Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship winners declared

Despite the rather melancholy weather, the competition was as stiff as ever in the 42nd running of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC), hosted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) over the weekend.

Gerry Hatton’s Bushranger crew came down from ‘The Alfreds’ on Pittwater and conquered in IRC Division 1. Hatton is away, so Michael Fountain was left in charge of the Mat 1245, and after finishing third in the passage race yesterday, pulled out all stops with 1-2-1 results to beat nearest rival, Bob Cox’s DK46, Nine Dragons by three points. Darryl Hodgkinson’s Carkeek 40, Victoire, was third on countback after winning the passage race.

“Bushranger has had a fantastic relationship with Nine Dragons. Bob Cox was pretty persistent that we should come and compete at the SSORC,” he said of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club yachtsman who won Division 1 of the regatta last year and is a regular on the podium.  

“Bob loves the fact that there is hardly ever 30 seconds between us on the race track; you make one mistake and you’re gone,” he continued. “We enjoy racing against each other and enjoy each other’s company. There is good spirit between the two of us.”

Competitors at the SSORC were put through their paces in a very shifty and light 6 to 10 knots of breeze for yesterday’s passage race, followed by a soft 10-knot south-easterly on bumpy seas for the three windward/leeward races, Fountain admitting, “Bushranger loves the bump.”

Division 2 went to newcomer, Soozal, the King 40 skippered by Keiran Mulcahy who with his wife, recently imported the boat from California. He could not have been more pleased with the outcome of Soozal’s Australian offshore debut.

“We’re all a bit stunned,” Mulcahy confessed. “We went out there a little apprehensive, it being our first regatta. We’re thrilled. We didn’t know what to expect, or what was going to happen. It turned out to be a good exercise.”

Mulcahy, who next month takes on the 628 nautical mile 75^th Sydney Hobart, said: “It turned out to be the right decision to bring the boat from California.  Twelve years old and it races like a rabbit. It’s proved itself over the last weekend.”

In her first outing, Soozal cleaned up, scoring three wins from four races to defeat nearest competitor and local, Jack Stening and Colin Gunn’s Sydney 36, Stormaway, which also finished bridesmaid last year. Stormaway won Race 2, to finish three points in arrears, while Chris Heraghty’s Sydney 38, Risk, was third, a further two points behind.

Speaking on Day 1’s soft breeze, Mulcahy said, “The boat was designed for 15-20 knot winds, so it was a surprise to win the opening passage race. Today was more designed for us weatherwise. Soozal is a quirky boat and a sistership to the Mat 1245. They share the same designer, Mark Mills, but the designs are slightly different.”

In the TP52 series, defending champion, Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan, came good again to claim the trophy. A big supporter of sailing, Blackmore won all three races in a depleted fleet. David Pescud’s SWD Wot Eva took second place, her crew putting in the hard yards ahead of the Sydney Hobart.  

The next major offshore event for MHYC is the Sydney Harbour Regatta to be held on the weekend of March 7 and 8 in 2020.  The 2020 SSORC will be held from 7-8 November, three weeks earlier than usual, as a lead-up to the Farr 40 World Championship being hosted in Sydney.

MHYC organisers thank the Race Committee: Principal Race Officer, Denis Thompson, Saturday Race Officer Steve Tucker, and their race teams. Thanks also to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia for making its course boats available and Bob Cox for all his efforts to promote this event.

“We also thank all competitors and especially those making the effort to come down from Pittwater for the regatta,” MHYC Special Events Chairman, Ian Box said.

MHYC, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, expresses its thanks to sponsors: Helly Hansen, Club Marine, Oatley Wines, Short Marine, Vittoria Coffee and Key Sun Zinke for their support.

All information, including full results: www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au   

Di Pearson/MHYC media

Presentation photos....

Regatta images by Andrea Francolini....

Read more: Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship winners declared

Changes at the top and boats going to the bottom at the J24 Nationals

Australian J24 Championships Report for Friday January 3

As the morning southerly slowly turned east and then north-east and freshened, the smoke haze cleared over Sydney Harbour to provide some good racing conditions for Day Two of the 2020 Australian J24 Championships.  The Middle Harbour Yacht Club race management team set a course between Middle Head and North Head for another three races today.

Race 4, the first race of the day, was completed in an unsettled breeze with Steve Wright’s Tinto (Cronulla SC) the winner by 11 seconds from Checkmate (Brendan Lee / SYC) and Vortex (Chris Lee / MHYC).  The breeze had increased slightly for Race 5 but it was still fluky close to the top mark.  David McKay and Stamped Urgent (Cronulla SC) made the best of the conditions to finish ahead of Middle Harbour’s David West in Ace and Tinto in third. 

