Bellerive Yacht Club

The Combined Clubs Harbour Series 2 on the Derwent has not only seen Saturday fleet numbers up by a third, but has produced exceptionally close competition across all groups.

With just one race day left, on Saturday, 31 March, the post-Christmas Harbour Series 2 will go right down to the line in every group following today’s racing.

It was a long and, at times, frustrating day on the river as RYCT race officers chased the elusive breeze after the morning northerly died away just on start time on the mid-river course for Groups 1 and 2.

The rest of the fleet, Groups 4, 5 and 6 sailed down the river and back, for most of the time enjoying a good, albeit variable breeze.

However, four races were decided on day one of the Tasmanian championship for the International Dragon class. Prince Philip Cup winner Karabos IX (Nick Rogers) won all four races to lead the championship on 4 points with Ridgeway (Steven Shield) second overall on 9 points from placings of 2-3-2-2, Leander (Stephen Henley) third, also on 9 points, from placings of 3-2-3-3.

After today’s racing in the Combined Clubs Harbour Series, the cross-river rivalry between Don Calvert’s Castro 40 Intrigue and Harold Clark’s Farr 1104 Invincible, helmed by his son Darren, is down to just a handful of points.

In today’s racing, both boats had a win under AMS handicapping, while Intrigue had two wins under IRC.

In the AMS category, this leaves Invincible on 5 points going into the final day of racing, with Intrigue on 9 points, while in the IRC category they are equal on 7 points.

Under PHS scoring, the overall leader is now Mark Ballard’s 42 South after today notching up two second places on corrected time. Intrigue won the first race, Masquerade (Tony Harman) the second. 42 South heads the scoreboard with 14 points with Ian Stewart’s TasPaints on 15 points, Intrigue and Invincible both on 17 points.

The Farr 40s raced today as part of Group 1, but under their scratch results, Wired (Stephen Boyes) had a 1st and a 3rd, War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith) a 3rd and a 1st, and Tilford Auto Group (Hughie Lewis) two seconds.

Division 2 also sailed two races today, with Clark Wyatt’s half tonner Silicon Ship scoring a first and a third, Rousabout (Grahame Inglis) a 5th and 6th and Trouble (Dave Willans) a 5th and a 1st. This leaves Silicon Ship on 11 points, Rousabout 14 points and Trouble on 15 points.

Helsal III (Rob Fisher) had a fast spinnaker reach home to take line honours in Group 4, but placed 13th on corrected time. First place on handicap went to Enchante, John Williams’ Jeanneau SO 36i, from Eliza (Kevin Jacobson), third to Miss Conduct (Brian Fleming).

Going into the final day of the Combined Clubs Harbour Series, Group 4 is headed by Total Lock and Alarms, skippered by Bellerive Yacht Club commodore John Mills, with 11 points. Second overall is John Hunn’s Atilla on 16 points holding that place on a countback from Eliza.

Rotary (Norm Brundle) won Group 5 today to take a close lead in the series from Optopussy (Danny Cunningham) and Grizzly Adams (Joel Bultman) with only one point between the leading four boats.

In Group 6, the winner today was Take Five (Ian Gannon) from Innovator (Ian Smith) and Allez-Oop (Alan Nelson).

Peter Campbell
17 March 2012