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Philosopher, Shaun Tiedemann’s modified Sydney 36cr, turned in an outstanding sailing performance on the Derwent today, winning five of the six handicap categories in two windward/leeward races.

Perfect sailing conditions, warm and sunny with a light to moderate breezes forecast,  attracted all but three of the 30 yachts entered for the series out to enjoy the best yacht racing of the season so far.

“We had near perfect sailing conditions,  warm and sunny with a moderate Easterly breeze that first - up looked like it was going to be a classic sea-breeze,” BYC sailing manager Peter Watson said after the racing.

“However the wind veered to the East just after the start of Groups 4 & 6 .  Race officer Grant Sutton postponed the start of Groups 1 & 2 and relocated further into the River Derwent to give a better windward beat.

“Alibi and Kamehameha over early on start and had to restart.

“The First race for Divisions  1 & 2 became a one way course as the wind continued to back to the East even more.

img_1000-003“The Race Officer moved the windward mark again for the second race  of the day and the boats had an excellent windward work as the wind finally settled in direction.

“Crew work is critical in these tight relatively short windward and return courses and one mistake can make a difference of many positions in the fleet,” Peter Watson commented.

Shaun Tiedemann, manager of the Derwent Sailing Squadron, has had great success with Philosopher since he bought her earlier this year.

With a crew of talented young Hobart sailors, graduates from dinghy classes, Philosopher sailed fast and tactically well yesterday, finishing a close fourth to the bigger boats in both races.

However, the competition was close with Philosopher winning the PHS category of the first race by just 19 seconds from Toby Richardson’s X&Y.

Philosopher went on to win the PHS, AMS and IRC categories of Division 1 in that race, continuing its good form in the second race, winning the AMS and IRC categories and finished second under PHS scoring.

The only other handicap winner in Division 1 was Filepro (Darren Clark) which won the PHS category of race 3.

img_0993-003In race two, the first of the day, Philosopher won Division 1 PHS from X&Y (Toby Richardson) and Tas Paints (Ian Stewart).  In AMS scoring, Philosopher won from TasPaints and Jeff Cordell’s B&G Advantage.

Philosopher completed a hat-trick by winning IRC from Wayne Banks-Smith’s Farr 40, War Games,  and B&G Advantage.

Filepro, skippered by Darren Clark won the PHS category of race, beating Philosopher by 17 seconds on corrected time with Madness (Gavin Adamson) third.

Philospher won the AMS category from Tas Paints and B&G Advantage and also IRC from Filepro and Madness.

Today’s racing saw the return to summer pennant racing of Stephen Boyes’ Farr 40 Wired which took line honours in both Division 1 races.

In Division 2, the winners were both Young 88s, Chris Sheehan’s Saga and Young Lion (Scott Brain and Steve Chau). Saga won race 2 from Wildfire (Malcolm Robinson) and Young Lion while Young Lion won race 3 from Saga and Wildfire.

In Division 4 the winners on corrected time were First Light (Ben Davidson) and Hornet (Neville Georgeson). First Light had an outright win, with Atilla (John Hunn) second on corrected time and Hornet third.

In the final race for Division 4, Hornet led the fleet around the course to win from Mick Sheehan’s Just in Time and Charles Peacock’s Serica.

Division 6 produced two different winners, Innovator (Ian Smith) and Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock).

In race 2, Innovator outsailed the fleet to win on corrected time from Malcolm Cooper’s Kaiulani and Kamehema (Frank Chatterton) while in race 3 Kindred Spirit won from Ingenue (Nigel Johnson) and Alibi II (Rod Williams).

Words: Peter Campbell

Photos:  Peter Watson

 

More than two decades after she won the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on IMS corrected time, the Bellerive Yacht Club syndicate-owned Filepro today showed she is still competitive and, in fact, a fine winner.

Filepro, skippered by Darren Clark, won the PHS and IRC categories of the Combined Clubs Long Race on corrected time, and finished a close second to Shaun Tiedemann’s Philosopher in the main AMS category.

With Mount Wellington blanketed in snow, showers of rain and a chilly southerly breeze gusting to 25 knots on the River Derwent, only 26 yachts ventured fourth for the 28 nautical mile race for Group A.

Mindful of the battering Hobart yachts had taken over the past two weekends, Derwent Sailing Squadron race officers set a long course within the river estuary, with all boats completing the course.

Filepro, a David Lyons-designed 40-footer originally named Micropay Cuckoos Nest  won the 1993 Sydney Hobart on IMS corrected time,  surviving a galeforce battering in the Tasman Sea. Of the 104 starters only 46 boats completed the long ocean race that year.

