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Veteran Bellerive Yacht Club stalwart Chris Sheehan today sailed his Young 88, Saga, to its fourth win out of five races to hold a comfortable pointscore lead in Division 2 of the Combined Clubs Harbour Series on the Derwent.

The race was the final Harbour Series race before Christmas, with four races day post-Christmas.

Race officer ‘Biddy’ Badenach sent the fleet from Castray Esplanade across the river to Howrah Point and return to Castray, followed by a leg across to Punch’s Reef, further down the Eastern Shore and return to the finish.

In a WNW breeze that started about 20 knots with gusts of up to 27 knots but eased away mid-afternoon to 14 knots, with gust to 20 knots, the fleet enjoyed two good spinnaker runs and two beats to windward.

An experienced and versatile yachtsman,  Sheehan continues to have great success with Saga, a Young 88. His win today gives Saga a five points lead halfway through the season, three points clear of Young Lion, owned by Scott Brain and Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Steve Chau.

In Division 1, DSS general manager Shaun Tiedemann and his crew of Philosopher showed no lack of drive after last weekend’s tough Maria long ocean race, winning both the AMS and IRC categories and finishing second under PHS scoring.

Division 4 start off Castray today. Photo Peter Campbell

Division 4 start off Castray today. Photo Peter Campbell

The Sydney 36cr has now won five out of six races under both AMS and IRC ratings, and has a handy overall lead in both pointscores. In the IRC category, Philosopher has 10 points, five points clear of Jeff Cordell’s Mumm 36, with War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith) third on 22 points.

In the major AMS category, Philosopher is unbeaten in her last five races for a total of 10 points, with Jeff Cordell’s Mumm 36 B&G Advantage on 13 points and TasPaints (Ian Stewart) on 15 points.

The biggest fleet is PHS and Toby Richardson’s Barrett 40, X & Y,  holds the overall lead after six races despite finishing fifth yesterday on corrected time.

X & Y has 17 points with today’s PHS winner, Ian Stewart’s Tas Paints, now second overall on 20 points.  Philosopher is third in standings on 21 points.

dsc_0313The overall lead has changed in Divisions 4 and 6 after today’s race.

Hornet (Neville Georgeson) won and now heads the leader board from Fight Light (Ben Davidson) by one point.  Hornet has 9 points, First Light and Serica (Charles Peacock) are both on 10.

A surprise winner in Division 6 was Spinner (Peter Lamb)  but Peter Bosworth’s Astrolabe heads the scoring after a third place today, just two points ahead of Innovator (Ian Smith) with Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock) third overall

Words:  Peter Campbell

Photos: Peter Campbell

 

 

 

Ramrod, built down the Huon of timber and fibreglass almost 20 years ago,  yesterday was declared overall AMS winner of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s 180 nautical mile TasPorts Maria Island Yacht Race.

Hobart chartered accountant and RYCT member Tim Maddock bought the modified Scott Kaufman-designed 36-footer about a year ago after some five seasons of sailing as mainsheet trimmer on 45-footer The Fork in the Road.

Line honours winner Tilt, Peter Cretan’s Martens 49, took out two handicap categories, PHS and IRC, but AMS is the major rated category.

Ramrod sailing past the Hippolights on the return leg of the Maria Island Race.  Photo Michelle Denny

Ramrod sailing past the Hippolights on the return leg of the Maria Island Race. Photo Michelle Denny

“This was our first Maria Island Race with Ramrod and our next big race is the Launceston to Hobart in which I have sailed four times previously with line The Fork in Road,” Maddock said yesterday after results were confirmed

This was the 69th running of the Maria Island Race, originally introduced as a qualifying race for the Sydney Hobart which this will be conducted for the 72nd time.  In this year’s race, there was one Sydney Hobart entrant and 10 Launceston to Hobart entrants.

Ramrod won the AMS category of the Maria Island Race from Derwent Sailing Squadron rivals,  club general manager Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 35cr,  Philosopher,  and sailing manager Michael Denney’s Bakewell-White Z39,  Wild West, which was second across the line.

Under PHS scoring, Tilt won on corrected time from Ramrod and Wild West and in the IRC category Tilt placed first, Philosopher second and Wild West third.

“Friday night’s crossing of Storm Bay to Tasman Island probably played a significant role in our success, getting us up with big guns,” recalled Maddock.

Tilt taking line honours in the Maria Island Race late on Saturday afternoon. Photo Stephen Shield.

Tilt taking line honours in the Maria Island Race late on Saturday afternoon. Photo Stephen Shield.

“We gybed a lot in the 28-30 knot westerly and rounded Tasman at 11.55pm, second in fleet,” he added. “Coming back from Maria Island  the winds were light until we reached Fortesque Bay where the breeze swung to the west at 10-15 knots.”

Ramrod was third boat to finish the 180 nautical mile course, 39 minutes astern of Wild West, followed by Philosopher and Sydney Hobart entrant Cromarty Magellan (Richard Grant).