Race Officer Steve Tucker “tweaked” the course for Race 6, but there was some excitement on the start line with a number of boats making contact.  Calypso (Paul Donnelly / RMYC) and Phoenix (Joanna Lecka / CYCA) both suffered damage, with Phoenix later sinking on Clontarf Beach within sight of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club marina.  The boat was eventually re-floated and will hopefully be back on the racetrack to continue its championship campaign tomorrow.  Back on The Sound this afternoon,  Steve Wright’s Tinto claimed another win, this time ahead of Warren Slater’s JAB and Brendan Lee’s Checkmate, both from Sandringham YC.

Two wins today for Steve Wright and the Tinto crew have moved them to the top of the series table, one point ahead of 2019 Champion Brendan Lee’s Checkmate and eight points clear of the top local boat, Ace, helmed by David West.  There are six more races scheduled before the championships conclude on Sunday.

For the latest results and event information, go to https://www.mhyc.com.au/sailing/regattas-championships/australian-j24-championships-2020

Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin

Read more: Changes at the top and boats going to the bottom at the J24 Nationals

SSORC Day One and the Seven Islands Race

Day one of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship provided a light to moderate south-easterly under cloudy skies for the coastal passage race to Cape Bailey and return. 

The TP52s racing in the joint SSORC and Ocean Pointscore races made the most of their large sail plans in the relatively flat water, with Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan from RPAYC the first boat home in just under four hours.  In the SSORC Division 1 fleet, Darryl Hodgkinson’s Victoire from CYCA claimed the IRC win from Primitive Cool (John Newbold - RMYS) and Bushranger (Gerry Hatton – RPAYC).  Bushranger claimed the ORCi win and Primitive Cool was best on PHS.  Soozal, Keiran Mulcahy’s King 40 from RPAYC, was the top Division 2 boat on IRC from Sail Exchange (Carl Crafoord – MHYC) and Advanced Philosophy (Peter Sorensen – MHYC).  Matt Hanning’s Sydney 36 Supernova, also from MHYC, claimed the Div2 ORCi win while Sail Exchange was on top of the PHS table.

Inside Sydney Harbour, the annual Seven Islands pursuit race was shortened due to the limited breeze that still saw a large number of retirements.  Adrian Walters Little Nico was quick in the light winds, leading Swish (Steven Proud) to the Clark Island finish by a fair margin and Kukukerchu (David Ross) third in Division 1.  Charles Caskey’s Perception was the sole finisher in Division 2.  The Seven Islands was also the first round of the Jeanneau Cup Series and the Division was won by Mike Galagher’s Galan.  Macscap (Peter McClelland) was next, followed by Think Twice (Alexander Flecknoe-Brown).

The Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship continues tomorrow with three offshore windward-leeward races. 

To view the SSORC results - click here

To view the Seven Islands Race results- click here

SSORC Passage Race images by Andrea Francolini 

Seven Islands Race images by Andrea Francolini

Read more: SSORC Day One and the Seven Islands Race

J24 Nationals Underway on Sydney Harbour

Day one of the 2020 J24 Australian Championships saw sixteen crews from NSW and Victoria racing on The Sound of Sydney Harbour in a light south-easterly becoming moderate.  It was a gentle start to four days of racing, with wind strength and temperature forecast to rise as the event progresses.

Brendan Lee, the 2019 National Champion from Sandringham in Victoria, has returned to defend his title with his new boat Checkmate.  In the first race of the day, Lee was third behind Steve Wright’s Tinto (Cronulla SC), the runner-up for last year’s championship, but thirty seconds ahead was Middle Harbour sailor John Crawford and the crew of Innamincka.  In race two, Checkmate took a narrow win from David West’s Ace (MHYC) and Tinto was third. 

For the final race today, Race Officer Steve Tucker signalled for three laps of the windward-leeward course running from south of Cannae Point out through the Sydney Heads, where the breeze held steady around 130 degrees throughout the afternoon and kept the fleet clear of the ferry lanes. David McKay’s Stamped Urgent, the Cronulla team who placed third at the 2019 Nationals, were first home ahead of Simon Grain’s Jet (Sandringham YC) and Brendan Lee’s Checkmate.

At the end of day one, Checkmate (Brendan Lee) leads the series score by 3 points with Tinto (Steve Wright) second and Innamincka (John Crawford) third but on equal points with Stamped Urgent (David McKay) who are the wrong side of a tie-break.

