Two NSW champions crowned – Pittwater Regatta 2022 winners announced

The final races were completed in the inaugural NSW ORC Championship, the Sydney 38 One Design NSW Championship and Pittwater Regatta, with new champions crowned and winners announced at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) early this evening.

Gerry Hatton’s Bushranger led from the outset and did not relinquish throughout. The M.A.T. 1245 design added 1-4-3 results to her second and two wins of the last two days to be crowned the inaugural Division 1 ORC NSW champion.

“It was a tough three days,” Hatton’s son Andrew said. “We started off with thunder lightning and rain, then had a good second day with solid winds, and today was light and shifty.

Gerry: “The first race today we did well, the second we were on the wrong side of a shift and the third we got a bit mixed up at the top mark, got behind and had to play catch up, but we did enough to win. It was a fantastic three days. It was exhilarating but exhausting. We are thrilled to win the first ORC NSW title.”

Hatton is still competitive at 85. Apart from son Andrew, he has son-in-law Michael Fountain (tactician) and his son Tom (20), along with Alex Smith, Andrew’s brother-in-law aboard. Renowned boat builder, John McConaghy also sailed with them.

Keiran Mulcahy’s Soozal and Mark Tinworth and Mark Waterhouse’s Mercury did the work required to hold onto their respective second and third places overall.

Soozal, a King 40, finished the day with 2-3-4 results, while Mercury, a modified Farr 40 was at her best on the windward/leeward courses with 3-2-1 results. She lifted up to place one point behind Soozal. The Mark Griffith skippered DK46, LCE Old School Racing, won Race 5 to finish fourth overall.

The new NSW champion in Division 2 is Simon Grosser’s Young 88, Young at Heart. Grosser also led from Day 1 and finished the way he started, adding a second and a pair of wins to his two wins and a fourth from the first two days.

“We had great fun. It was really good to have other clubs come and compete and I hope we can return the favour. For us, it’s about sailing with a bunch of mates that like doing well. It’s an older boat, but as long as everything works and you sail well, you do well. You don’t need be a millionaire to go sailing and it’s good to kick butt on an inexpensive boat,” he said.

Shane Kearns kept the pressure on with Azzurro-White Bay 6, to place second overall, which he carried over from yesterday. Windward/leewards are not usually the S&S 34s forte, particularly in the light breeze and sloppy seas that were offered up today. It was therefore a surprise to see him score 4-2-3 results to finish five points behind Young at Heart.

Mark Hellyer’s Italia 11.98, Cicero, was sitting in third place overall yesterday. She maintained that place by just one point, saved by victory in the first race of the day before scoring a pair of sixth places.

Supported by Sydney Marine Brokerage, the NSW ORC Championship was a three-day affair that started with two inshore races in Pittwater on Friday, followed by a 25 nautical mile passage race on Saturday and ended with three windward/leeward races today. A more diverse range of races and conditions would be hard to find and certainly decided who was the best of the best in the two divisions.

Sydney 38 One Design NSW Championship
Peter Byford and David Hudson (Conspiracy) came into the day tied on points with Advanced Philosophy (Peter Sorensen) which had led overall on countback coming into the day, but the defending champions were not to be denied.

Two bullets and a second place on the offshore windward/leeward courses sealed the deal for the co-conspirators, who retain their Sydney 38 One Design NSW Championship title.

Sorro and his young crew of philosophers could not keep yesterday’s momentum going. Their 3-6-1 results gave them second overall, helped by victory in the final race. Phil Herscovics 8-3-4 meant third overall for Shine On – Team Callendina, but they were challenged by Liz Charles’ all-female crew on Calibre.

Calibre, chartered for Charles and crew by the Sydney 38 Association, placed fourth overall on countback after scoring 2-4-3 results today. Extraordinary, as they are new to the class.

“One of the things the Association wanted to do was to give women the confidence that they could compete in one-design racing, and look what it’s done,” a pleased president, Hudson, said.

“We had experienced and new people racing, but everyone was very in touch. It was a lottery around the top mark this afternoon. The ladies on Calibre did very well and so did Phil Herscovics. I’m delighted for them.