The first four boats to finish crossed the line off Castray before midnight Saturday,  with most of the finishing in early hours of Sunday morning.  The exception was Kaiulani which finished shortly after 1pm yesterday.

Words: Peter Campbell

Photos: Michelle Denney

1700/20 November

 

 

 

The late entry of the successful harbour racing yacht Philosopher has lifted the fleet to 12 for this weekend’s TasPorts Maria Island Yacht Race, the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s longest annual long ocean race.

Philosopher’s entry has created a unique duel for handicap honours between the general manager and the sailing manager of the Derwent Sailing Squadron.

General manager Shaun Tiedemann will be sailing his Sydney 36cr Philosopher while sailing manager Michael Denney will be skippering his Bakewell-White Z439.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s 180 nautical mile TasPorts Maria Island Race starts at 7pm tonight off Castray Esplanade and takes the fleet across Storm Bay and up the East Coast to round the elongated island off Orford.

1-byc-winter-2016-4-wild-west

Michael and Michelle Denney's Wild West.  Photo Peter Watson.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast fresh westerly winds this evening, continuing on Saturday, but decreasing  in the late afternoon.  Moderate to fresh north-westerly winds are forecast for Sunday.

This will be the first Maria Island Race for both Wild West and Philosopher, with Wild West using the race as a lead-up to the Squadron’s Launceston to Hobart Race in late December.

“There’s always rivalry on the water between the two skippers and their crews,” commented Denney who races Wild West with his wife Michelle. “We are faster, but we need to get well enough ahead to beat Philosopher on corrected time.”

Denney crew includes two of the leading crewmen from Philosopher,  Shaun Tiedemann’s son Sam and Elliot Noye,  who have also signed up to sail aboard Wild West in the Launceston to Hobart.

All yachts except Philosopher and Cromarty Magellan have entered the National Pies L2H race,  with Cromarty Magellan one of four Tasmanian boats in the Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet.

Cromarty Magellan’s owner/skipper Richard Grant has managed to have the yacht’s damaged rudder of the Knoop 39 repaired in time for the Maria Island Race.

The fleet also includes a two-handed entry, Force Eleven,  an Adams 11, which Tasmanian yachtsmen Tristian Gourlay and Jamie Cooper plan to sail in next year’s 5,500 nautical mile two-handed race from Melbourne to Osaka in Japan.

They will also contest the L2H race as their qualifiers for the marathon south to north ocean race.

Heading the Maria Island Race fleet is Gary Smith’s Bakewell-White 45, The Fork in the Road and Peter Cretan’s Marten 49,  Tilt.

All yachts in the Maria Island Race will be fitted with Yellow Brick trackers, the same as those used in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Yellow Brick trackers have a phone app called YB Races. Download from the App Store or Android equivalent. Grab the free app, select Tasports Maria Island Race and watch the progress of the race.

Words:  Peter Campbell

Photo: Peter Watson

12 noon/18 November 2016

 

 

 

The former champion Sydney yacht Philosopher again dominated AMS and IRC rating results in yesterday’s Combined Clubs Harbour Series on the Derwent.

With Derwent Sailing Squadron two windward/leeward courses in the 18 knot south-east to easterly breeze for Divisions 1 and 2, Philosopher won every AMS and IRC rated category, but was unplaced under the PHS system.

Philosopher, a Sydney 36cr, is now owned in Hobart by DSS manager Shaun Tiedemann with his son Sam on the helm, along with a crew of talented young Hobart sailors.

Philosopher has notched up four wins and a fifth place on corrected time in its first summer pennant series on the Derwent, leading the AMS category on 9 points,  just one point ahead of the consistent Mumm 36 B&G Advantage (Jeff Cordell) on 10 points. In third place on 13 points is Tas Paints (Ian Stewart).

X&Y leading War Games in DIvision 1 on Saturday,

X&Y leading War Games in DIvision 1 on Saturday,

First place under PHS scoring for Division 1 in both races  went to boat-builder Toby Richardson’s Barrett-designed fast 40-footer X&Y, to give the boat a significant overall lead from Philosopher and Tas Paints.

Division 2 saw a continuation of the duel between two Young 88s,  Chris Sheehan’s Saga and Scott Brain and Steve Chau’s Young Lion, with Saga winning both races yesterday and Young Lion second in each race.

Ben Davidson’s First Light won the one harbour race for Division 4,  the third race of the season for this division and leads the series with 6 points, ahead of Hornet (Neville Georgeson) and Serica (Charles Peacock) both on 8 points.

Harbour racing on the Derwent yesterday.

Harbour racing on the Derwent yesterday.

In Division 6, Peter Alcock sailed his Mottle 33 Kindred Spirit to a win in Division 6 to level the pointscore with Innovator (Ian Smith) on 9 points. One point back is Astra lobe (Peter Bosworth) which finished second yesterday.

Next weekend is the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s 180 nautical mile Maria Island ocean race, starting Friday evening.

Words:  Peter Campbell

Photos: Michelle Denney

 

 

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