Eleven boats have retired (RAF) from last Saturday’s opening Short Ocean Point Score (SOPS) and Ocean Point Score (OPS) race following the lodging of a protest over a misinterpretation of the mark rounding descriptions for the alternative Sydney Harbour course.

They include the original provisional winner of Division 1 under IRC and PHS handicaps in both the SOPS and OPS results, Julian Farren-Price’s Cookson 12 About Time. 

Strong southerly winds gusting to 35 knots and rising seas off Sydney Heads forced the combined Cruising Yacht Club of Australia  SOPS and OPS and Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Offshore Division  race to be sailed on the harbour.

Zephyr (James Connell and Alex Brandon), an entrant in both the SOPS Division 3 and in the RSYS Offshore Division, lodged the protest, claiming that a number of boats had rounded Yachting NSW’s Shark Mark (SM) but had not rounded Shark Island (SI) itself,  as required.  The protest will be heard on Wednesday evening.

Boats to have advised the CYCA that they have subsequently retired from the SOPS race and should be listed RAF (retired after finish) are:

Division 1:  Imagination, About Time (also from OPS), Callista,  Cyrene 3 and Blackadder (also OPS).

Division 3:  Time Out, Brilliant, Limelight, Soundtrack and Double Trouble.

Plus 16, entered only in OPS, has also retired from the race.

Provisional placings for the SOPS Division 1 issued today by the CYCA list both the IRC and PHS winner as Mr Beak’s Ribs (David Beaks), with Occasional Coarse Language (Warwick Sherman) second and Nips N Tux (Howard de Torres) third. 

In the SOPS Division 3 results,  the PHS placings remain unchanged, with Two Can (Steve Tucker/Stephen Teudt) in first place,  ahead of Stormy Petrel (Kevin O’Shea) and Zephyr (James Connell and Alex Brandon).

Division 3 IRC results show Stormy Petrel still first, with Zephyr moving up to second place and King Billy (Phil & Elesa Bennett) now third.

In the OPS results, the CYCA now lists the provisional IRC winner as Occasional Coarse Language, ahead of Great Xpectations (Rod Wills) and Nip N Tux (Howard de Torres). 

The provisional PHS placings are Mortgage Choice Rumba (K.Burke/R.Carr/S.Cook) in first place, Occasional Coarse Language second and Imagination (Annette & Robin Hawthorn) third.- Peter Campbell