“We are happy to keep our title, but we like to be challenged. Make no mistake, it was very close racing on both days for the entire fleet. The difference in some races was the length of the bow, and in yesterday’s Race 2, it wasn’t even that much.

“Everyone has had a really good regatta. Each has done well, especially given it was difficult sailing offshore today. To keep the boats moving demanded a lot of hard work and attention. It was even hard for officials to set a course in the light winds on a big sloppy sea.,” Hudson ended.

Pittwater Regatta
Participants were given two passage style races around Pittwater on the final day. Michael Ritchie, who came into the day in second place overall with the Ritchie 38, Revolver, designed by his father Bruce, won the first race. However, there was no denying Heath Walters (Banta), who added a further win to yesterday’s two victories to claim the series from Revolver by three points.

Walters had the advantage of his two young sons, Harley (24) and Logan (18), on the crew of his Melges 24, along with their two mates, Liam and Mitch. The ‘young guns’ made up for the disadvantage of being one of the smallest boats in the fleet.

“The boys have been sailing the Melges with me for years. They loved the weekend, and so did their mates. It was great having younger guys on board,” he said shoreside.

“It was a very light shifty breeze with a maximum of 10 knots, so it was hard work trying to keep up with the Farr 40s and other big boats, but we worked hard,” he said.

“We were in the same division with my sister-in-law (Susan Walters with her Cape 35, Cape Fear, who finished fourth overall). We’re not a very competitive family,” he said, tongue in cheek.

“It’s good to have the Melges out. We only got our ORC rating in the last week and I like it, especially this weekend, because we won! It helps having local knowledge too.”

Bob Stoddard’s Alpha Crucis, completed the top three after scoring third and second places respectively, moving the 5.5 Metre right up the board.

In Division 2, Chris Hornsby’s Pick Pocket made it a clean sweep, robbing the rest of the division by winning both races today, adding to yesterday’s two wins. Vittoria (Alan Reece) and James Pattinson’s Ellipse II, also mirrored their performances of yesterday, scoring a pair of seconds and thirds respectively, to finish in that order overall.

“We just carried on from what we did yesterday,” Hornsby said after putting his Gary Mull designed Pocket Rocket 22 to bed.

“The weather was good, it just suited us. And we have a good crew. John Priddis, John Marwood and I have sailed together for ages. We’ve done 20 Hobarts between us and raced Etchells and Dragons. After a while you start to get the idea… Julia (his wife), is a director of the Club (RPAYC) and she always sails with us. She keeps us all in line,” he said laughing.

“We are very happy to have won both ORC and PHS. It’s not often that happens.”

The last word goes to Richard Hudson, a longtime member of the RPAYC and supporter of youth sailing at the Club: “The young crew sailed very well. I really enjoyed the weekend, even though we didn’t do as well as we’d have liked. The Club ran a very good regatta.

“We’re now getting the young crew ready for the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race. A lot of our crew are younger than the boat, which is 25! I love sailing with them,” he ended.

Please see today’s video highlights at: https://youtu.be/PDkWsBZCfVY

For, please visit the official website: https://rpayc.com.au/pittwater-regatta-inc-nsw-orc-championship-2022/

By Di Pearson/RPAYC media

Read more: Two NSW champions crowned – Pittwater Regatta 2022 winners announced

Sydney Harbour Regatta celebrates women in sailing

Tuesday 8 March marks International Women’s Day 2022 and here at Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) this weekend, we salute all females taking part in the Sydney Harbour Regatta (SHR), NSW’s largest keelboat regatta.

Women are involved at all levels in this event, from sailing to race management on and off the water to media boat drivers and protest committee members.

Encouraged by the national authority, Australian Sailing, and clubs around Australia, women’s participation in sailing is growing substantially via specialised programs, learn to sail classes and Women’s regattas.

This weekend there are women spread throughout the classes and divisions. Owner/skippers include Tracy Richardson, owner of the Adams 10 Artemis.  Richardson, the new president of the Adams 10 Association, started sailing only seven years ago. “I turned up to Middle Harbour Yacht Club to try twilight racing on a Thursday night. I loved it – I couldn’t get enough,” she said. “Then my brother-in-law and I bought Artemis in February last year.”

