Switzerland, Canada and USA will challenge the local fleet on Sydney Harbour with last years winners, Howie Hamlin from the USA returning to defend his title. Previous winners who again will be racing are John Winning and five times winner Trevor Barnabas with many of the crews seasoned JJ Giltnan competitors. The point scoring system for the championship will be: 1st - 0 6th - 11.7 2nd - 3 7th - 13 3rd - 5.7 8th - 14 4th - 8 5th - 10 6th- 11.7 Places after 7th continue to gain one point eg. 9th - 15,etc. All races start at 1430 hours, with the exceptions of Heat 1 and Heat 6 which start at 1530 hours. Heat 1 & 6 are on Saturdays. To catch the action on the water you can get a ticket for the spectator ferry which will depart each day from the Double Bay wharf at 2:15pm for the races with a 2:30pm start and 3:15 for the 3:30pm starts. Adult tickets are $12. For more information check the website at www.18footers.com.au or call 02- 9363 5327 | ||||||||||
Shockwave Outsails Bird Islet FleetPeter Campbell, Sunday, 10 November 2002The super maxi, Shockwave, sailing in her first overnight ocean race, has underlined her short-odds favouritism to win line honours in the 2002 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Shockwave, Neville Crichton’s Reichel/Pugh 90, finished the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 85 nautical mile Bird Islet race yesterday morning, 5 hours and 41 minutes in front of her rivals, led by one of her Sydney Hobart Race rivals, George Snow’s Jutson 80, Brindabella. On corrected time, Shockwave also placed first in the Cape Byron Series (IMS) and in the Tasman Performance Series (PHS), winning both handicap divisions by more than two hours. Shockwave’s time for the race north to Bird Islet, south of Newcastle, and back to Sydney was well outside the race record, due to light winds through most of Friday night, with the last boats not finishing until late Saturday night. Although Shockwave made her racing debut at Hamilton Island Race Week in August, all the races there were day races. Since coming to Sydney the crew has been concentrating on training and sail testing rather than racing. The striking-looking 90-footer is now in full racing trim and will contest most races in the lead-up to the Rolex Sydney Hobart on December 26. In the Bird Islet Race, Shockwave won the IRC and PSH divisions from Quest (Bob Steele), Ragamuffin (Syd Fischer) and Sting (Terry Mullens), considered to be her major rivals for top honours in the IRC handicap division of the Hobart Race. In the IMS division for the Blue Water Pointscore, for which Shockwave was not eligible, Quest won by just 15 seconds on corrected time from Sting, third place going to Ragamuffin. One of the smallest yachts in the Bird Islet Race and for the Sydney Hobart, Rod Skellet’s Young 31, Karakatoa, did well to place fourth in IMS and fifth in IRC after taking more than 22 hours to sail the course, almost double the time it took Shockwave. | ||||||||||
Buon Giorno feels exhilaration in the Hope Island Farr 40 OD RegattaLisa Owen, Tuesday, 5 November 2002The prestigious Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, situated in Pittwater, on Sydney's northern peninsula, was host to the Hope Island Resort Farr 40 OD Regatta, Friday 1, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 November. Four races were run inshore in Pittwater on Friday, with 4 races offshore on the Palm Beach circle on Saturday, and a further 2 races offshore on Sunday. The annual RPAYC Farr 40 Regatta this year sponsored by Hope Island Resort attracted a group of 8 Farr 40 owners including Kokomo (Lang Walker), Corinthian Doors (Richard Perini), Weapon (Robert Skinner), Syntegra Rapscallion (Dick Voorderhake), Emotional Hooligan (Marcus Blackmore) and Buon Giorno (Stephen Ellis). Also enjoying the close racing were interstate competitors Farr To Much Fun (Phillip Coombs) from Victoria and War Games (David Urry) from South Australia. Friday's shifty 10 knot Easterly in Pittwater provided testing conditions for tacticians, with positions swapping constantly. Syntegra Rapscallion set the early pace winning race 1 from Corinthian Doors and Buon Giorno. Four different winners on the first day underlined the trying conditions with Kokomo and Buon Giorno ending the day on 14 points from Corinthian Doors on 15 and Emotional Hooligan on 16. Saturday's near perfect 15 knot East-North-East conditions saw some of the closest racing ever. Corinthian Doors took Boat-of-the-Day with a 2,1,5,2 result, with ever-consistent Buon Giorno posting a 1,3,3,3 and Emotional Hooligan winning the last 2 races for 7,4,1,1. By the end of Saturday, Buon Giorno held a tenuous 1 point lead on 24 points, followed by Corinthian Doors on 25, Kokomo on 28 and Emotional Hooligan on 29. Sunday's boisterous conditions promised to be a thriller with 4 boats in contention. Racing got underway in a building 20 