Weekly Sailing Summary

KEEL BOATS

After nine races over three days of racing in Sydney, Guido Belgiorno Nettis and the team on Transfusion have defended their 2009 title and won the 2010 Farr 40 Australian Championship. Lisa and Martin Hill’s Estate Master won the Farr 40 Australian Circuit by seven points. Farr 40.org.

Robert Alpe of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron won a new Audi A4 Avant 1.8 TFSI multitronic after winning the Dragon One-Design division onboard Indulgence in the Audi Sydney Harbour regatta, and then winning the Audi Final Challenge at Eastern Creek International Raceway. Audi.com.au/sailing.

The Mount Gay Rum Top Jocks Regatta was sailed on the CYCA’s Youth Sailing Academy’s Elliott 6 boats to decide the ‘Champion of Champions’ of the Summer Series 2009-10. The Vanguard crew’s crash dieting paid off as they were under the weight limit at the weigh-in and were crowned the CYCA Top Jocks Champion of Champions. CYCA.

With changing telecommunications, the requirement for every vessel in the Category 3 Melbourne to Apollo Bay race to have an HF radio has been removed to see if this makes ocean racing more accessible. The VHF signal is now repeated along the surf coast and there is also good Telstra 3G coverage for this part of Victoria. The M2AB starts 16 May. ORCV.

MATCH RACING

The Australian Women’s Match Racing Team has finished top of the table at the New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships with Katie Pellew winning the 2010 title ahead of fellow Australian Nicky Souter. The Australian crews dominated the round robin stages of the regatta with Souter and crew of Jessica Eastwell, Amanda Scrivenor and Rayshele Martin recording 17 wins and just one loss, ahead of Pellew and crew Nina Curtis, Lucinda Whitty and Stacey Jackson with 16 wins and two losses. Yachting.org.au.

Lucinda Whitty, representing Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, and her crew of Stacey Jackson and Nina Curtis, won the Harken Women’s International Match Racing Regatta defeating Samantha Osborne from Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron with three straight wins in the Grand Final on Sydney Harbour. CYCA.

Match racing continues on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour in the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Emirates Team New Zealand leads after flight six. Louis Vuitton Trophy.com.

BERRIMILLA RETURNS

Intrepid sailors Alex Whitworth and Peter Crozier reached their home port of Sydney on 15 March, ending the second of two remarkable circumnavigations in their little 10 metre sloop Berrimilla.

During Berrimilla’s first circumnavigation they were the first yacht to sail in both the Rolex Sydney Hobart in Australia and the Rolex Fastnet Race in England in the one year, and then sailed back to contest the next Rolex Sydney Hobart.

The second circumnavigation has been a voyage from Australia to England through the daunting North West Passage across the top of Canada to again contest the Rolex Fastnet Race, and a delayed return voyage that took Berrimilla down to the French-owned Antarctic Kergelen islands before reaching Hobart on 1 March. CYCA.com.au.

AROUND THE WORLD

After sustaining a fracture to his right leg on the tenth day of Race 7 of the Clipper Round the World race, Piers Dudin, Skipper of Hull & Humber, was safely medevaced by the Japanese Coastguard to a hospital in Japan where he received surgery. Reports suggest that a large wave hit the boat, causing the skipper to be swept down the deck resulting in the injury. Following the incident, Spirit of Australia shadowed Hull & Humber as they headed to rendezvous with the Japanese Coastguard. With conditions safe enough for a boat to boat transfer, skipper Brendan Hall moved on to Hull & Humber to assist with the evacuation, and has now taken charge of the English entry for the remainder of Race 7. In the meantime, round the world crew member Bob Bell has been appointed acting skipper of Spirit of Australia on account of his experience and qualifications. Team Finland’s new mast has arrived in Qingdao and they are hoping to be on their way across the Pacific to San Francisco soon. Clipper Round the World.com.

Ella's Pink Lady hasn't been breaking any speed records lately, but she is sailing along steadily towards Australia. Jessica Watson is pleased to report that the dunny is back in action, the problem was some tiny bits of grit stuck in the pressure relief/air valve. Jessica Watson.com.au.

OFF THE BEACH & OLYMPIC CLASSES

The 2010 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Sailing Team has been named with 12 sailors set to represent Australia at the 2010 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey, from 8-17 July. Sailors under the age of 19 will compete in eight classes with an Australian entry in each class. Yachting.org.au.