Going into today’s final races, Richardson leads the pointscore, unusual for a relative newcomer racing against those who have been around for years. And the class is super competitive.

In the Yngling keelboat, once an Olympic class, you will find Jan Newland. She is contesting the Yngling NSW Championship and is in a good third place overall coming into the final day.

In Performance Spinnaker racing, one of the largest fleets sailing at the regatta on Sydney Harbour is Lisa Callaghan with her Sydney 38, Mondo. Callaghan is also the President of Manly Sailing Club. Stephanie Cook is the enduring co-owner of Rumba, a Northshore 370. In the same division is Julie Clark, who has entered Senta, a Beneteau First 35.

Cook’s advice for newcomers: “Try twilight sailing at your local yacht club. Most have a list you can put your name on. It’s a great way to see if you like the sport . It’s very friendly, social. You don’t usually need experience to do the twilights and it fits in with most people’s work hours.

“You could also do a competent crew course through your local club’s sailing school. They normally introduce you to boats to race on as part of the deal. “They’re not cheap to buy and run, so you want to know you’re in for the long-term, not just a season.”

Racing aboard Keiran Mulcahy’s Soozal in the IRC Open Class offshore, and currently placed second, is Stacey Jackson. A veteran of 14 Sydney Hobarts, Jackson skippered an all-female crew on Wild Oats X to second overall in the 2018 Hobart. She used that campaign to highlight the high calibre of women sailors. She also has a Volvo Ocean Race behind her.  

An internationally respected yachtswoman, Jackson is a huge advocate of women in sailing and a mentor through the international women’s Magenta Project. She has a vision – and that is to see the day when there is parity in numbers between male and female sailors.

Lisa Wilkinson does mainsheet on husband, Matt’s competitive Farr 30, Foreign Affair. “She’s very good at it – she does a very good job,” says Matt, “She races with us in all inshore events.”

Annie Taylor from the Northern Beaches is a long-time inshore and offshore racer. Taylor sails anything from one-design to small and larger yachts. At the Sydney Harbour Regatta she is in the IRC Racing division aboard Pete Farrugia’s Bullwinkle.

On the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club start crew is another Northern Beaches resident, Rosemary Merrington. She and husband Steve are integral to on-water race management teams at regattas and events Australia wide.

“It’s been at least 15 years and I still enjoy it,” says Merrington, whose interest is highlighted by the Merrington sons, Peter ‘Billy’ and Anthony, who sail at the grand prix level.

Sailing Administrator at MHYC is Catherine Rofe, who is also on the race committee at Manly Yacht Club. Rofe raced aboard the all-female crew aboard Calibre in the Sydney 38 One Design NSW Championship last month. Skippered by Liz Charles, the boat was chartered for them by the Sydney 38 Association which was keen to have more women sailing in the class and perhaps buying into it.

Although the crew had not sailed together on the one-design Sydney 38 before, they finished third on countback in a quality field, indicative of female talent in Australia these days.

“She is all over sailing,” MHYC’s Sailing Manager, David Staley says. “If there’s a race on, J24s, Sydney 38s, whatever, she’ll be there. She’s passionate about sailing and does a great job with us.”

Driving a media boat this weekend is MHYC youth sailing instructor, Jess Longstaff. She coaches the Optimist class and has a background sailing Lasers, Pacers and 420s.

“I started sailing at six or seven through my dad,” Longstaff comments. “I love the different people of all ages I meet, sailing a lot of different boats. I just love being on the water,” says the 18-year-old, who was Sailing Captain at Wenona School.

On the protest committee, the Chairperson is Erica Kirby. She has been involved in umpiring, judging and sits on protest committees for the last 12 years. She is a rarity and says, “I’d love to have more women involved, especially in NSW. I’d advise interested women to get involved in the jury at your local club and see if it appeals. It’s very rewarding - I love travelling to different events.”

MHYC is a champion of women involved in all aspects of sailing. Julie Hodder is a past commodore and remains a respected navigator in offshore racing with 13 Sydney Hobarts on her resume. She has also co-owned grand prix racing yachts. Hodder would usually be sailing at this event but was tied up with a niece’s wedding this weekend.

