More than 50 yachts sailing for, or based at the CYCA will be competing in this weekend’s Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta, within a total line-up of more than 260 boats.

The regatta will be sailed this Saturday and Sunday, March 1 & 2 with 16 divisions and classes racing on seven course areas east of Fort Denison and down the harbour to the Sound, within Middle Harbour and on the offshore Manly Circle.

The huge regatta, organised by Middle Harbour Yacht Club with the co-operation of other Sydney clubs, caters for every class of keelboat racing regularly on the Harbour and offshore.  The IRC divisions and some other classes are scheduled to sail six windward/leeward races over the weekend, the PHS divisions four races over the two days.
 
The ultimate prize is an Audi A4 sedan, decided by division-winning crews demonstrating their skill above and beyond sailing on the Eastern Creek raceway circuit next Monday.

Classes range from the Olympic Yngling keelboats and International Etchells, Dragons and J24s through four divisions of cruiser/racers, sports 30 boats sailing under PHS handicaps, to Sydney 32 and Sydney 38 one-design classes, Adams 10s and Cavalier 28s to the rated IRC offshore racing yachts.

The IRC Division, which is the second series in the Audi Australian IRC Championship, has attracted 26 entries, while 17 Etchells have been entered along with 15 Sydney 38s.  There are 90 boats entered in the four PHS cruiser/racer divisions, including 17 in Division 4 for the smaller boats.

Heading the CYCA entries for the IRC division are Geoff Ross’ Reichel/Pugh 55, Yendys, Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest, Leslie Green’s Swan 601 Ginger, Tony Kirby’s X-41 OD Patrice Six and Howard Piggott’s Beneteau 34.7 Brilliant.

Among the other big boat entries in IRC Division 1 are Syd Fischer’s Farr 50 Ragamuffin, Steven David’s Reichel/Pugh 60 Wild Joe, Bob Oatley’s Reichel/Pugh 66, Wild Oats X, the Victorian yachts Cougar II, Alan Whiteley’s TP52 and Michael Hiatt’s Cookson 50 Living Doll.

CYCA boats make up more than half the 15 Sydney 38s entered, including Alan Brierty’s Limit, the 2008 Australian champion, Geoff Bonus’ Calibre and Shane Guanaria’s The Tavern, whose crew will include Olympic sailors Ben Austin and Nathan Outteridge, the current World 470 class champions.

CYCA based yachts competing in the PHS cruiser/racer divisions include Charles Curran’s Sydney 60, Sydney, past Commodore Geoff Lavis’ Inglis/Murray 50 UBS Wild Thing, Andrew Short’s Jutson 79 Toyota Aurion V6, Nick Athineos’ Beneteau 44.7 Kioni and David Pescud’s Sailors with disAbilities in PHS Division 1. 

Sean Rahilly’s Sydney 36CR Crosshaven and Robert Currie’s Spearhead, an Elliott 1050, are in PHS Division 2, along with Velocity, Brian Carrick’s Beneteau First 31.7.

CYCA boats in PHS Division 3 include Greg Davern’s Peterson 30 SP Marigot Bay, Matt Wilkinson’s MASRM 920 Out of Sight and Greg Mason’s Davidson 37 Sinewave.

In PHS Division 4, the CYCA members competing include Brett & Karen Pearce’s Beneteau 305 Broulee, Philippe Odouard’s First 30 Cool and Peter Campbell’s Bonbridge 27 Hornblower. 

With 33 entries, the Sports 30 division will not be the largest, but also the most spectacular division of the 2008 Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta.

CYCA boats in the Sports 30 division include the two M30s Awarua (Dennis Thomas) and Yandoo (John Formosa) while Australian M30 champion Optimumm’s skipper Guy Stening is a CYCA member although the boat is nominated as a Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron entrant.  

Other CYCA boats in the Sports 30 division include David Stiz’s Thompson 870 Martini and the Murray 25 Kooka Sailing School (Matthew Fisher).

The Classic Yacht division has attracted a wonderful variety of timber yachts, including Ian Kortlang’s International 7 metre, Antara. Robert Skol’s 30-square metre, Scarlett O’Hara, and Weene, a Tasmanian One Design class yacht built in 1911.  John Sturrock is steering Eudoria, brother Doug will be at the helm of Windflyt.

Two CYCA members are competing in the J24 class – Cameron Bowman with Nokomis and Bob Ross with Stamped Urgent, while Nick Kingsmill has entered Vincero in the Etchells class, headed by 2008 NSW champion John Dunn sailing Bald Eagle.

The PHS Non-Spinnaker/White Sails division includes CYCA boats Attitude (Robert Hunt), Elusive (Paul Billingham), Europa (Michael Coleman) and Holy Cow! (John & Kim Clinton). – Peter Campbell