Aggressive starting in Group A of today's race/ Photo Peter Campbell

Aggressive starting in Group A of today's race/ Photo Peter Campbell

Since then, the yacht has had a number of owners and names, has sailed in various States, but only competed in one more Sydney Hobart, 1994.

A syndicate of Bellerive Yacht Club members, including Darren Clark, this year bought the yacht from another BYC member and renamed her Filepro.

Clark, who previously sailed with his father on the near unbeatable Farrr 1104 Invincible,  yesterday steered Filepro to first place on corrected time under PHS scoring from the new Mumm 30, Co-op Toyota (R Clark) and Ramrod (Tim Maddock).

In the IRC category,  Filepro took the honours from Philisopher and Tony Harman’s Masquerade, while under AMS scoring the Sydney 35cr Philosopher reversed the order on corrected time.  Masquerade placed third.

Group A saw an aggressive start with many boats close inshore, Filepro was a premature starter but returned and restarted,  while Silicon Ship also broke the line in Group B. She also returned and re-started.

The Mumm 30 Co-op Toyota battles  through a gust of Blackmans Bay. Photo Peter Watson/

The Mumm 30 Co-op Toyota battles through a gust of Blackmans Bay. Photo Peter Watson/

Launceston to Hobart entrant, Footloose, Stewart Geeves’ Young 88, won the Group B AMS category from Silicon Ship (C Wyatt) while Miss Conduct (Brian Fleming) won PHS from Footloose by 13 seconds. Third went to the classic yacht Serica (Charles Peacock).

Line honours went to another L2H entrant, Peter Cretan’s Martens 49,  with Filepro about five minutes astern.

Today’s second Combined Clubs Long Race is the last distance race before the 180 nautical Maria Island Race, a qualifying race for the Launceston to Hobart and Sydney Hobart Races.

Words:  Peter Campbell

Photos:  Peter Campbell and Peter Watson

22 October 2016

 

Two crewmen were injured, another was tossed overboard as strong and gusty north-westerly winds again battered Hobart’s Combined Clubs yachting fleet yesterday with consistent winds of 20-24 knots and gusts reaching 40 knots.

“Unfortunately, another torrid race day on the water…gusty north-westerly winds up to 40 knots,  yet other times down to 15-22 knots with larger pressure differences across the course,” Bellerive Yacht Club sailing manager Peter Watson said.

“War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith’s Farr 40) retired with an injured crewman,  Firepro (Darren Clark’s Lyons 40) had a man overboard during a bad broach, and a crew member of Philosopher (Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 36) was injured when the boat nose-dived and broached while running fast under spinnaker.

All three yachts retired but none of the crew was seriously injured and the man overboard quickly recovered by the crew of Filepro.

Philospher diving into wave doing 17 knots. Photo Peter Watson.

Philospher diving into wave doing 17 knots. Photo Peter Watson.

“Philosopher was doing 17 knots when we nose-dived…I reckon at that point we were the fastest Sydney 36 in Australia,” owner/skipper Shaun Tiedemann said after the race.

“We did some damage to the stern stanchions but the crewman suffered only a minor injury to his knee.”

Due to the conditions, Bellerive Yacht Club race officers sent Division 1 and 2 boats down the river on a harbour course to Gellibrand Point and return to the Victoria Esplanade, while Groups 4 and 6 went to Punches and Tranmere then back to Victoria Esplanade finish.

Only four of the seven starters finished Division 1, with the two Mumm 36s, Jeff Cordell’s B&G Advantage and Ian Stewart’s Tas Paints, crossing the finishing line just three seconds apart. On AMS corrected time, the honours went to Tas Paints.

PHS scoring saw a corrected time win for Ciao Baby II (Gary Cripps) from X&Y (Toby Richardson) and B&G Advantage.

In Division 2, the one and only starter retired, but the smaller boats in Division 4 and 6 all battled through the tough sailing conditions which have hit Combined Clubs racing over these past two weekends.

First Light (Ben Davidson) won Division 4 on line and PHS corrected time from veteran John Hunn’s Atilla and Neville Georgeson’s Hornet).

In Division 6, Innovator (Ian S

Division1 winner of PHS category today was Ciao Baby II.  Photo Peter Watson

Division1 winner of PHS category today was Ciao Baby II. Photo Peter Watson

ith) also had an outright win from Malcolm Cooper’s Kaiulani and Kamehameha (Frank Chatterton and M Woodward).