For all information on the Sydney Harbour Regatta, including results: www.shr.mhyc.com.au   

By Di Pearson, MHYC media

Read more: Sydney Harbour Regatta celebrates women in sailing

Past champions and budding challengers for 17th Sydney Harbour Regatta  

Early indications are that Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s (MHYC) 17th Sydney Harbour Regatta (SHR), to be held over the first weekend of March, will be hotly contested with the return of past champions and up-and-coming challengers.  

Bob Cox’s DK46, Nine Dragons, is a strong contender for the Open Class (IRC/ORC) Division being sailed on offshore courses. The MHYC boat won its division last year. She also won the Club’s challenging Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship in November after a close battle with Gerry Hatton’s M.A.T. 1245, Bushranger, which came off second best by a mere point.

Bushranger returned the favour, winning  the inaugural NSW ORC Championship on the weekend, beating Nine Dragons which did not make the top three.

Cox says, “I’m looking forward to doing battle with a strong contingent of IRC boats from our club, and Bushranger and Soozal (Keiran Mulchay’s King 40) in particular from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.”

Another DK46, LCE Old School Racing (David Elliott/Mark Griffith) from RPAYC, is expected to be challenging all comers following her third on countback at the SSORC (equal points with Bushranger) and a strong Rolex Sydney Hobart performance.

A third DK46, Khaleesi, is currently having work done, but Rob Aldis, is working quickly to have her ready in time. Cox hopes his clubmate’s boat is ready too, as their results normally come down to the wire. 

Jan Newland presented with the first Yngling NSW Championship entry. Newland, who just missed the podium with Yertl in 2021, is as competitive as her famous late father, Graham, who won two Sydney Hobarts representing MHYC.

Racing in the Super 30 division, consisting of Melges 32, Farr 30s and others of a similar ilk, will be outstanding judging by the 15 already listed to start. Andrew York and REO Speedwagon have topped a few podiums, as has last year’s SHR winner, Bruce Tavener’s Ophir and Peter Woodhead’s XC3SS.  

A renaissance in the Sydney 38s, with 19 racing throughout NSW, has translated to hotter competition. Reigning champ, Conspiracy, remains the one to beat, but local favourite, Advanced Philosophy (Peter Sorensen), could upset that party. Lisa Callaghan, co-owner of Mondo, was first to sign on. The Manly Yacht Club president is a regular racer on an upward trajectory.

Performance Spinnaker Divisions 1, 2 and 3 are expected to yield the largest numbers and normally provide the most colour on their Sydney Harbour course. The primary handicapping system for these divisions will be ORC (incorporating ORCi and ORC Club) and they will also be scored under PHS.

“We are looking forward to welcoming around 1400 sailors and a diversity of boats from all over the east coast of Australia,” MHYC Commodore, Peter Lewis, said of the regatta to be held on the weekend of 5-6 March.

“We continue to enjoy success as NSW’s largest keelboat regatta and are looking forward to hosting multiple classes and divisions on the water and ashore for our 17^th Sydney Harbour Regatta.” 

In addition to those classes and divisions mentioned above are: Super 50, Adams 10, Farr 40, J24, J70, Cavalier 28, Sydney 36, Super 20 and 40, MC38 and Performance Non-Spinnaker classes and the Historical 18 foot skiffs.   

Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson and Regatta Director Peter Hemery will again have a large job on their hands. Their combined efforts, with help from their teams of volunteers, will ensure a smooth event for all.

Following racing each day, all are welcome back to the Club’s unique after-racing festivities on the private beach for a sausage sizzle and drinks. Post racing on Saturday, competitors and friends can enjoy live entertainment and the Fever Tree Gin Bar, while a DJ will get the crowd rocking on Sunday. 

Middle Harbour Yacht Club acknowledges the support of Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Royal Australian Navy Sailing Association, Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, Manly Yacht Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and the Sydney Flying Squadron, without we could not run this regatta. 

