River Derwent racing yacht Philosopher, skippered by Shaun Tiedemann, yesterday became the first Tasmanian boat to win an Australian Yachting Championship.

In a boat-for-boat, last race finish on Melbourne’s Port Phillip,  the Sydney 36cr from Derwent Sailing Squadron won the IRC category of Division 3 of Australia’s premier yachting event on a countback of placings.

“It was a hard regatta, a hard last day and a hard last race, but my crew of under 25-year-olds sailed hard and we won by the narrowest of margins,” said skipper Tiedemann, who is general manager of the Derwent Sailing Squadron in Hobart.

“I had a brilliant crew and a brilliant little boat which now won three Australian IRC championship, 2008, 2011 and now 2017,” he added in an interview from Sandringham Yacht Club after the last of the eight-race regatta on Port Phillip.

Apart from the 50-year-old owner/skipper and mainsheet hand, the crew of Philosopher are all aged under 25 and includes three International Cadet Australian champions.

All from Hobart, they were Elliott Noye (tactician), Sam Tiedemann (helmsman), Alec Bailey (upwind trimmer), Lewis Noye (downwind trimmer), Samathana Bailey (pit), Tom Stearnes (bow), Oli Burnell (mast) and Elson Brown (floater).

Going into the final day of racing Philosopher was one point behind Victorian yacht Executive Decision, Trevor Neitz’s Adams 10,  but  won the first two short windward/leeward races to be one point ahead.

“In the final race we covered Executive Decision all the way, and although she won on corrected time, we had the numbers to win on a countback,” Tiedeman added.

Philosopher finished with a scorecard of (3)-1-2-2-3-1-1-2, while Executive Decision’s placings in a series-long duel were 2-2-(3)-1-2-2-2-1, both boats finishing with a net 12 points.  The countback favoured the Tasmanian boat with its three first places.

Yesterday’s final three races began in a 15 knot south-westerly breeze…”perfect for us, but it dropped right out for the last race and that made it really tough going,” recalled Shaun Tiedemann.

Philosopher also won the PHS category of Division 3 of the Australian championships, beating Rhapsody (Andrew Smith) by five points.

Rolex Sydney Hobart winning skipper Matt Allen sailed his Botin 52 to victory in Division 1 IRC while Division 2 IRC winner was local yacht Ikon (Bruce McCraken).

The 2019 Australian Yachting Championships will be sailed on Hobart’s River Derwent from 3-6 January.

Words: Peter Campbell

Photos: Stacey French, Peter Campbell

21 January 2018

 

 

Hobart yachtsman Gavin Adamson, one of the driving forces in keelboat racing on the Derwent, yesterday received a well-deserved reward for his efforts – a hat-trick of handicap wins with his Mumm 36 Madness.

Madness won the Group 1 AMS, PHS and IRC categories on corrected time of the Combined Clubs summer pennant,  at the same time outsailing his arch-rivals in river racing, Tas Paints, Heatwave and B&G Advantage,  also Mumm 36s.

Madness won Group 1 AMS by just 30 seconds on corrected time from Zephyr (Ian Johnston) and Don Calvert’s Intrigue.

In the PHS handicap category Madness again beat Zephyr,  the margin this time just five seconds, third place going to Filepro (Tom Gadsby).

Under IRC ratings Madness had a more comfortable, 2 minutes and 7 seconds win from Ian Stewart’s Tas Paints, third place line honours winner War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith).

A fleet of almost 50 keelboats contested the first Combined Clubs post-Christmas summer pennant race,  with Bellerive Yacht Club setting a long course for Group to a mark about 6 nautical miles south-east of the Iron Pot and then home.

The other groups sailed to Seacoft Bay and Blackman’s Bay within the river.

“We had a beautiful sea breeze….from the start in mid-river Group 1 boats sailed to windward down the river and to a mark in Storm Bay then home to a finish off Victoria Esplanade,” BYC marine manager Peter Watson said after the race.

“The SSE gradient breeze,  although light at the start, kept building as the sea breeze started to take effect.

“The fleet made a colourful spectacle as they ‘rolled’ home downwind in the breeze,  up to 15-18 knots at the finish,” Watson added.

The morning start saw the fleet tackle a long beat down the river in a light southerly breeze, while the building afternoon sea breeze favoured the smaller boats on corrected time.

The generally light conditions favoured the lightweight harbour racing yachts, with the two Farr 40s, War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith) and Wired (Sam Boyes) leading the fleet home.

Bigger ocean racers, The Fork in the Road (Gary Smith) and Tilt (Peter Cretan) finished well back in the 18-boat Group 1 fleet.

In Group 2,  Peter Haros’  Wings Three won the AMS category from 42 South (Mark Ballard) and Illusion (David Brett) while front runner Juana (Jock Young) took out PHS from Pirate’s Pride (Peter Masterton) and 42 South.

Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Steve Chau continued his winning ways with his Young 88 Young Lion in Group 3 AMS, finishing second across the line to near sistership Saga (Chris Sheehan) but winning the race on corrected time.  Another Young 88, Footloose (Stewart Geeves) placed third.

Group 3 PHS went to Rousabout (Derek Inglis) from Footloose and Serica (Charles Peacock).

In Division 4, the Mottle 33 Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock) led the fleet around the course but placed back in fifth place on corrected time with the race going to Wayath (Allan Morgan) from Astrolabe (Peter Bosworth) and Free n Easy (Rob Jones).

Words:   Peter Campbell

Photos:  Peter Watson

20 January  2018

Hobart yachtsman Gavin Adamson, one of the driving forces in keelboat racing on the Derwent, yesterday received a well-deserved reward for his efforts – a hat-trick of handicap wins with his Mumm 36 Madness.