Words:  Peter Campbell

Photos: Peter Watson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Galeforce northerly winds gusting to 50 knots on the River Derwent and in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel yesterday played havoc with Hobart yachts in their first long race of the season, forcing half the fleet to retire from the Channel Race.

Out of 39 starters only 19 boats completed the course,  most of the retirees being  forced out with sail and rigging damage.

The 19  finishers battled their way up the river  into 30-40 knot headwinds with heavily reefed sails, some reduced to red storm sails more often seen in ocean races.

The strength of the wind was not predicted. There was no gale warning issued for either the Derwent Estuary or the Channel. The forecast was for 20-30 knots from the north, decreasing to 15-25 knots late in the afternoon, The 50+ knots was not forecast either in the BOM;s area forecasts or the marine forecast charts.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, nor other clubs, do not send yachts out to race if there is a gale warning for the race area,

The 30 nautical mile Channel Race is the first of eight races in this summer’s Combined Clubs Long Distance Series.

After a fast spinnaker run down the Derwent and into the Channel to round a mark off Bligh Point, the fleet was hit by 40-50 knots before having to battle to windward up the river  against winds averaging 26-32 knots, with gusts in excess of 40 knots and steep short seas.

AMS and PHS winner of the Channel Race. Zephyr. battles to windward on the Derwe nt. photo PeterWatson

AMS and PHS winner of the Channel Race. Zephyr. battles to windward on the Derwe nt. photo PeterWatson

The river was a mass of white caps, the wind whipping spume off the waves,  as the last boats neared the finish.  At 4.00pm a 50 knots gust was recorded at Hobart. An hour after the last boat finished the wind was gusting to 70 knots with waves breaking over Sandy Bay Road.

“We did a bit of damage…blew the leech our of the mainsail…pulled a ring out of the only small No 3 headsail we had on board, “ reported Michelle Denney, co-owner with husband Mike Denney of Wild West.

“But in 35 to 45, up to 50 knots we only needed our storm sails,” she added. “Expensive day on the watere!”

Gary Smith’s 45-footer The Fork in the Road recovered from a spectacular broach just after 10.10am start of Castray Esplanade to take line honours shortly after 2.00pm with Ian Johnston’s powerful Zephyr crossing the line 20 minutes later.

The impressive heavy weather performance by Zephyr,  a powerful Farr MX42 and her crew was rewarded with first place on corrected time under both AMS and PHS categories of Group A.

In the AMS category,  Zephyr won from Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 36, third place going to the Mumm 36 Tas Paints, skippered by Ian Stewart.

Filepro (Darren Clark) leaps over a wave in the Channel Race/. Photo Peter Watson

Filepro (Darren Clark) leaps over a wave in the Channel Race/. Photo Peter Watson

Under PHS scoring, Zephyr took first place from Tony Harman’s Masquerade and Tas Paints.

Only six boats competed under an IRC rating,  with Philosopher winning from Masquerade and Don Calvert’s Intrigue.

Just two boats finished the race in Groups B and C.  In Group B the 12 boat fleet was cut to two finishers, Footloose (Stewart Geeves) winning from AMS and PHS from Silicon Ship (C Wyatt).

In Division C, Camlet Way (Steve Mannering) won under PHS scoring from Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock).

Words:  Peter Campbell

Photos: Peter Campbell and Peter Watson

9 October 2016

 

 

Hobart boat owners,  their crew and families celebrated the Opening Day of the 136th Yachting Season the River Derwent today with a massive fleet of more than 250 craft saluting the Governor of Tasmania,  Professor Kate Warner, in a spectacular sail past in historic Sullivan’s Cove.

“At least 250 boats on the water…on a perfect spring afternoon,” confirmed race officer ‘Biddy’ Badenach whose task it was to dispatch the huge fleet in line astern for the Sail Past from off the Regatta Grounds into Sullivan’s Cove and past the Governor aboard the classic motor yacht Egeria.

Veteran yachtsmen agreed it was the largest fleet for an Opening Day Sail Past in many years and reflected the ongoing growth of yachting, sailing and motor boating on the Derwent with craft from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Bellerive Yacht Club, Derwent Sailing Squadron, the Cruising Yacht Club of Tasmania and the Motor Yacht Club taking part.

The sailing craft ranged from Laser dinghies through to ocean racing yachts and included several notable veteran yachts,  such the classic yawl Gipsy, now into her second century of sailing in southern Tasmania.