Our thanks go to key sponsors: Club Marine, Robert Oatley Wines, Short Marine, Quality Marine Clothing and Telstra Business Technology Centre.

Enter on line now at: www.shr.mhyc.com.au  

Read more: Past champions and budding challengers for 17th Sydney Harbour Regatta  

Sydney Harbour Regatta - Fog lifts and rain abates on Day 1 

The veil of fog lifted just in time for the start of the Sydney Harbour Regatta (SHR) this morning, with racing due to start from 11am on the eight course areas from the Harbour Bridge to Manly on Sydney Harbour. 

A 3-knot breeze meant racing on the IRC Open and Super 50 offshore course was delayed. The AP came down and the Warning Signal replaced it at 11.40am in the Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) hosted event, now in its 17^th year.

IRC Open

Three windward/leeward races sorted out who was best in light airs offshore. Nine Dragons, with MHYC’s Bob Cox at the helm, came out fighting and ended the day with a pair of second places and a win to be one point ahead of Keiran Mulcahy’s Soozal, which scored 1-3-2 results. Mark Hellyer’s Cicero is a further four points adrift in third place.

Super 50

The Super 50 class, comprised solely of TP52s, using the SHR for the opener of a brand-new TP52 series. They sailed on the same offshore windward/leeward course area as the IRC Open fleet with longer beat. Just who will win this inaugural series remains to be seen, but today, the relatively unknown Matador (David Doherty) was teaching the masters a lesson.

Doherty tipped the scales in his favour with a third and a pair of wins to lead Gordon Ketelbey’s Zen by two points. Matt Donald/Chris Townsend’s Gweilo is a further point away in third. 

James Corrie, mainsail trimmer on Matador, explained this afternoon: “We’ve been working on things for a little while now and a couple of combinations are coming together and working out well for us. Everything is starting to gel.

“The racing was close between all of us. The new TP52 series is our focus. David bought the boat from Geoff Boettcher (former Secret Mens Business) 12 months ago. This is his second season in the boat,” he said of Doherty who is new to the grand prix racing scene.

Super 40

Revolver (Michael Ritchie), arriving here on the back of second place at the Pittwater Regatta, won both races from Little Nico (Adrian Walters). “We had a pretty good day. We’re really happy with that. The boat was launched five years ago and it’s taken us that long to get it working the way we want it.

“I think the light conditions suited us. We put ourselves in the right place on the course and our downwind speed helped us, we were able to sail deeper downwind. We were able to hang on upwind, which surprised me, as all the others have square top mains, we have the conventional rig.”

Super 30

The Super 30 class boasts a large and fast fleet of 20 ‘all-sorts’ and shared a race area on the northern section of the Harbour with the Super 40s. Super 30s contested two windward-leeward races followed by a short passage race. Brian Tavener’s Ophir came off best in Race 1, with Guy Irwin’s Clewless? charging home for second, just 21 seconds separating the pair. Tavener reversed the results in Race 2, just 17 seconds between them when the handicaps were applied

It came down to the passage race, which not unexpectedly, changed the shape of the results. The race was won by Peter Woodhead’s XC3SS, which has taken the series lead from Ophir. Clewless? has dropped out of the picture for now after finishing 18^th in Race 3.

J/70

New NSW J/70 champion, Reg Lord (Juno), came out firing in the light airs on Sydney Harbour, with a trio of wins, proving he is the one to beat. Andrew Tompson’s Jabberwocky scored 3-2-2 results to claim second place, with three races remaining. Tim Ryan and his Vamos finished second at the NSW Championship, but could not get up enough steam today and is sitting in fourth place.

Adams 10

The Adams 10s raced on the same windward/leeward courses as the J/70s in North Harbour. This class is always a battle to the last. Tracy Richardson’s Artemis finished at the top of the pile after three races. She leads Brian Lees (Contentious), but the two are on equal points.

The lone female in the class here, Richardson only took up sailing seven years ago: “We are excited and pleasantly surprised to be where we are. It’s very close racing, very competitive, but we’ve trained hard and worked to get the boat up to scratch,” she said.

