A new knee, a new boat and new sails proved a winning combination for Etchells sailor Peter Gardner on Saturday for the opening race of the Sydney Harbour racing program for 2007-2008.
Six weeks ago Gardner was given a titanium knee replacement, but he was in fine form as he steered the new Humpback to victory with his crew of co-owner Stephen Barlow and Steve ‘Mothy’ Jarvin (P.Davis res) over a fleet of 20 Etchells.
“No problems whatsoever with the knee,” Gardner told fellow Etchells sailors back at the CYCA hardstand after the race. “But I gave myself plenty of time for rehab after the operation.”
“It was a hard race, we were only seventh at the first windward mark, climbed up to fourth, then got on the right side of an east-north-easterly shift on the last work,” added Jarvin, describing their winning race.
In a close finish that epitomises Etchells fleet racing, Humpback won by 22 seconds from another new boat, The Front Row, skippered by Squadron member Ben Lehmannn, with 13 seconds further astern to Bushfire (Jervis Tilly).
With 31 entrants so far for the season, the RSYS Etchells fleet is probably the largest club racing fleet for this one-design keelboat in the world.
Humpback is one of half a dozen or more regular CYCA-based Etchells that race each Saturday with the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. The previous Humpback won the Etchells main pointscore last season.
In fact, Saturday was a double victory for CYCA-based Etchells, with Kim Le Gras’ Irrepressible first on handicap – with a crew having their first race on an Etchells.
The crew of four, two men and two women, comprised La Gras and Italian visitor Federica Lavro, sailing for the first time on Sydney Harbour, and Kay Harding and Simone Sutton.
“It was our first race on an Etchells, but we weren’t last,” an excited Kay Harding said back at the CYCA. In fact, Irrepressible did finish last of the 18 finishers, but with the lowest handicap in the fleet won from Etch (Jan Muysken) and The Front Row.
Also back sailing on the Harbour on Saturday was wellknown CYCA member Dr John Musgrove who, at the age of 83, is skippering his classic timber boat Varuna on her 61st racing season. This season he is racing with the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club in its Classic Yacht division. – Peter Campbell
