Past Commodore Matt Allen and his Ichi Ban team have completed and won their most recent race of a season that began back in July last year with the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. Allen, who went on to win all but two of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore races, is also fresh from recent success in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Australian Yachting Championship and Festival of Sails.

Finishing the 2018 Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race in a time of 12 hours, 29 minutes, Ichi Ban came heart-stoppingly close to breaking the race record set in 2011. At just 26 minutes off the pace, Allen said if a few things had gone differently they could have shaved off the necessary time to rewrite the record book.

“We really had a great race with some fast reaching conditions but with the breeze angle towards the end we slowed down a touch which probably cost us the record,” Allen said.

“Having to sail gybing angles downwind, rather than a fast and direct course to the finish, was what added those extra minutes to our eventual finishing time.”

It was the first ever Adelaide-Lincoln for Allen, who compared it to a “mini Transpac race” that was crammed into just 156 miles.

“It was a really enjoyable race, it’s not very long but it really keeps you on your toes the whole way through,” he said.

This year’s race was faster than previous years with consistent breeze holding in throughout most of Saturday and the smaller boats carrying that afternoon sea breeze all the way through.

It was also the first time Allen’s rival, race veteran and fellow Member Geoff Boettcher (Secret Men’s Business) had sailed into Port Lincoln in second for many years, which sets up a tantalising battle between the two boats for the Lincoln Week Regatta which started today.

Members Chris Dare’s 52-footer Ambition and Jason Ward’s 45-foot Concubine will also be in the mix during the week and finished over the line yesterday in third and fourth respectively.

By Harry Fisher + CYCA