Race winner disqualified

Ed Psaltis/Bob Thomas/Michael Bencsik’s AFR Midnight Rambler was disqualified from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 60 nautical mile Lion Island-Botany Bay race after being initially announced as the winner last Sunday morning.

AFR Midnight Rambler was disqualified from the race after the CYCA’s race committee lodged a protest against it, citing the yacht did not comply with Blue Water Pointscore Sailing Instruction 4.1(j), by not having two crew members with current first aid certificates aboard at the time of racing.

Initially, the yacht did comply with the Rule, but less than 24 hours before the race start, one of those two crew advised they could not participate in the race. After considerable effort to rectify the situation, AFR Midnight Rambler competed in the race with only one crew member holding a current First Aid Certificate, so was subsequently disqualified at a jury hearing.

This action sends a clear message to all yacht owners participating in any CYCA ocean races. The rules must be adhered to and that safety must come first. 

The disqualification moved Warwick Sherman’s Occasional Coarse Language 2 into first placed, Loki into second and Sam Haynes’ Celestial into third place. It means subtle changes to overall Blue Water Pointscore Series. Celestial moves a point closer to Loki, the overall leader, the two now only separated by four points going into the final race, the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

However, AFR Midnight Rambler has been well sailed this season and remains third overall in the BWPS, its disqualification used as the discard, but now instead of being on equal points with Celestial, the Ker 40 is now five points behind.   

In the ORCi and PHS pointscores, the positions remain the same, but the points change, with Celestial leading AFR Midnight Rambler by five points (prior to protest it was 2) in ORCi with Wild Rose a further 10 points behind in third place. Celestial also leads PHS, with Southern Excellence, Andrew Wenham’s Volvo 60, second and Loki third, with only six points between the top three.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, starting Boxing Day, December 26, will decide the outcome of the Blue Water Pointscore Series. The winner will be announced at the race’s official prize giving at Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania on New Year’s Day and presented with the Jack Halliday Perpetual Trophy.

For full race results and provisional Blue Water Pointscore Series standings log on to: http://www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/2012-2013summer/2012-13bwps/series.htm