Owner/skipper Shaun Tiedemann already has big plans for next season with harbour racing champion yacht Philosopher, contesting the 2018 Australian Yachting Championships and the Festival of Sails in Victoria.
Philosopher, sailed by Tiedemann and his crew of under 25 year old talented sailors, yesterday won the Combined Clubs Harbour Series 2016-2017 in the AMS and IRC rated categories on the River Derwent.
“My plan is to contest the Australian Yachting Championships at Sandringham Yacht Club in mid-January 2018, followed by the Festival of Sails at Royal Geelong Yacht Club later in the month,” Tiedemann said after a day of frustrating racing on the Derwent.
The final Harbour race of the 2017-2017 summer yachting season was sailed in fickle northerly winds of under 10 knots.
The class 8-metre yacht Juana won the final race for Division 6.
Race officer Grant Sutton made the right call and sent Divisions 1 and 2 on a long harbour course rather than two short windward/leeward races.
All divisions started in a light northerly breeze, heading upwind to a windward mark off Kangaroo Bluff with Division 1,4 and 6 heading downwind to the Tranmere mark, while Division 2 went to Punches Reef mark.
Soon after the start large windless holes started to appear on the course as the sea-breeze attempted to fight its way up the river against the weakening northerly. Eventually, the sea-breeze filled and all yachts had a spinnaker run to the finish line off the Bellerive Yacht Club’s box on Victoria Esplanade.
Philosopher finished third on corrected time in both the AMS and IRC categories of Division 1, sufficient to win AMS by two points from Jeff Cordell’s Mumm 36, B&G Advantage. Tas Paints, Ian Stewart’s Mumm 36 finished third overall after winning the final race.
Saga won Division 2 of the Combined Clubs Harbour Series.
Philosopher had a more comfortable win in the IRC category, with a nine point win from B&G Advantage with War Games, Wayne Banks-Smith’s Farr 40 winning the last race to finish third overall.
Under PHS scoring in Division 1, overall victory went to Toby Richardson’s X&Y from Tas Paints and War Games.
In Division 2 (PHS), Chris Sheehan sailed his Young 88 Saga to its fourth win of the season to clinch victory from Young Lion (Steve Chau and Scott Brain), also a Young 88, third overall being Trouble (Dave Willans).
Division 4 was decided on a countback between Neville Georgeson’s Hornet and Charles Peacock’s classic yacht Serica. Third overall was the 8metre class yacht Juana, with Jock Young at the helm which won yesterday's final race.
In Division 6, Innovator (Ian Smith and David Aberle) won the pennant from Alibi II (Rod Williams) and Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock). Egenue (Nigel Johnston) won the last race.
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Peter Watson
26 March 2017
