Farr 40 Sydney Open Regatta - Day 1
by Farr 40 Class Association 11 Feb 2016 11:15 GMT
16-19 February 2016
Farr 40 Sydney Open Regatta day 1 © Nic Douglass /
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The Farr 40 Sydney Open regatta, a warm-up for the world championship next week, opened in a light and shifty breeze on Sydney Harbour today with different winners in three short-course races and boats at the front of the 12-boat fleet taking their turn at the back.
First-race winner Estate Master, skippered by Sydney fleet stalwart Martin Hill, was ninth in the second race and fifth in the third.
Second-race winner Zen (Gordon Kettleby), also from the Sydney fleet, was 12th in the first race and seventh in the third.
Third race winner, Australian champion Transfusion (Guido Belgiorno-Nettis) was tenth in the first race and eighth in the second.
Leading the nine-race, three races a day series conducted by Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, is Plenty (Alex Roepers, USA), with 2-3-3 placings for 8 points followed by another steady performer Flash Gordon 6 (Helmut Jahn, USA), 4-5-4, 13.
Although the south-easterly breeze remained light and shifty, around 10 knots and under, for the first two races and freshened to 12 for the third, the racing was always close. "That's Farr 40 racing these days," commented International Farr 40 international class manager Geoff Stagg, "The boats are extremely evenly matched."
Plenty's owner/driver Alex Roepers arrived in Sydney only yesterday morning and shook off the jet lag for the series-leading performance.
His tactician, Terry Hutchinson, said: "It was a tricky sailing day. It's the first time I have ever raced in Sydney Harbour so it was challenging to say the least. Alex arrived this morning by plane so it was our first day sailing and because he hasn't been here training the randomness and shiftiness might have been good for us. It was hard but it was fun. Although we ended up on top it didn't feel like that type of day. In race one, we got to the top mark about ninth; in race two about eighth and turned them into a 2-3. And in the last race we led at the top mark, got swallowed up and managed to get a three out of that so I am pretty happy."
Martin Hill of Estate Master: "It was nice to get a comfortable win in the first race but it just shows you how tricky the harbour is. Next race we found ourselves at the back of the fleet and had to work our way back through. But we finished the day in third place on points and we are happy with that."
Guido Belgiorno-Nettis explained Transfusionís tenth in the first race:
"We had a bad start, it was very soft, we went the wrong way and when youíre in such fickle breeze at the back of the fleet thereís not much chance of getting back into it."
He agreed that the fleet was very close in speed and added: "I think weíve got a weakness in speed in low pressure so weíve got to keep working on that."
Boat and crew were really switched on for the last race of the day? ìYeah we were but that's what happens in this game, the rich get richer and we were able to consolidate on our narrow lead when on the last run were able to go straight down the middle when there was a whole bunch behind us was fighting each other.
"It was very close racing and there will be more of it."
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Sailor Girl's video
Check out interviews with Gordon Ketelbey, Jahn Helmut and Guido Belgiorno-Nettis after the racing, as well as stacks of on water footage.
www.AdventuresofaSailorGirl.com