knot Nor'easter. David Urry's War Games showed great heavy weather skills to win race 9 from Kokomo, Rapscallion, Doors and Buon Giorno. Buon Giorno lost the chance to widen the points gap after just failing to cross the fleet on the port tack lay-line, and having to bail out and take sterns to round the top mark. This closed up the points with Buon Giorno and the Doors equal first and Kokomo a single point behind. Race 10 proved a thriller, with early leader Corinthian Doors also unable cross the fleet on the infamous port lay-line, having to tack below the lay and hit the top mark, losing any chance of regatta victory. With the breeze having built to 28 knots, the downwind legs were spectacular with lead boat Weapon chinese jybing, making a miraculous recovery to hold on to their lead and take race 10 from Emotional Hooligan. Buon Giorno stayed consistent to gain 3rd spot and win the regatta from Kokomo and Corinthian Doors. Stephen Ellis of Buon Giorno felt the exhilaration of winning his first series in the Farr 40 OD Regattas with his yacht and crew consistent from Day 1. "The Farr 40 s are beautiful boats to sail and these Regattas attract a high caliber of yachtsmen which keeps the level of competition high with the sailing based on skill on the water. I have had the boat for two years, I am very happy with the quality of my crew and this win is very gratifying" The Hope Island Farr 40 OD Regatta was the final Australian regatta this year for two of Australia s leading boats Emotional Hooligan (Marcus Blackmore) and Kokomo (Lang Walker) before they leave Sydney and head for the World Championships in the Bahamas. Robert Skinner, President of the Farr 40 Association: "Both Kokomo and Emotional Hooligan have had great preparations over the past year and have every chance of winning the World Championships. The Hope Island Regatta tested the abilities of all crews with varying wind and sea conditions, a great last series for both World Champion competitors. It was truly a fantastic regatta and we are so lucky to have such a beautiful venue in Sydney". | ||||||||||
AYF Moves to New OfficeTony Mooney, Tuesday, 5 November 2002After many years at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, the AYF has moved office and we would be pleased if you would alter your records as follows. Street address: 18 Herbert Street Telephone: 02 9902 2155 – International +61 2 9902 2155 Fax: 02 9906 2366 – International +61 2 9906 2366 Postal address: This remains unchanged: E-mail address and Website These also remain the same: E-mail: ayf@yachting.org.auWebsite: www.yachting.org.au | ||||||||||
Change of Venue for 2003 Admirals Cup and revised Race ScheduleRoyal Ocean Racing Club, UK, Monday, 4 November 2002ROYAL OCEAN RACING CLUB The Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, Peter Rutter, announced today that the Admiral's Cup for 2003 would take place in Cowes from 10 to 23 July 2003 and not in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland as previously announced. Peter Rutter explained that the RORC and the Royal St George Yacht Club had not been able to agree the criteria required to run an event at the highest level of international sailing. The Admiral’s Cup has always been the premier RORC event and has been run by them since its inception. The RORC Commodore feels that it is imperative that this situation should continue. In returning to Cowes, the RORC will retain the 2 boat Club team and classes that had been previously announced, and the inshore racing will take place in the Solent. The long offshore race will be the Wolf Rock Race. The Admiral’s Cup will be run in co-operation with the Royal Yacht Squadron. The RORC has been encouraged by the enthusiasm and interest shown in the 2003 event and intends to publish the Notice of Race by 16 November 2002. An outline programme below; Date - Activity Thursday 10 July - Inspection/measurement/registration Friday 11 July - Inspection/measurement/registration Saturday 12 July - 2 x inshore races – Solent Sunday 13 July - 2 x inshore races – Solent Monday 14 July - short offshore Tuesday 15 July - short offshore Wednesday 16 July - 2 inshore races – Solent Thursday 17 July - Long inshore race Friday 18 July - reserve day Saturday 19 July - Wolf Rock race (approx 400 miles) (see note 1) Sunday 20 July - Wolf Rock Monday 21 July - Wolf Rock Tuesday 22 July - Wolf Rock – Prizegiving Wednesday 23 July - reserve Prizegiving Note 1. A shorter course may be set for the IMS 600 Class
The Race Schedule has also been revised. Click the website link below the the updated schedule. David Minords of the RORC will be in Australia during December and would appreciate discussing the event with likely clubs and sailors, so any owner or club interested should contact Erin Cameron at the AYF office who will pass on that information to David.
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