Yendys, Geoffrey Ross’ China-built Reichel/Pugh 55, has won the prestigious IRC Racing division of the 2007 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in a significant lead-up to this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Yendys outsailed a fleet of many of Australia’s best IRC racing yachts, winning the title in a down-to-the-line final in which she and rival Wild Oats X finished well down the fleet on handicap in the final race in the Whitsunday Islands of Far North Queensland.

These two boats went into today’s South Molle/Daydream Island race equal on points, but in handicap results dominated by smaller boats, Yendys placed 15th, with Wild Oats X, Bob Oatley’s Reichel/Pugh 60, back in equal 20th place on corrected time.

For both, this was their discard from the nine-race regatta, but Yendys had the final pointscore margin.

Yendys’ placings were 6-2-3-4-1-1-1-7-15 for a net 25 points; Wild Oats X (which took line honours in every race) had a scorecard of 1-3-1-3-11-6-2-2-20.5 for 29 points. 

Third overall went to Steven David’s Wild Joe, a Reichel/Pugh 60 on 39 points, her placings being Dsq-5-2-2-5-4-3-1-17.

Prominent CYCA member Geoffrey Ross was ecstatic with Yendys’ victory, which became obvious dockside when Bob Oatley and his helmsman Mark Richards came down to shake the hands of Ross and his helmsman, Sean Kirkjian.

“The aim of this week was to work hard to get the boat going and work together as a strong crew unit as part of our 2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart preparation,” said Ross, who won the Hobart Race with a previous Yendys in 1999.

“There were lots of boats sailing well this week. We were always behind Wild Oats X and we could see she was well sailed,” Ross told the sail-world.com website.  “The overall standard is very high, Wild Joe, Quest, Quantum Racing – there is only seconds between all these boats.”

Today’s final islands race of the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week saw an overall victory to West Australian yachtsman (and CYCA member) Alan Brierty’s Corby 49 Limit with Roger Hickman on the helm. 

A second place in today’s final race ensured an overall win in the Premier IRC Division for another CYCA member, Laurence Freedman with his McConaghy-designed Expresso Forte, beating the New Zealand boat Carrera, John Meadowcraft’s Marten 49, by just three points.  

This afternoon, a proud Freedman said: “This is our sixth year here. We’ve had two third places here and now a win – we’re obviously getting better!  Our hardest competition was Eagle Rock and Carrera, but now my next door neighbour and fellow CYCA member (Paul Clitheroe) has scored third place!”
 
Television financial commentator Paul Clitheroe, another CYCA member,  sailed his Sydney 47 Balance to a close victory over Expresso Forte in today’s race to take third place overall.

Another CYCA member to enjoy an overall victory was Peter Goldsworthy in the Performance Racing division, skippering the Volvo 60, named for this regatta as George Gregan Foundation.  Second overall was Second Time Around, skippered by internationally renowned boat-builder John McConaghy.

Fourth overall in the Performance Racing Division were wellknown CYCA members Colin & Denise Wilson in their MKL49 Never a Dull Moment while Immediate Past Commodore Geoff Lavis placed sixth overall with UBS Wild Thing. – Event Media/Sail-world.com/Peter Campbell