Weekly Sailing Summary

KEEL BOATS

Peter Millard and his crew sailed the 98 foot maxi Lahana across the finish line of the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Race just 22 seconds ahead of Wild Oats X, after 348 nautical miles of racing. “It doesn’t get much closer than that!” said an excited Peter Millard. Lahana claimed a new race record, beating the record set by Black Jack (Peter Harburg) in 2009 by over two hours. Black Jack withdrew from the race after 20 minutes, due to hydraulic issues. Wild Oats X won IRC overall. BrisbaneToKeppel.com.

After a 20 year break from competitive sailing Harvey Milne decided to make a comeback, prompted by the fact he could buy a competitive IRC production boat and enter the 2010 Audi IRC Australian Championship. His Archambault 31 Aroona consolidated their lead with a divisional win in the third round of the IRC Australian Championship, the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. This win will see them start from pole position in the fourth and final round, commencing 21 August at Hamilton Island. CYCA.com.au.

Jay Griffin and his crew of Ted Hackney and Will Parker, representing the host club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, successfully defended their Club Marine NSW Youth Match Racing Championship title after a very close day’s match racing. CYCA.com.au.

The Super 30 class, high performance keel boats up to 9.75 metres (32 feet) in length, will race for the first time in their own division at Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week from 12-19 September. Two mini 6.5s have entered the Performance Racing division. Scott Cavanough's Skippy and Mike Keyte's Wings are both purpose built boats for the mini Transat, a solo race across the Atlantic. AirlieBeachRaceWeek.com.au.

The annual Melbourne to Geelong race starts 11 September. The sixth entry in the M2G Cruising with Spinnakers Division is Noeleen III, owned by Andrew Hesselmans from Hobbos. The Steinman 40 is 25 years old and has previously competed in several M2H Westcoasters and Sydney Hobarts. ORCV.org.au.

OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC CLASSES

Leading Olympic and Paralympic class sailors are among 37 Australian sailors competing in the final round of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta, in Weymouth, England, starting 9 August. Yachting.org.au.

OFF THE BEACH

Five Australian crews finished in the top 11 at the 2010 International Cadet World Championship in Puck, Poland. Victorian brothers Anton and Julian Sasson were the top placed Australian crew, ending the regatta in second position. Yachting.org.au.

SAFETY

Marine safety company RFD Australia has donated safety equipment to the Sailors With Disabilities (SWD) program. While the program has a solid profile in the boating community due to their participation in all the Sydney to Hobart races since 1994, SWD also has a busy schedule introducing people of all ages, with all manner of disabilities, to sailing.

RFD will provide SWD and their 16.2m racing yacht, Kayle, with RFD PFD’s , ACR EPIRBS, strobes, RFD harnesses, four rafts including a 16 man Solas unit, and the ongoing servicing of these vital pieces of safety equipment. In addition, RFD provided essential cash support that allows Sailors With Disabilities to continue and expand their program.

TRAINING

Yachting Australia recently hosted the third National Yachtmaster Instructor Conference at Hamilton Island. Time was spent discussing how to adapt training to major advances and availability of electronic Navigational Aids. The conference included two keynote speakers; Bryce Bathe from the Australasian Marine Pilots Institute, who provided an insight into the workings of Marine Pilots and the difficulties of manoeuvring large ships in confined spaces at slow speeds, and Adrienne Cahalan, who gave an insight into her life as a professional sailor and navigator on some of the most cutting edge racing yachts. Cahalan re-iterated that despite all the technology it is imperative to use paper charts, and that the electronic aids were precisely that. Yachting.org.au.

MARINE INDUSTRY

The National Marine Safety Committee (NMSC) has released a draft standard for Watertight and Weathertight Integrity. The new National Standard for Commercial Vessels C2 - Watertight and Weathertight Integrity will replace parts of the USL Code Subsections 5C and 5D and also Section 7 Load Lines. NMSC.gov.au.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

August 11 - 15 -- Perth Boat & Leisure Expo, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. PerthBoatShow.com.au.

Aug 12 – 19 -- Airlie Beach Race Week, Meridien Marinas Abel Point Marina. AirlieBeachRaceWeek.com.au.

Aug 20 – 28 -- Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - One of Australia’s most popular sailing festivals. Race week blends world class yacht racing for Australian and overseas competitors with spectacular off-water events. HamiltonIslandRaceWeek.com.au.

Aug 22 - 24 -- Marine Safety Conference 2010, Burswood Entertainment Centre, Perth. NMSC.gov.au.

August 26 - 29 -- Brisbane International Boat Show, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. BrisbaneBoatShow.com.au.

Aug 28 – Sep 3 -- Multihull Solutions Whitsunday Multihull Rendezvous APYC.yachting.org.au.

Sep 3-7 -- Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week offers an exciting shoreside program with live music daily. MagneticIslandRaceWeek.com.au.

Sep 4 – QBE Riverfire, opens the Brisbane Festival with aerial displays by the Australian Defence Forces, fireworks and music. BrisbaneFestival.com.au.

Sep 4 - 5 – Darwin Boat Show, Darwin Convention Centre. DarwinBoatShow.com.au.

Sep 5 – Oct 11 -- The Louisiades Rally for yachts and powerboats over 30 feet will depart and return to Cairns. LouisiadesRally.com.

Sep 11 - Great Whitsunday Fun Race WhitsundaySailingClub.com.au.

Sep 12 - Try Crewing Day, various locations, NSW. BIA.org.au.

Oct 2 – 3 – Heaven Can Wait (HCW) 24 Hour Yacht Race and the associated One Lap Dash will be held on Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle, NSW. The event raises money for the NSW Cancer Council and Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie. HeavenCanWait.com.au.

Oct 8 – 10 – Club Marine Mandurah Boat Show, Mandurah Offshore Fishing & Sailing Club WA. Mandurahboatshow.com.

Photograph: Lahana and Wild Oats X at the finish of the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Race courtesy of Event Media