Yachting Australia announces the dates for the 2010 Sail Down Under Series which again includes three regattas in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne from 19 November to 18 December. The series has been arranged to allow competitors time to travel between regattas and from the Perth International Regatta which finishes on 21 November. Sail Down Under.org.au.

18 FOOTERS

The Thurlow Fisher Lawyers crew of Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas took out Race 14 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship in a light easterly wind on Sydney Harbour. Thurlow Fisher Lawyers had to overcome a race long match race with Rag & Famish Hotel (John Harris, Euan Mc Nicol and Peter Harris) before going on to a one minute, one second victory. 18footers.com.au.

MOTH WORLDS

Simon Payne (GBR) won the Puma Moth Worlds in Dubia UAE with Andrew McDougall (AUS) second and Brad Funk (USA) third. More details.

NEWS BRIEFS

A new disposal system for out-of-date flares has been introduced in NSW. Flares are essential emergency signalling equipment for boats in open waters, and must be replaced every three years before they expire as there is no guarantee that they will then fire when needed. Old flares are classed as explosives and must be disposed of properly and can now be placed into special containers at NSW Maritime centres. Maritime.NSW.gov.au.

Marine Rescue NSW has 33 operational Units along the NSW Coastline after former VRA volunteer marine rescue units - Terrigal on the Central Coast and Tuross on the South Coast - began their first weekend as full units of Marine Rescue NSW. Marine Rescue NSW.com.au.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Mar 28 – April 4 -- Gladstone Harbour Festival - free entertainment, live music, street parades, fireworks and the spectacle of the yachts arriving after completing the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht race. Gladstone Festival.com.

April 2 – Good Friday

April 2 - 61st Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race starts. Queensland’s most famous blue water yachting event sets sail in the waters off Brisbane every year on Good Friday. Brisbane to Gladstone.com.au.

April 2 – Hydro Tasmania Three Peaks Race starts at Beauty Point on the Tamar River just north of Launceston and finishes in Hobart on the River Derwent. Three Peaks.org.au.

April 4 – 11th Solo Tasman Challenge from New Plymouth, New Zealand to Mooloolaba, Australia. Solo-Tasman.co.nz.

April 6 - Information night at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney on diesel engine maintenance with Dave Giddings of Drive Marine Services. All welcome. Please book at CYCA reception on 8292-7800 or reception@cyca.com.au.

April 12 - Long Distance Offshore Sailing Seminar - Sail Repairs at UK Halsey Loft, Beach Road Sandringham. ORCV.

April 12 – 18 -- Sail Port Stephens - Entries are open for all divisions, including the NSW IRC Championship, Commodores Cup (PHS), SB3 National Championship, Sports Boats and the Port Stephens Trophy which has a racing and cruising division. The feeder races for the event will be RPAYC’s Pittwater to Newcastle on 10 April and NCYC’s Newcastle to Port Stephens race on 11 April. Sail Port Stephens.com.au.

April 18 - ORCV's Rip Tour on Port Phillip. ORCV.org.au.

April 27 - Long Distance Offshore Sailing Seminar - Medical and Dentistry with Rosie Colahan at Royal Brighton Yacht Club at 7pm. ORCV.org.au.

April 28 - Don McIntyre and crew depart Tonga to re-create Captain William Bligh’s 4,000 mile open boat ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ voyage. http://www.taliskerbountyboat.com/

May 4 - Information night at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney on electrical maintenance with Rob Starkey. All welcome. Please book at CYCA reception on 8292-7800 or reception@cyca.com.au.

May 9 - Butlers Business and Law Round Lord Howe Island Yacht Race - The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria is assisting the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club with their hosting of the 770 nautical mile Category 1 race. Vessels will partake in either the non-stop Racing Division or the Performance Cruiser Division, which give competitors a few days to explore the wonders of the World Heritage Park, before finishing back in Newcastle. ORCV.org.au.

May 11 - Long Distance Offshore Sailing Seminar - Communications with Neville Rose at Royal Brighton Yacht Club at 7pm. ORCV.org.au.

Photograph: Transfusion, Easy Tiger II and Estate Master racing in the 2010 Farr 40 Australian Championship – courtesy of Sam Crichton