Savills Short Ocean Racing Championship - Overall

Near gale shortens Savills regatta

West-south-westerly winds gusting to 38 knots on Sydney Harbour today foreshortened Middle Harbour Yacht Club's 28th annual Savills Short Ocean Racing Championship.

The Club had moved racing from the three offshore courses used yesterday to the more sheltered waters of the Harbour because of the forecast overnight southerly change.

All classes raced this morning, but this afternoon conditions proved too difficult for the racing to continue in safety for a big fleet within the confines of the Harbour.

Several yachts did not start, including super maxi Alfa Romeo whose owner/skipper Neville Crichton made the sensible decision not to race the 30m super maxi in a crowded harbour in strong winds and poor visibility.

Instead, Alfa Romeo went offshore, testing out her orange storm sails in preparation for next month's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Race officials abandoned racing for all classes after this morning's race was sailed in cold, wet and windy weather that reached 35 knots. There were several dramatic incidents, including one man overboard situation.

'It's like Hobart at home', quipped Sail-World's Rob Kothe aboard the media boat as it transferred crewman Rowan McColl back to David Pescud's Kaz. McColl had gone overboard during the first race but was picked up initially by the Sydney 38, Zen.

Principal race officer for the IRC and PHS handicap classes, Ken Mascord said: "There's been a lot of damage out here and the outlook is not good. It was the wisest thing to pull the pin."

Mascord said the winds have reached a constant 35 knots early this afternoon. "We have seen lots of torn sails and a few bent spinnaker poles, but no dismastings."

The decision not to run a sixth race for the Farr 40 and Sydney 38 classes was made at the end of the first race when 30 knot winds exceeded the class' upper limits.

IRC Division A to Wild Joe

With Alfa Romeo not racing, Steven David's Reichel/Pugh 60, Wild Joe, took line and handicap honours in the IRC Division A race from Stephen Ainsworth's new Reichel/Pugh 60, Loki, and Geoff Ross' Judel/Vrolijk 52, Yendys.

Wild Joe, the canting keel champion boat of the 2003 Admiral's Cup in England, won the series with 7 points. Alfa Romeo, which won both races on Saturday, placed second with 8 points on a countback from Loki, which has a conventional bulb keel.

IRC Division B to Wot's Next

The newly launched Wot's Next scored a convincing win in race three for IRC Division B to take out her first ever regatta series.

The racing orientated Sydney 47CR owned by Graham Wood and sailed by a crack crew that included Michael on the helm and Ron Jacobs as tactician, excelled in the heavy weather to comfortably win race three on corrected time from Bill Ebsary's Beneteau 44.7, Le Billet, and You're Hired, Geoff Morgan and Andrew Banks' Beneteau 47.7.

With two wins and an 8th place (in race two when the boat lost time after owner Graham Wood fell overboard), Wot's Next finished with 10 points to win from You're Fired on 12 points and Le Billet on 15 points.

Wot's Next is an entrant in next month's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and on her performance in this regatta must make her a strong contender on corrected time if conditions favour the mid-sized boats in the expected fleet of 90 boats.

Results of IRC Division B are provisional pending a protest hearing late this afternoon, but it does not affect the top placed boats in IRC Division B.

PHS Division to Mortgage Choice Rumba

The man overboard incident cost David Pescud's Lyons 54, Kaz, first place in the PHS class. Kaz had had a 2nd and a 1st racing offshore on Saturday but did finish today after standing by crewman Rowan McColl before he was picked up by another yacht.

Race three went to Disco Trooper (Jules Hall & Magnus Wilson-Webb), which did not start in Saturday's races. Second place went to Mortgage Choice Rumba (Robert Carr/Sephenie Cook/Kerry Burke) and third to Samarkand (Walter Carpenter).

This left Mortgage Choice the overall winner on 10 points, with Kaz taking second place, Samarkand third and Youngstar fourth. All three finished on 13 points, the final placings being decided on a countback.

Sydney 32

Sydney 32 One Design National Champions Martin and Anna Cross, sailing If!, comfortably won the 2005 NSW title sailed as part of MHYC's Savills Short Ocean Racing Championship.

If! won both offshore races on Saturday and finished a close second to nearest rival Mainstay, sailed by class stalwart Stan Montgomery, in today's race three of the shortened series on Sydney Harbour.

Sailing to opposite sides of the Harbour in the demanding 20-30 knot west-south-westerly winds saw Mainstay come out ahead and win by just over a minute from If! and Jester (David Bull).

The final points saw If! with 4 points, Mainstay 8 and Felix Mark's Groove on 12 points.

If! and Mainstay both sail out of Pittwater's Royal Prince Alfred yacht Club, Groove from Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

Sydney 38 OD class to Challenge

Despite recovering from two broken ribs, 79-year-old Lou Abrahams has won the Sydney 38 One Design Class to clinch the State of Origin clash for Victoria.

Abrahams, who this year will contest his 43rd Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, apparently cracked the ribs in a fall at home before setting out on the delivery to Sydney with his latest yacht named Challenge. It wasn't until he went to a doctor in Sydney that the extent of the injury was discovered.

But Lou was not to be deterred, sailing an excellent series as tactician for his helmsman on Challenge, Carl Schmidt, in the most demanding weather Sydney could produce, ranging from 8 knots and less to 20 knots on Saturday to 20-30 knots and more today.

After scoring two wins out of four races yesterday, Challenge finished 5th in today fifth and final race sailed to win the series with 16 points, just one ahead of the consistent local boat Estate Master (Martin and Lisa Hill) on 17 points, while third on 18 points went to NSW champion Shining Sea (Steve Kulmar).

The final race in shortened series went to Tranfusion (Guido Belgiorno-Nettis) from Estate Master, Risk (Geoff and Chris Payne), AMI Jade (Peter McNamara) and Challenge.

Farr 40 OD class to Evolution

Farr 40 World Champion Richard Perini again won the Savills Short Ocean Racing Championship trophy with Evolution, finishing second to Kokomo (Lang Walker) in today race five of the shortened series.

Third place went to Ray Roberts' Quantum Racing, followed close by Rushcutter (Don Telford) and Venom (Brett Neill) in the heavy weather race with the wind at times getting above the class' accepted maximum breeze.

In fact, race officials quickly decided that, in view of forecast heavier winds this afternoon, racing should be abandoned, leaving the series decided on five races.

The final pointscore saw Evolution on 8 points, Kokomo on 12, Rushcutter 17 and Quantum Racing on 18 points.

The presentation of trophies is being held at Middle Harbour Yacht Club this evening.

More information at www.sail-world.com/savillsSORC2005