Two yachts built to the classic metre design, Serica and Juana, added a touch of nostalgia to yesterday’s Combined Clubs Harbour racing on the River Derwent, and there could more of them next month.
Juana, a ‘modern’ 8-metre class yacht with state-of-the-art keel and rudder but retaining the classic hull lines and rig, took line honours in Group 4, with Jock Young on the helm.
However, the smaller 6-metre, Serica, skippered by veteran Charles Peacock, won the race on PHS handicaps after chasing Juana around the course.
Bellerive Yacht Club has included a classic yachts division in next month’s Crown Series regatta and hopes to attract two more ‘eights’, Juanita and Varg, to join Juana and Serica.
Juana added her classic lines to the Combined Clubs racijg.
In Group 1, Wayne Banks-Smith’s Farr 40, War Games outsailed the fleet in the light and variable breeze to take line honours in the shortened course around harbour marks.
War Games also took first place on corrected time in the PHS and IRC categories, winning PHS from Jeff Cordell’s Mumm 36 B&G Advantage and Gary Cripps’ Sydney 38, Ciao Baby II.
In the IRC category, War Games won from B&G Advantage and Gavin Adamson’s Mumm 36, Madness, while the AMS category saw a win for B&G Advantage from TasPaints (Ian Stewart) and Madness.
Only two boats started in Group 2 with Trouble (Dave Willans) winning from Wildfire (Malcolm Robinson) by 16 seconds on corrected time.
In Group 6, Alibi II (Rod Williams) had an outright win, taking and line and handicap honours. Innovator (Ian Smith and D Aberle) placed second handicap, third went to Ingenue (Nigel Johnston).
War Games won Group 1 line honours, PHS and IRC>
On Melbourne’s Port Phillip, yesterday Tasmanian yacht Philosopher, Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 36cr, made a promising start to the Festival of Sails regatta, with a fleet of around 200 boats competing in the Williamstown to Geelong passage race.
Sailing in the most competitive Rating 1 division, Philosopher finished second on corrected time under AMS scoring and third under IRC scoring.
The Sandringham Yacht Club entrant Alchemist, Michael Manson’s Archambault 31, won both handicap categories, with Peter Sorenson and Gordon Ketelby’s latest boat, Philosophers, a Cookson 12 second, and the Tasmanian boat, Philosopher, third.
Sorenson previously owned Philosopher (then called Philosopher’s Dream) but sold the boat to Shaun Tiedemann 18 months ago after winning its division of fhe Australian Yachting Championships at Hamilton Island.
The Festival of Sails regatta continues through the coming week with racing on Corio Bay.
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Jimmy Emms
22 January 2016
