The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s representative OUTLAW has won the championship title at the Farr 40 Nationals in Sydney, Australia, after two days of intense racing.
The regatta was held on 16 and 17 March 2024, in light to moderate conditions and was raced at Middle Harbour Yacht Club under the guidance of Sailing Manager David Staley.
All boats competing displayed LAW stickers to pay tribute to Lang Walker, who recently passed away at the age of 78. Lang Walker was a successful businessman and the founder of Walker Corporation. He had contributed significantly to the Farr 40 Australian class through his well-known yacht KOKOMO.
The first day of the event was quite challenging due to the lumpy seas from the southerly day before. However, OUTLAW quickly established dominance with excellent starts called by their tactician, David Chapman. Jeff Carter’s EDAKE, representing Middle Harbour Yacht Club, was the only boat that managed to stay ahead of OUTLAW during any race under the guidance of Evan Walker and Malcolm Parker. On day one, OUTLAW’s excellent teamwork in the testing trimming and steering conditions showed with four bullets on their scorecard.
On the second day of the event, the racing had to be deferred due to light conditions on the course. Throughout the day, the maximum breeze readout was only 8 knots, easterly to north-easterly as the breeze went left. The four boats continued to compete with close racing, but OUTLAW managed to win three races. KD1, formerly known as GOODFORM and owned by Joe de Kock representing Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, was very quick in those conditions, with a non-professional crew made up of locals and several match racers from Tasmania.
The final race of the event had a dead heat for second place between EDAKE and KD1, which was a first-time experience for David Staley of MHYC. However, OUTLAW managed to come out on top and secure the championship title with their excellent performance over seven races throughout the event.
The participants enjoyed a dock party with pizza and beer each day, making the event a memorable one for everyone involved. Joe de Kock summed up the weekend as “the most enjoyable Farr 40 racing I have ever participated in”.
The class is looking forward to welcoming new owners over the off-season and is in the early stages of planning for the 2024-25 racing series.