Black Magic leads the fleet in saluting the Governor aboard Egeria. Photo Peter Campbell

Black Magic leads the fleet in saluting the Governor aboard Egeria. Photo Peter Campbell

Another veteran was early Australian Admiral’s Cup team member Balandra, returning to sailing after a major refit.

Bellerive Yacht Club Commodore Graeme Mansfield headed the fleet in his yacht Black Magic,  the crew standing to attention on the starboard side as they passed Egeria to port, as stated in the sailing instructions.   Also aboard Black Magic was Paralympic silver medalist Matt Bugg.

Close astern came the dinghies,  Lasers and one Sharpie,  before the procession of yachts,  some under full sail, others motor-sailing, many ‘dressed ship’ with colourful flags and pennants.  The large contingent of boats from the Motor Yacht Club brought up the rear.

Because of the angle at which Egeria was anchored in Sullivan’s Cove the yachts that followed Black Magic chose to leave her to starboard – a wise decision that avoided possible chaos with yachts forced to tack close to Egeria.

Opening Day ended with an estimated 200 boats anchoring or rafting up to celebrate the upcoming summer of sailing off Nutgrove Beach at Lower Sandy Bay.

Kaiulani and Lasers sail past the Governor in Sulllivan's Cove. Photo Peter Cammpbell

Kaiulani and Lasers sail past the Governor in Sulllivan's Cove. Photo Peter Cammpbell

Sunday, and it’s down to business for many crews with more than 50 yachts entered in the Channel Race,  the first event in the Combined Club Long Race Series.  The forecast is for fresh to strong north to north-westerly winds on the Derwent and in D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

Opening Day of Yachting Season for 2016-2917 was a brilliant spectacle, the 250 craft (or more) a vast increase from the 15 yachts that took part in the original Sail Past in 1880.  The sport of sailing has come a long way in 136 years.

Words and photos:  Peter Campbell, 8 October 2016

 

 

 

The summer season of Combined Clubs Long Race Series starts tomorrow (Sunday) with the traditional Channel Race, a 50-plus fleet and several newcomers to regular combined club distance racing.

The Channel Race will take the fleet down the Derwent to a mark near Bligh Point on Bruny Island just inside the northern entrance to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, a return distance close to 30 nautical miles.

The first of eight races in the Combined Club Long Race Series over the summer, the Channel Race starts off Castray Esplanade at 10am on Sunday.

Making their Long Race Series debut in the 23-boat Group A are Shaun Philosopher’s Philosopher,  Mike and Michelle’s Wild West,  Rohan Clark’s Co-op Toyota while Darren Clark will be skippering Filepro, the former Nexedge.

Another newcomer to the summer pennant race is Graeme Wood’s Wot’s New, a power Sydney 47.

Most of these boats have raced with success in the various Hobart clubs’ winter pennants, including Philosopher, Wild West and Wot’s News.

Recently successful in the Pipe Opener Series last month, Matthew Denholm’s Mumm 30 Cleopatra will have boat-for-boat competition from another Mumm 30, Rowan Clark’s Co-op Toyota.

Returning for a yet another season is Intrigue,  veteran Don Calvert’s Castro 40 Intrigue, while heading the fleet is Gary Smith’s The Fork in Road,  returning to racing with a longer bowsprit to enable the 45-footer to carry larger Code 0 reaching headsails.

The booming SB20 one-design sports boat fleet attracted a record 27 starters for the opening pennant race of the summer,  again being run in conjunction with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania/Derwent Sailing Squadron Thursday evening twilights.

Class pioneer on the Derwent,  Nick Rogers sailed away from the big fleet for a comfortable win in light and flukey winds,  steering Karabos to victory from Porto Ross, helmed by young skipper Elliott Noye. Third to finish was The Honey Badger with former International Cadet world champion on the helm.

Cleopatra is in winning form. Photo Peter Campbell

Cleopatra is in winning form. Photo Peter Campbell

With the SB20 world championships here in Hobart in January 2018 the fleet on the Derwent has reached 43 boats,  the largest fleet in Australia and the summer pennant racing fleet is expected to increase later in the year.

Among those racing on Thursday evening were several women skippers and all-women crews including Felicity Allison (Peter Johnston), the three Athena Sailing boats, Fire of Athena (Jo Breen), Essence of Athena (Sam Bailey) and Pride of Athena (Kirsty Gray), and The Hutchins School two SB20s,  Murray Jones ((Sam Abel) and Warwick Dean (Will Allison).

Words:  Peter Campbell - 8 October 2016

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