Madness won the Group 1 AMS, PHS and IRC categories on corrected time of the Combined Clubs summer pennant,  at the same time outsailing his arch-rivals in river racing, Tas Paints, Heatwave and B&G Advantage,  also Mumm 36s.

Madness won Group 1 AMS by just 30 seconds on corrected time from Zephyr (Ian Johnston) and Don Calvert’s Intrigue.

In the PHS handicap category Madness again beat Zephyr,  the margin this time just five seconds, third place going to Filepro (Tom Gadsby)

Under IRC ratings Madness had a more comfortable, 2 minutes and 7 seconds win from Ian Stewart’s Tas Paints, third place line honours winner War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith).

A fleet of almost 50 keelboats contested the first Combined Clubs post-Christmas summer pennant race,  with Bellerive Yacht Club setting a long course for Group to a mark about 6 nautical miles south-east of the Iron Pot and then home.

The other groups sailed to Seacoft Bay and Blackman’s Bay within the river.

“We had a beautiful sea breeze….from the start in mid-river Group 1 boats sailed to windward down the river and to a mark in Storm Bay then home to a finish off Victoria Esplanade,” BYC marine manager Peter Watson said after the race.

“The SSE gradient breeze,  although light at the start, kept building as the sea breeze started to take effect.

“The fleet made a colourful spectacle as they ‘rolled’ home downwind in the breeze,  up to 15-18 knots at the finish,” Watson added.

The morning start saw the fleet tackle a long beat down the river in a light southerly breeze, while the building afternoon sea breeze favoured the smaller boats on corrected time.

The generally light conditions favoured the lightweight harbour racing yachts, with the two Farr 40s, War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith) and Wired (Sam Boyes) leading the fleet home.

Bigger ocean racers, The Fork in the Road (Gary Smith) and Tilt (Peter Cretan) finished well back in the 18-boat Group 1 fleet.

In Group 2,  Peter Haros’  Wings Three won the AMS category from 42 South (Mark Ballard) and Illusion (David Brett) while front runner Juana (Jock Young) took out PHS from Pirate’s Pride (Peter Masterton) and 42 South.

Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Steve Chau continued his winning ways with his Young 88 Young Lion in Group 3 AMS, finishing second across the line to near sistership Saga (Chris Sheehan) but winning the race on corrected time.  Another Young 88, Footloose (Stewart Geeves) placed third.

Group 3 PHS went to Rousabout (Derek Inglis) from Footloose and Serica (Charles Peacock).

In Division 4, the Mottle 33 Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock) led the fleet around the course but placed back in fifth place on corrected time with the race going to Wayath (Allan Morgan) from Astrolabe (Peter Bosworth) and Free n Easy (Rob Jones).

Words:   Peter Campbell

Photos:  Peter Watson

20 January  2018

Philosopher’s young crew ready for final duel

Tasmanian yachtsman Shaun Tiedemann is confident his youthful crew of Philosopher can bring their windward/leeward racing expertise to the fore in today’s final three short races of the Australian Yachting Championships on Melbourne’s Port Phillip.

Philosopher found the going ‘’sticky’’ in very light winds of yesterday’s long race around the bay and, although leading the Division 3 fleet to line honours, was beaten on corrected time by local boats.

Under the premier IRC scoring, the Sydney 36cr from the Derwent Sailing Squadron finished third and is just one point behind the leading local yacht, Executive Decision.

In the PHS category, Philosopher finished sixth but is still only two points behind overall leader Rhapsody, another local boat.

“It was very light, under 5 knots, for the first hour and a bit; we went around the first mark with the lower rating Adams designs which revelled in these conditions,” Tiedemann said after the race at Sandringham Yacht Club.

“Nevertheless, we are very happy with the IRC result…..we could have been right out the back door in these conditions…and happy with our other position.

“The forecast is a bit ordinary for tomorrow, but I am sure the race officer won’t start the racing until there is a steady breeze,” Tiedemann added.

The nine crew of Philosopher, eight men and one woman,  are all aged under 25, with the exception of owner/skipper Shaun Tiedemann.  His son Sam is the helmsman.

Rolex Sydney Hobart winner Ichi Ban (Matt Allen) still leads Division 1 IRC of the Australian Yachting championships, the nation’s premier keelboat racing regatta.

In Division 2 IRC, the overall leader is Icon (Bruce McCracken) while in Division 3 Executive Decision (Trevor Neitz) leads Philosopher by one points.

Executive Decision so far has placed 2-2-3-1-2 while Philosopher has placed 3-1-2-2-3 on IRC scoring.

Words:  Peter Campbell

Photo: Stacey French, Australian Sailing

1900AEST:  20 January 2018

 

 

Champion Hobart racing yacht Philosopher is about to start its bid to win IRC Division 3 of the Australian Yachting Championships on a extremely hot and windy Port Phillip. Skippered by Shaun Tiedemann, General Manager of the Squadron, the Sydney 36cr faces a fleet of eight boats, with Division 3 scheduled to start at 10.40am on a course off host club, Sandringham Yacht Club.

Melbourne's temperature today is expected to soar to 42 degrees and at 10.20am a 24 knot hot northerly breeze was blowing down the bay. Division 3 is a mixed fleet and includes another Sydney 36cr, M, skippered by Kristian Hatch. All but Philisopher and M are local Victorian boats. Philosopher, however, has a higher IRC rating than M and, in fact, is the second highest rating boat in IRC Division 3 with local Melbourne boat Vertigo, a Summit 35, the highest rating boat in the division.

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