LawConnect and Whisper both claimed back-to-back overall (IRC) passage race wins in the 2021 Income Asset Management Australian Maxi Championship.
The inaugural series opened with the Cabbage Tree Island Race on Friday, with Christian Beck’s Juan-K 100 LawConnect taking victory in the Maxi Division and Anthony Johnston’s Reichel/Pugh 72 URM (skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones) taking the early lead in the Mini Maxi Division.
The Championship resumed with two passage races on Monday. First up was Race 2 – a 19 nautical mile bearing course which took the fleet towards a passing mark off Inner South Head and offshore to an inflatable mark eight nautical miles from North Head, returning for the finish in Watson’s Bay.
In 8-10 knots from the ENE, LawConnect led the fleet out of the heads and held off Seng Huang Lee’s Dovell 100 SHK Scallywag 100 (skippered by David Witt) to claim a second consecutive win.
The Oatley Family’s Wild Oats X (skippered by Mark Richards) was the first mini maxi over the line in the Cabbage Tree Island Race and backed that up with another Line Honours win, more than three minutes ahead of Philip Turner’s Reichel/Pugh 66 Alive (skippered by Duncan Hine).
David Griffith’s JV62 Whisper – the Line Honours and Overall winner in the Flinders Islet Race – claimed victory on handicap, ahead of Wild Oats X and Alive.
Race 2 – Maxi Division
| PLACE | BOAT | SKIPPER |
| 1. | LawConnect | Christian Beck |
| 2. | SHK Scallywag 100 | David Witt |
Race 2 – Mini Maxi Division
| PLACE | BOAT | SKIPPER |
| 1. | Whisper | David Griffith |
| 2. | Wild Oats X | Mark Richards |
| 3. | Alive | Duncan Hine |
| 4. | URM | Marcus Ashley-Jones |
| 5. | No Limit | David Gotze |
| 6. | Moneypenny | Sean Langman |
| 7. | Willow | Jim Cooney |
Race 3 of the Income Asset Management Australian Maxi Championship was another passage race, this time taking the fleet on a 23 nautical mile combination course featuring virtual and inflatable marks.
11-13kts from the NNE set the fleet on their way, but only after a false start forced the general recall flag to be raised.
Scallywag made the most of the restart and had LawConnect for company as the super maxis left the Heads.
Scallywag came out on top in the second Line Honours battle of the day, crossing the line just over 30 seconds ahead of LawConnect in a tight finish after more than 2 hours, 46 minutes of racing.
Wild Oats X was again quickest in the Mini Maxi Division, followed by Jim Cooney’s Volvo 70 Willow and URM.
Whisper scooped the overall race win ahead of URM and Wild Oats X to take the solo lead in the Mini Maxi Division’s overall standings.
Race 3 – Maxi Division
| PLACE | BOAT | SKIPPER |
| 1. | LawConnect | Christian Beck |
| 2. | SHK Scallywag 100 | David Witt |
Race 3 – Mini Maxi Division
| PLACE | BOAT | SKIPPER |
| 1. | Whisper | David Griffith |
| 2. | URM | Marcus Ashley-Jones |
| 3. | Wild Oats X | Mark Richards |
| 4. | Moneypenny | Sean Langman |
| 5. | Alive | Duncan Hine |
| 6. | No Limit | David Gotze |
| 7. | Willow | Jim Cooney |
LawConnect is set to win the Income Asset Management Australian Maxi Championship’s Maxi Division, three points clear of SHK Scallywag 100 heading into Tuesday’s series finale – the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge.
That race will determine the winner of the Mini Maxi Division, with a thrilling battle set between Whisper, URM and Wild Oats X.
Whisper leads the way on six points, one clear of URM and two clear of Wild Oats X.
