Race 14 marked the last pointscore race of the Audi Winter Series and with the overall pointscore very tight across several divisions, today’s race was vital for those jostling for Division placings and racing was therfore very competitive. A total of 144 yachts took to the water for the final race.
With light winds again greeting competitors at the start, the Sydney 38 OD fleet commenced the race on time. Other Divisions weren’t so lucky and had a short delay on the start line. For most divisions, a full course was sailed on B Course with the only exception being Division C where a shortened course was sailed.
In Division C, the team on board Assassin came up with their first win of the season. “We started really well but then we made a couple of bad calls that let everyone else pass us – and then we had our work cut out for us trying to get the lead back,” said Clare Crawford, skipper of Assassin.
“To help us regain the lead, we had a really good crew member that helped put us in the right position at the right time with the right sail on, so when the breeze came back in, we were able to cross the finish line first. Upon crossing the finish line we got a very friendly cheer from the team on Occasional Coarse Language which showed great sportsmanship! It was really great to finally win a race” concluded Clare.
Rounding out Division C was Solahart Rum Jungle second and Cyrene 3 third.
In Division E, Tojo Never Made It to Darwin, owned by Robert Brydon, finished first with Clandestine second and Balmain Tiger third.
“It was an awesome race for us and really nice to sail in the other direction for a change,” said Robert Bryden of Tojo. “There was fantastic breezes on the main harbour that enable us to have four boys out on the wire, but the breezes were much lighter around Fort Denison. The fleet then bunched up at Fort Denison due to the light breeze and it was a tight for a while with the Mumm 30’s and Flying Tigers breathing down our necks.”
“We managed to catch some breeze and sneak away from the pack to come up with the win! Everything went really well for us today, the crew made no mistakes and we had a really enjoyable race,” concluded Robert.
In Division H, Robert Briet’s Shemozzle placed first with Peter Campbell’s Hornblower second and Dawn Murray and David Stenhouse’s Umbakumba third.
“What a great way to finish off the Audi Winter Series,” said Robert Briet, owner of Shemozzle. “We won the first race and the last race of the series and it looks like we have won the Division overall! The crew has been fabulous and team work they display in tremendous. For us, consistency was extremely important throughout the Audi Winter Series which is evident with our win,” concluded an elated Robert Briet.
Other division winners were David Pescud’s Sailors with Disabilities (Division A), Rob Reynolds’ Pla Loma (Division B), Justin Pelly and Sean Rahilly’s Crosshaven (Division D), Pacific Sailing School’s C Horse (Division F), R Guderjahn & C Ledden’s Fast Company (Jordons) (Division G), Peter and Deborah Franki’s Saltshaker (Division J), Brett Hart’s Viking (Division K) and Phil Barnes’ Livewire (Sydney 38OD). – Jennifer Crooks
