Farr 40 Australian Open Series National Championship at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron - Day 2
by Lisa Ratcliff / Australian Farr 40 media 9 Mar 2019 09:52 GMT
8-10 March 2019
Farr 40 and Outlaw in the distance - 2019 Farr 40 Australian Open Series National Championship © Tilly Lock
Points and places are starting to spread out at the Farr 40 Australian National Championship: John-Calvert Jones Trophy after three more races on a gloomy day two offshore.
Tom and Alan Quick's stronghold on the national championship tightened thanks to two more bullets and a second from the Outlaw crew, with David Chapman as tactician.
Rob Pitts' Double Black and Sam Hill's Forty reversed their day one series placings, Pitts' 3,3,1 scores moving Double Black into second overall with four races remaining. Pitts is the championship's major sponsor through his business Hacer Group.
Second is a whopping 11 points off the clubhouse leader Outlaw. Results after seven races.
The area off South Head known as the Macquarie Circle was not a place for the faint-hearted on Saturday March 9. Up to 18 knots of wind against current made conditions very uncomfortable for sailors and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron race management team led by Rob Ridley.
"It was lumpy, choppy, damp and humid but we are wrapped with how we went today we were really consistent," Pitts said. "It was tricky driving. Lots of lumpy waves made keeping the boat speed up challenging, then downwind trying to surf the waves and keep rumbling, and out of trouble."
Post-racing all Farr 40 owners had the privilege of time with the Australian championship namesake, John Calvert-Jones, who travelled from Melbourne to meet and the group and regale them with stories of his time in the class, including his 2000 Farr 40 world championship victory.
"John's been recanting the Farr 40 history and telling us what it was like was winning the first world championship against 35 boats. It's been great to hear the stories from an original owner," Pitts added.
John Calvert-Jones had this to say of his time at the RSYS, "A most enjoyable afternoon where I met up with a wonderful group of people who are enjoying the benefits of knowing one another so well." He also acknowledged the great work of long-time class administrator Jen Hughes.
Calvert-Jones will be back at the Squadron on Sunday March 10 to view the championship finale on Sydney Harbour and present the end of season trophies to the worthy winners.
Rob Reynolds, owner/driver of Exile, found conditions offshore testing with the strong southerly current and opposing breeze. "It was very hard out there. Normally I don't mind whether I'm inshore or offshore, but after today I've have to say I prefer inshore."
Racing for the fleet of nine began in 18 knots from the SSW and decreased to 15 knots during the day, out of the south. Ridley made the call to shorten the program to three races when an ominous rain squall threatened.
The plan for Sunday is four races inshore and the Bureau of Meteorology's forecast is west to north-west winds 10 knots becoming north-easterly 15-20 knots in the early afternoon then tending northerly.
Overall Pointscore Standings:
| Place | Name | Skipper | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Points |
|---|
| 1 | Outlaw (AUS040) | Tom & Alan Quick | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | Double Black (SM2008) | Rob Pitts | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| 3 | Forty (8001) | Sam Hill | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 22 |
| 4 | Nutcracker (6530) | Rob Davis & Andy Baker | 2 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 32 |
| 5 | Exile (8884) | Rob Reynolds | 6 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 37 |
| 6 | Edake (007) | Jeff Carter | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 40 |
| 7 | Zen (64221) | Gordon Ketelbey | 8 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 46 |
| 8 | Good Form (5588) | Joe de Kock | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 51 |
| 9 | Solymar (9327) | Jason King | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 59 |