Roger Jackman’s Doctor Who and Don Calvert’s Intrigue on Saturday on Saturday showed they still head the who’s who of yacht racing on Hobart’s River Derwent, each notching up another win the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant.

With two more Pennant race days to complete the summer season, Doctor Who, skippered by Rod Jackman, has a commanding points lead in both IRC and PHS handicap categories. Intrigue holds a similar margin in AMS.

Both yachts were designed and built in the 1980s, Doctor Who, a Davidson 62 in 1983 with a Sydney Hobart division win to her credit; Intrigue, a Castro 40 built in 1985 and an Admiral’s Cup team boat.

Today’s course was an extended river day race, with Division 1 sailing 32 nautical miles to Yellow Bluff and return, Divisions 2,3 and 4 to Bull Bay and Blackmans Bay,  25 nautical miles.  Conditions were perfect with an 18 knot sou’-easter.

Doctor Who won Division 1 IRC from Intrigue, third place going to Shaun Tiedemann’s Philosopher.

Intrigue won AMS from B&G Advantage, Jeff Cordell’s Mumm 36 which won the inaugural Tasmanian AMS championship last weekend.  Assagai, Chris Sheehan’s Melges 32, placed third.

Zephyr (Ian Johnston) won Division 1 PHS from Assagai and Gavin Adamson’s Madness.

Wings Three (Peter Haros) had a good day in Division 2, winning IRC, AMS and placing third in PHS, won by Frontline (Ian Snape).

Young 88s again did well in Division 3, Footloose (Stewart Geeves) winning PHS and Young Lion (Steve Chau) placing first on corrected time in both AMS and IRC scoring.

In Division 4, Camlet Way (Stephen Mannering) won her fourth race of the Summer Pennant and is just half a point behind Astroabe (Peter Bosworth) on the leader board.

After seven races in the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant Doctor Who leads Division 1 PHS pointscore from Heatwave and Intrigue and leads IRC from Intrigue and Heatwave.

In Division 2, Wings Three leads in IRC from Rumbeat and Natelle Two, and AMS from Southern Swordfish and Illusion. Southern Swordfish heads the leaderboard in PHS from Natele Two and Rumbeat.

In Division 3, Young Lion heads IRC from Footloose and Moonshadow and AMS from Young One and Moonshadow. Footloose heads PHS from Groove and Trouble.

Astrolabe heads Division 4 PHS by just half a point from Camlet Way and Hornet.

Words and photos: Peter Campbell

24 February 2019

Bellerive Yacht Club member Matthew Keal and his crew obviously enjoyed Hobart’s hot weather  on Saturday, scoring a double handicap win with the aptly named Heatwave in the Combined Club’s Summer Pennant race.

Heatwave, a Mumm 36 design, sailed well above her rating to take out the Division 1 IRC category by almost seven-and-a-half minutes, also winning AMS and finishing second in PHS on corrected time.

In a winning day for BYC boats and Mumm 36 designs, Jeff Cordell’s B&G Advantage won the AMS category of Division 1, also placing second in PHS.

Another BYC boat, Chris Sheehan’s newly acquired Melges 32 Assagai, made an impressing Pennant racing debut, placing third in both Division 1 PHS and Division1 AMS.

Derwent Sailing Squadron sailing manager Peter Watson commented after the river race: “The light south-easterly sea breeze had a tenuous grip on the River Derwent today.”

Only minutes before the warning signal for Division 1 start did race officer Gilbert Leitch ‘bite the bullet’ and send the fleet into the light sou’-easter.

Division 1 was sent into Ralph’s Bay, now free of the Iron Monarch oil rig.  Divisions 2, 3 and 4 went to a mark off the Garrow Light.

With the breeze lightening and backing to the north-east, Divisions 2, 3 and 4 were shortened from three laps o three, while Division 1 completed their course, although there were some large windless pockets in the middle of the course.

Oskana, Mike Pritchard’s Cookson 50, took line honours in Division from War Games, Wayne Banks-Smith’s Farr 40 and the Lewis/Cripps owned Guilty Pleasures, also a Farr 40.

In Division 1 PHS, Heatwave won from B&XG Advantage and Assagai, and in IRC took first place from War Games and Guilty Pleasures.  B&G Advantage won AMS from Heatwave and Assagai.

The veteran Natelle Two (Glenn Roper) continued its winning ways taking first place in Division 2 PHS from Ian Stewart’s Southern Swordfish and Justin Barr’s Rumbeat.

Rumbeat won Division 2 IRC from Wings Three (Peter Haros) and Natelle Two, while under AMS scoring first place went to Southern Swordfish and Illusion (David Brett)

In Division 3, Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Steve Chau’s Young Lion won both IRC and AMS categories, with another Young 88, Footloose (Stewart Geeves) winning on PHS scoring.

Young Lion took out Division 3 IRC from Footloose and Groove (Wil Justo) and AMS from Footloose and Young One (Nathan Mills and John Nibbs).

With a dozen boats lining up for a PHS result in Division 2, Footloose won from Lock on Wood (Ron Akhurst) and Groove.

Division 4 continues to attract a good fleet with Astrolabe (Peer Bosworth) winning on PHS corrected time from Hornet (Neville Georgeson) and Serenity (Graham Hall) which had fastest time.

In six races, there have now been four different winners, Camlet Way having won three races until yesterday when it placed last on corrected time.

Words: Peter Campbell

Photos:  Peter Watson

4 February 2019