A carefully-calculated, fast 480 nautical mile motor-sail around south-eastern Australia from Geelong to Sydney paid off handsomely on Saturday for Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban, when the Farr 52 arrived in time to start in, and win race six of the CYCA’s Blue Water Pointscore.

The win has consolidated Ichi Ban’s overall lead in the prestigious Blue Water Pointscore with just two races to sail this summer.

Ichi Ban arrived back in Sydney at 5.30am on Saturday, then at 11am started the race from Sydney to Lion Island, down to Botany Bay and back to Sydney,  finishing just before 7.40 pm.

On corrected time, Ichi Ban won from the Farr 40 OD, AFR Midnight Rambler, skippered by Ed Psaltis, with third place going to the MHYC boat, Ausmark, skippered by Gunther Schmidt-Lindner.  

The provisional pointscore after six races of the Blue Water Pointscore, with one discard, has Ichi Ban on 328 points, leading Austmark on 303 points and George Snow’s Brindabella on 301 points.

Unfortunately, Michael Spies’ First National Real Estate, which also set sail from Geelong in a bid to race yesterday, but ran out of fuel and did not arrive back in Sydney in time.

First National Real Estate had been in second place overall in the Blue Water Pointscore until race six, but is now virtually out of contention on 264 points.

Ichi Ban’s sailing master Roger Hickman skippered the boat on the passage. In Sydney today he described the departure from Geelong following the final race of Scotchmans Hill series of Skandia Geelong Week, and the voyage back to Sydney as one of  “efficient organisation and carefully calculated sailing and motor-sailing to maintain the time needed to get back to Sydney for the Blue Water Pointscore race.”

“After the final race (at Geelong) we had to change from inshore racing mode to offshore cruising sailing, including loading fuel, sails, liferafts and provisioning…we gave ourselves one hour and were just nine minutes over the time,” he added.

“Tim Cox (Chairman of the Race Committee of the 60th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race) sailed with us and we calculated we had to average 6.5 knots to get to Sydney in time for Saturday’s race. 

“Tim worked out exactly where we must be to achieve our target over the 480 nautical mile passage – almost like one-day cricket scores – but it was not until we passed Jervis Bay that we felt we could definitely make it.

“We left Geelong at 4.30pm last Tuesday and, after a re-fuelling stop at Eden, made to the CYCA marina by 5.30am Saturday; and then we had switch back to an offshore category 2 racing mode…we made it with time to briefly celebrate our safe passage and get ready for a day’s offshore racing.” 

The Tasman Series PHS division of the Blue Water Pointscore went to the Volvo 60, Seriously Ten (John Woodruff & Eric Robinson) from John Cameron’s More Witchcraft and Ichi Ban.

The Ocean Pointscore fleet raced the shorter course from Sydney to Lion Island and return to Sydney, with small boats dominating results in the light breeze.  IRC winner was Sommerbreeze, skippered by former Commodore Hans Sommer, winning from Shane Kearns’ Komatsu A Few Good Men, and Leslie Green’s Ginger.

Komatsu A Few Good Men took out the PHS division from Sommerbreeze and Cyrene 3, skippered by Michael Selby.  Dick Cawse’s Vanguard took line honours but placed 14th on corrected time.  – Peter Campbell