Sunny skies and light winds greet the large fleet for the start of the Summer Pennant Series.  (more…)

The Time Lord of Hobart yachting, Roger Jackman’s Doctor Who, on Sunday sailed to a double handicap victory in the opening race of the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant on the River Derwent.

Flying her new masthead spinnaker, the Davidson 52 excelled in the light breeze, with helmsman Rod Jackman picking the right wind shifts to take corrected time honours under both Division 1 PHS and IRC scoring categories, although IRC results are provisional.

Designed and built in New Zealand in 1983, Doctor Who has been a consistent harbour and ocean race winner in Tasmanian waters and also won the IMS division of the 1990 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

A fleet of 41 keelboats contested yesterday’s first of nine Summer Pennant Races, sailed on a river course, starting and finishing off Castray Esplanade.  Because of the light winds, the course was shortened for all divisions, the last boats crossing the line close to 5.00pm.

Derwent Sailing Squadron Vice Commodore Nick Connor described the quality and quantity of the fleet as “excellent” for the first race of the Combined Clubs season.

“Although the sun shined brightly on a beautiful spring day, the fickle winds of the River Derwent weren’t so pleasing for skippers and crews.

“Large holes in the wind appeared all over the course, with Division 1 boats in particular affected as the Eastern shore bore the brunt of the uncooperative breeze,” he added.

Doctor was fifth in fleet to finish and on corrected time took first place in the PHS category from Toby Richardson’s X&Y and Wayne Banks-Smith’s War Games.

With IRC results provisional because of some yachts not yet receiving new rating certificates, Doctor Who has been placed first from Hughie Lewis and Gary Cripps Farr 40 Guilty Pleasures and Gary Smith’s Fork in the Road, which finished less than a minute astern of Mike Pritchard’s Oskana at the finish.

War Games, another Farr 40, won the Division 1 AMS from The Fork in the Road and Don Calvert’s Intrigue.

For the first time, IRC scoring has been extended to Divisions 2 and 3, with Hobart yachtsmen embracing this rating system as the major handicapping category for Combined Club racing.

In Division 2, provisional IRC honours went to Wings Three, Peter Haros’ Northshore 38, from Illusion (David Brett) and Natelle Two (Glen Roper0.

DSS Commodore Steve Chau won Division 3 IRC with his Young 88, Young Lion, second place going to Footloose (Stewart Geeves), third to Moonshadow (Anthony Ellis).

Prominent Bellerive Yacht Club member Ian Stewart had a first-up win with his new boat, Southern Swordfish, an Northshore 38, taking out Division 2 PHS and finishing second under AMS scoring to Illusion (David Brett).

Runner-up in Division 2 PHS was Rumbeat (Justin Barr), third Pirate’s Pride (Peter Masterton).  Third in AMS was Wings Three.

In Division 3 AMS, the two Young 88 duelled for  first place on corrected time, with Young One (N Mills/J Nibbs) winning from Young Lion (Steve Chau).  Footloose came in third.

The syndicate-owned Wildfire won Division 3 PHS from Young One and Trouble (Mark Millhouse).

Nigel Johnston’s metre-styled Ingenue had an outright in Division 4 after a close duel with Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock) for line and handicap honours.  Third was Mimi (Kevin Jacobson).

A total of 50 boats have so far entered the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant.

Next Saturday will see the first day of the Combined Clubs Inshore Series with a midriver starts.

Words:  Peter Campbell

Photos: Peter Watson

13 October 2018

What a great couple of weeks, interstate and overseas, for Will Sargent and his crew(s) from the Friends School,the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and Sandy Bay Sailing Club in the Interdominion Schools Team Racing Championships in New Zealand, followed by the Australian Schools and Open Youth Match Racing Championships in Sydney.

With Will on the helm in each series, they finished a close second overall in the Interdominions, sailing 420s, then flew to Sydney to win the Australian Schools Match Racing in a hard-fought series last weekend.

On Monday they lined up again for the Open Youth Match Racing against some very experienced under-23 match racing skippers and crews, sailing Elliot 7s,  the crew showing adability to the major change of boats.

Sailing in some highly variable winds, from drifters to near gale conditions on, at times stormy, Sydney Harbour the Tasmanians, representing the RYCT, improved with every flight in what was Will’s first as helmsman in an open match racing regatta.

Wil Sargent sent a brief update after two round-robins which they finished fifth, just one point from making the semi-finals.

‘We had only one loss one loss today and nearly completed a really good comeback,” Will reported.

“Being the youngest helm in the regatta, it has been a really regatta, it has been a great experience in racing against the best from Australia and the world.

“As an inexperienced team we were more than happy with that result and pleased to know that before now the best Tasmania had done at this regatta was seventh,” the teenage sailor added.

In the sail-off for fifth and sixth, Sargent won 2-1 to obtain the high place yet by a Tasmanian crew in the Australian Youth Match Racing Championship.

The Friends team for the school match racing championship comprised William Sargent (helm), Issie Declerk, Ethan Galbraith, Archie Ibbott and Anna Reid.

The RYCT team at the Sharp youth match racing team were William Sargent (RYCT), Oli Burnell (DSS), Archie Ibbott (SBSC), Anna Reid (SBSC) and Ethan Galbraith (SBSC).

Words: Peter Campbell

Photos: Amanda Sargent, CYCA

12 October 2018

A grand day afloat on a sparkling River Derwent today launched Hobart’s Summer of Sail for 2018-19, with sailors turning out in their hundreds for their traditional Opening Day of the Sailing Season. (more…)

Hobart school, Friends, has maintained its lead on day two of the open division of the 2018 Interdominion Schools Team Racing Championships being sailed on Algies Bay, north of Auckland, New Zealand.

Fellow Hobart school Fahan slipped from equal first after day one to fourth in the all-girls division, but their round-robin two competition was unfinished at the end of day two.

Talented teenage sailors from Australia and New Zealand are contesting the championships, sailing 420 dinghies, three from each country in an open (mixed) division and, for the first time, three in an all-female division.

The Friends School was unbeaten in ten flights in the open (mixed) division on day one, but yesterday had just one win out of five in round robin three.

However, the team of six boys and one girl, recovered well in the unfinished round-robin four, winning all three flights sailed.

Friends has had 14 wins with Australian schools team racing champions, Westminster from Adelaide, winning seven of eight encounters against the New Zealanders, their only loss on day two being to Friends, for a total of 12 wins.

The NZ school, Auckland Grammar, also has had 12 wins, followed by Westlake (NZL) with nine wins, Christchurch (NZL)  six and Brighton Grammar (AUS) five wins.

After scoring eight wins on day one, Fahan has had a disappointing day two, winning only two races so far, with round-robin four uncompleted.

In contrast, Ascham School from Sydney had five wins in round-robin three and, at the end of sailing on day two, was equal second in the all-girls division with NZ school, Diocesan,  both with 11 wins.

New Zealand school, Napier, now heads the group with 14 wins, with Fahan and Diocesan on 10 points followed by NPFHS (NZL) on 8 points and Canberra Girls Grammar yet to win a race.

Words and photos: Peter Campbell

2 October 2018