Yngling NSW Championship

Gary Pearce and his Black Adder crew put the rest on notice on the first day of the Yngling NSW Championship. They ended the day with 1-2-1 results. Gary Wogas is in second place with Karma, after scoring 3-1-2 results. Jan Newland’s Yertl is in third place after finishing 2-3-3. This Championship is likely to come down to the wire.

“I’ve been sailing Black Adder for about 10 years,” Pearce said. “The last couple of seasons we’ve been working towards this. Unfortunately, Hamish Jarrett (Miss Pibb, the gun boat of the fleet) couldn’t make it this weekend, so we can’t prove how our performance has improved. We were very pleased with the day though.

“The first race started out around 7 knots and by Race 2, we were getting gusts to 12 knots. It was really nice sailing conditions. Tomorrow we’ll have to sail smart: Get a good start, start on the right side of the course, get the angles right and stay in the breeze downwind,” he said.

Performance Spinnaker Divisions 1 and 2

These two divisions contested two races from start area D. Brendan McAssey’s S1 made the best start to the day, claiming Race 1 in Division 1 from Peter Sorenson’s Advanced Philosophy. It’s no easy feat beating Sorro, the master of many classes. And that being said, it was the return of Sorro when his pair of second places trumped S1’s win and fifth place. Sorro leads.

Twelve seconds decided Division 2s first race and Steve Nash/Paul Stubbs’ Irukandji was the victor from Graeme Neuhaus’ Crowded Haus.Race 2 and Irukandji kept her series lead from Crowded Haus when the two scored second and fourth places respectively.

“A bit unexpected to do so well, but your always hope for the best and give it your best shot. We’ve got a good regular crew and it was very much a team effort. It’s working out well for us,” Nash commented.

“It was light on for breeze in Race 1, so it was a bit easier to sail the second race. It was a short race though, so you had to get a good start, which we did. There was a bit of congestion on the line, with 32 boats, but we all got through it.” 

Performance Spinnaker Division 3 and Non-Spinnaker Division

The two divisions raced on course area C, in the vicinity of Taronga Zoo where the giraffes would have been able to enjoy the view.

John Crawford’s Innaminicka leads the Beth Abbott skippered Rapid Transit in Performance Spinnaker Division 3 by six points, following Crawford’s two wins. John Vickery’s Windsong is in third place going into tomorrow’s final races.

Meanwhile, in Non-Spinnaker, Angus Ekberg’s Sea Change has the upper hand over Larki Missiris’ Molon Labe -  meaning ‘come and take them’, which is what Missiris usually does on the race course. Sea Change is just three points ahead, so who knows what the final outcome will be tomorrow.

This afternoon and into the evening, crews were kicking back on the beach in front of the Club for a sausage sizzle and drinks and relaxing post-race music, not to mention the Fever Tree Gin Bar. 

Middle Harbour Yacht Club acknowledges the support of Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Royal Australian Navy Sailing Association, Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, Manly Yacht Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and the Sydney Flying Squadron.   Our thanks go to key sponsors: Club Marine, Robert Oatley Wines, Short Marine, Quality Marine Clothing and Telstra Business Technology Centre.

All information on the Sydney Harbour Regatta, including results at: www.shr.mhyc.com.au  

By Di Pearson, MHYC media

Read more: Sydney Harbour Regatta - Fog lifts and rain abates on Day 1 

Centreboard Club Championships Resume

The MHYC Centreboard Club Championships Series resumed today after a break since early December. 

A light to moderate north-easterly and a fine day made for some very enjoyable conditions and the Green Fleet joined the Open Fleet for one race on the course in Hunters Bay.

Will Wilkinson, picked up the series where he left off, claiming the win in each of today's three races.  He holds a 4 point lead over Miles Greenwood, with Heidi Bates 12 points further back at about the half-way mark.

To view the lates results - click here

Read more: Centreboard Club Championships Resume

Fast boats and gun sailors set to ignite big battles at Sydney Harbour Regatta

Over two days  next weekend, a mass of boats of varying designs and size will provide a blaze of colour on the race courses from the Opera House to Manly on Sydney Harbour and on offshore courses, for NSW’s largest keelboat event, the Sydney Harbour Regatta (SHR).

Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) organisers are ready. They are looking forward to welcoming competitors to the 17^th edition of their regatta, which marks the start of autumn racing in NSW.

The Super 50 class includes notable TP52s. Two-time Sydney Hobart winner, Quest (Craig Neil) is joined by 2019 second placegetter, Gweilo (Matt Donald/Chris Townsend), along with Matador (David Doherty), Koa (Andy Kearnan/Peter Wrigley) and local chance Zen, owned by Gordon Ketelbey, an ardent one-design sailor with runs on the board across various classes.

Neil has used the SHR to announce: “We are in the process of forming a TP52 Association. The plan is to run five regattas per year and the Sydney Harbour Regatta is the first. It’ll be good to kick off the series at Middle Harbour. TP owners are looking forward to it. Some will be missing this time for  a variety of reasons, but we expect 10 or so in the future.”

Quest’s owner says the Corinthian rule has been altered. “Before, each boat was allowed one professional sailor, then a point taken away for each subsequent pro. Now, a point will be returned for those boats that include youth sailors in their crew. We want to encourage the class to invest time in young sailors. Zen already does that,” he said. “We’ll have Will Sargent and Jake Meddell aboard Quest.”

An eclectic mix of go-fast boats in the Super 40s includes Adrian Walters’ Shaw 11, Little Nico and  Michael Ritchie’s 38ft lightweight daysailer, Revolver. Designed by his father, Bruce Ritchie, Revolver recently placed second at the Pittwater Regatta. At the SHR it will face a trio of MC38s; InfoTrack (Christian Beck), InfoTrack Go (John Ahern) and LawConnect (Rachel Williams) among others.

Beck is best known for his super maxi, LawConnect; second over the line in the 2021 Sydney Hobart. The other two other MC38s are to be skippered by two executives from Beck’s companies and will be crewed by recognizable sailing names.

Triple Olympian Karyn Gojnich is well-known to the regatta, usually competing in the Yngling, the class she represented Australia in at the 2008 Beijing Games. She switched to the J/70, which is a blossoming class boasting quality sailors in an extremely competitive fleet these days.

“Unfortunately, I can’t be there this time, but The Jackal is entered and Sara Ladd will be skipper. Most of the Sydney boats have committed to the regatta, including the top two from our NSW Championship in January,” Gojnich said of Juno (Reg Lord) and Vamos (Tim Ryan).

“The regatta will be a good warm-up for the Victorian Championship the following weekend and the Nationals being held in Sydney over Easter,” she ended.

A host of other boats across multiple classes and divisions are also taking part.

Grand prizes on offer:

The winners and placegetters in each eligible class or division, upon attendance and check in at the regatta prizegiving ceremony, go in the draw for some major prizes. 

First placed boats have a chance of winning a Mercedes weekend drive experience and two nights’ accommodation at the Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens for two along with a Ross & Whitcroft Quality Marine Clothing Merchandise voucher valued at $1,500. Second and third placed boats are in the running for distillery experiences and Ross & Whitcroft Quality Marine Clothing Merchandise vouchers. 

Individual crew members are also eligible for a Ross & Whitcroft Quality Marine Clothing prize.

Middle Harbour Yacht Club acknowledges the support of Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Royal Australian Navy Sailing Association, Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, Manly Yacht Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and the Sydney Flying Squadron, without we could not run this regatta. 

Our thanks go to key sponsors: Club Marine, Robert Oatley Wines, Short Marine, Quality Marine Clothing and Telstra Business Technology Centre.

The early entry fee has been extended and entries close on 3 March, so be quick and enter now at: www.shr.mhyc.com.au  

By Di Pearson, MHYC media - 26 Feb 2022

Read more: Fast boats and gun sailors set to ignite big battles at Sydney Harbour Regatta

Matt Pyne Memorial Cruise on 23 February

The Matt Pyne Memorial Cruise in Company will be held on Wednesday 23 February 2022. 

Members of Middle Harbour Yacht Club, the wider Sydney Boating Community and friends of the late Matt Pyne are invited to join with Matt’s family and MHYC Flag Officers in a brief ceremony and cruise for sailing and power boats on the Harbour to celebrate his life.

