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
