Provisional handicap winners of the Hempel 34th Gosford to Lord Howe Island Race are AFR Midnight Rambler (IRC) from Sydney and Dream Lover (PHS) from Brisbane, today joining line honours victor Getaway-Sailing.com as major trophy winners.
It gives a double to the CYCA, with both Getaway-Sailing.com and AFR Midnight Rambler representing the club. Adding to CYCA success, Occasional Coarse Language finished a close second in the IRC division.
A predicted late bid to win the IRC division by the Manly Yacht Club entrant, Morna, did not eventuate when she did not finish until mid-afternoon after giving a position at this morning’s ‘sked’ that placed her only 10 nm from the finish of the 414nm ocean race across the Tasman Sea.
Race Director Mark Greenwood said from Lord Howe Island today that crews of yachts finishing the race had described it as “rugged”, with regular competitor Warwick Sherman calling the race “really tough”.
“They had it on the nose almost throughout the race, with Jim Holley, skipper of Aurora reporting northerly headwinds of up to 35 knots and rough seas on Monday afternoon.
“It seems the heaviest winds came when most of the fleet were crossing the sea mounts about halfway across the Tasman. With the depth of water changing dramatically, it really gets rough in that area,” he added.
Greenwood said some competitors had suffered sail damage, with one boat crossing the line under storm jib.
The Race Director said results were still provisional until all boats had finished but he confirmed AFR Midnight Rambler was unchallenged for first place on IRC corrected time.
Greenwood said that by 1600 hours race time today all but four boats still had complete the course, with two boats, Silver Lady and Time Out, retiring yesterday.
In the IRC division, AFR Midnight Rambler, Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas’ modified Farr 40 One Design from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, had won by just under 53 minutes on corrected time from Warwick Sherman’s Cookson 12 Occasional Coarse Language, also from the CYCA.
Psaltis and Thomas and Sherman are previous winners of the Lord Howe Island Race and have been regular supporters of this category 1 ocean race for many years.
Provisionally third in IRC is Jim Holley’s Aurora, a Farr 40 one-off design, from the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club.
Provisional winner of the PHS division is race newcomer Rick Morgan from Brisbane with his Murray Burns Dovell 40-footer Dream Lover which has taken first place on corrected time by 54 minutes 30 seconds from Inner Circle, Darren Cooney and Ken Robinson’s Farr design, representing both the Lake Macquarie Yacht and the Royal Motor Yacht Club on the lake.
In third place is regular Lord Howe Island Race competitor Azzuro, owned by a syndicate of members of the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club..
Line honours winner, Getaway-Sailing.com, which won the PHS division last year, is currently placed 5th in the progressive results for this year’s race.
On Lord Howe Island today, Race Director Mark Greenwood presented the Line Honours Trophy to Peter Goldsworthy, skipper of Getaway-Sailing.com but the main prize giving will be at the traditional ‘fish fry’ at the Milky Way resort on Thursday evening. – Peter Campbell