To view the program - click here

For enquiries and to advise your intention to participate, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Read more: Matt Pyne Memorial Cruise on 23 February

Nutcracker claims the Farr 40 NSW Championship 2022

The Farr 40 class completed their NSW Championships at Middle Harbour Yacht Club this weekend.

With little breeze and lumpy seas the fleet chose to move inshore on day one of the event. Rob Davis continued his winning form on Nutcracker after taking out the One Design Trophy last month. Conditions proved challenging with the Race Committee needing to change the course three times with heavily fluctuating breeze, but did well to get the four races away. By th end of the day Nutcracker was leading on 5 points after claiming 3 wins over the line. With only 1 point between the rest of the fleet the challenge was on for the second day.

Nutcracker dominated the fleet on day 2 with a straiight four bullets from four races in a building nor easterly breeze for a convincing win on 9 points. Jeff Carter  pulled in front of the rest of the fleet

on Edake with a second place in each race to take out the silver spot with 22 points followed by Patrick Delaney on Bluetack with 28 points.

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Photos coutesy of © Marg Fraser Martin 

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Sydney 38 class steps up to support women in sailing

The Sydney 38 Association has gone all out, chartering a Sydney 38 for an all-female crew to race at the 2022 Sydney 38 One-Design NSW Championship, to be held in conjunction with the Pittwater Regatta in NSW this weekend.

“We’ve taken this step to encourage women to sail in this Championship and other Sydney 38 events,” Class President, David Hudson, said.

“The Sydney 38 Association has chartered Calibre and we’ve sponsored an all-female crew to be led by Liz Charles,” said Hudson, who has been president of the Association since end of October 2021.

“I think it’s brilliant and we have the support and the interest of women in our class,” he said.

Charles has performed well as a skipper of the Azuree 46, Kayimai in women’s keelboat events, due to the generosity of the boat’s owners, Rob Aldis and Peter Byford.

Hudson said It was resolved at the Association’s AGM that the Executive Committee be tasked with finding initiatives to increase female participation in Sydney 38 sailing.

“This happened after being encouraged by Victorian Sydney 38 owner, Sal Balharrie,” Hudson explained.

Balharrie bought Bruce Taylor’s Sydney 38, Chutzpah, in 2020 with one thing on her mind. After cleverly renaming the boat No Man’s Land, Balharrie sent an email to a broad range of women, asking if they would like to learn how to sail. Within 24 hours, the yachtswoman had a core of one dozen women prepared to commit to learning how to sail.

At the time, Balharrie said, “I’m not setting out primarily to win trophies, I’m setting out to build a culture, to encourage and train women into sailing,” although the Melburnian does admit to a competitive streak.

Hudson says, “It was a profound discussion and we’ve done something about it. One of the things we are looking to do is to give women the confidence that they can own and run their own boats.

“For our efforts, we have two boats with female skippers for the NSW Championship.”

Mondo is the other, jointly owned by Lisa Callaghan, who habitually campaigns the Sydney 38 out of Manly Yacht Club, where she is President.

Seven Sydney 38’s are entered for the Sydney 38 One-Design NSW Championship, which will entail six offshore windward/leeward races over the two days.

Hudson and Peter Byford’s Conspiracy is the boat to beat, as the defending champion of the both the Australian and NSW titles. And there is one boat in particular that is up to the job: Peter Sorensen and crew on Advanced Philosophy. ‘Sorro’ is renowned for his competitiveness in a range of boats from 16 footers to sports boats, one design yachts and in open yacht events, both inshore and offshore.

“We both have had pros on our boat up to now, but for this regatta neither of us do. All seven boats will sail with Corinthian crews,” Hudson said.

The quickly improving Phil Herscovics and crew on Shine On – Team Callendina may surprise. The remaining entries are Kaizen (Bradley Newton) and Thirlmere (Mike Logan).

“Although we have only seven boats competing at this Championship in this challenging environment, we have 19 Sydney 38’s regularly sailing at regattas and in blue water events throughout NSW,” Hudson ended.

Di Pearson/Sydney 38 media

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