Farr 40 season launches in Queensland
State titles to kick off the season on Moreton Bay from October 24-27Thursday’s twilight race kicks off three days of stiff class rivalry on Moreton Bay off the host club, the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, with three states represented.
Seasoned competitors and usually first or second on the points table is defending Australian champion Guido Belgiorno-Nettis’ Transfusion and Lang Walker’s Kokomo. Transfusion sailed north from Sydney while Walker chose the highway, trucking his two Farr 40s called Kokomo to Queensland for the opening round.
Andrew Hunn and Lloyd Clarke’s Tasmanian entry Voodoo Chile is in fact Walker’s spare Kokomo which has been chartered for the event, saving the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania crew a logistical challenge transporting their 40-footer across four state borders.
John Leman has owned RQYS based Bobby’s Girl for three years, joining the competitive side of Farr 40 racing prior to the last Queensland state title.
He plans to leave the rest of the series to his southern classmates and remains level-headed about his chances against the gun professional Sydney crews, even on home turf.
"It will be great racing against the interstate guys but I’m being realistic; I’m there to make up the numbers. I’ve got a 17 year-old boat, one of the originals out of the States."
On the Farr 40 design he says: "They are fantastic, you can race competitively in a mixed fleet and enter one-design events for sharpening skills. There are no excuses because they are all so similar. I’ve learnt a heck of a lot racing a Farr 40."
Leman says the change of seasons usually delivers mixed conditions to the Bay. Hotter days typically mean a stronger NE sea breeze; otherwise the quality fleet can expect sou’easters at this time of year.
The long-range forecast shows the most breeze on Friday with decreasing SE winds from overnight gusts of 30 knots.
The 2013/14 Aberdeen Asset Management Australian Farr 40 Series comprises five events:
- QLD State Title: October 24-27, RQYS
- Aberdeen Asset Management Farr 40 One Design Trophy: November 30 and December 1, MHYC
- NSW State Title: January 9-12, RSYS
- Tasmanian State Title: February 15-17, RYCT
- John Calvert-Jones Trophy Nationals: February 19-22, RYCT
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