Nine more races are scheduled for the Championships, with racing concluding on Sunday.  The event is being conducted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

For the latest results and event information, go to https://www.mhyc.com.au/sailing/regattas-championships/australian-j24-championships-2020

Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin

Read more: J24 Nationals Underway on Sydney Harbour

MHYC wins NSW Opti Team Racing Championship

A massive congratulations from all of us at MHYC to Ben, Jacob, Will & Joel for Winning the 2019 NSWIODA Team Racing Championship. Not only did the MHYC team win the championship but they only lost one race!

Get the full account from Ben Crafoord...

1^st PLACE FOR MHYC - NSW OPTIMIST TEAMS RACING Sunday 17^th November

Last Sunday I was very lucky to be a team member of the MHYC Open optimist teams racing squad along with Jacob Marks, Will Wilkinson and Joel Beashel at the NSW Teams Racing Championships.  Originally this event was to be run at Toronto however there was a last minute change to Rose Bay hosted by Cranbrook.  The MHYC team had been looking forward to this event for some time and we were very happy to come home with the 1^st place trophy and medals. We had a full-on day of racing in very good conditions. There were 6 open teams and 3 intermediate teams. We completed in two full round robins, and only lost 1 of our 18 races. Teams Racing is very different to Fleet Racing, you have to work together to make sure you finish in the best combination. We had loads of training leading up to the event and held a few strategy sessions. It was a great day and the team cant wait for next years competition to retain the title. 

Signing off from Ben Crafoord

Read more: MHYC wins NSW Opti Team Racing Championship

Christmas Cup concludes the MHYC 2019 Sailing Program

The final day of racing at MHYC for 2019 was a very full program afloat and ashore. 

A gale warning threatened to interfere with racing but as the change was slow moving up the coast, a shorter race was completed for the Christmas Cup well before the southerly moved in.  A ten mile course,  taking in Manly and Fort Denison, raced in a moderate to fresh north-easterly provided some good sailing.  The Christmas Cup was this year held in memory of Gordon Reynolds, one of the founders of MHYC.  This annual event also includes the Veterans Cup and Old Farts Dog Bowl Trophy, attracting some older boats and even older skippers!

The Christmas Cup Division 1 was won by Michael Smith and the crew of Tempo, while Astoria (Mark Stacey) claimed the Division 2 win.  Winner of the Veterans Cup (for boats of 30 years and older) was Sheer Magic (Mark Stacey).  Winner of the Old Farts Dog Bowl Trophy (boat and skipper which have a combined age of 90+) was Peter Sorenson and Advanced Philosophy.

To view the Christmas Cup results – click here

Following prize-giving for the Christmas Cup, a Special Event was held to recognise the MHYC crews which will contest the 75^th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.  It also acknowledged the achievements of MHYC sailors participating in this iconic race over many decades.  A panel discussion with skippers of this year’s entries was moderated by Andrew Pearson. 

We wish all the crews competing this year a safe and fast passage to Hobart and also wish the MHYC Race Management Volunteers running the second Start Line all the best.

To follow to Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race fleet from Boxing Day, view the Race Tracker 

Thankyou Marg Fraser-Martin for today's action photos from the Christmas Cup

Christmas Cup Presentations in the SandBar

MHYC Special Event to mark the 75^th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Read more: Christmas Cup concludes the MHYC 2019 Sailing Program

Top entries and still time to come on board Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship

A healthy fleet of IRC/ORCi yachts is set to line up in the Premier division at the 42^nd running of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC), hosted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) over the weekend of 23 and 24 November – and it is not too late to enter.

Among the entries are boats preparing for the upcoming Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, including Ken Holmes’ Beneteau First 45, Dreki Sunnan, John Newbold’s Reichel Pugh 51 Primitive Cool and Soozal, a King 40 recently imported from California into Sydney by Keiran and Elizabeth Mulcahy. The trio will be tested by the rest of the fleet, including defending champions.

Dreki Sunnan is the ‘local hope’, one of six Sydney Hobart entries from MHYC, where she races regularly, while Soozal is new to the Sydney sailing scene.

“Soozal has enjoyed a very successful racing career and is hoping to re-create her winning ways in a highly competitive IRC fleet. She launched in Sydney last week. I’ve only played on her in the Harbour a couple of times, but I sailed her in California. She is the only King 40 built without any budget and is the best racing cruiser around,” Mulcahy says.

“I’ve done the SSORC before though, on Astral,” he said of the yacht he won PHS Division 2 on last year. “She will be waiting at Constitution Dock in Hobart for us in December and we’ll race together at the Australian Yachting Championships in January,” Mulcahy ended.
This will be Soozal’s first major offshore racing experience on Sydney waters in the lead-up to the Hobart. Primitive Cool will have her first Sydney offshore hit out of the year, while Newbold and crew are flying in from Victoria especially for the SSORC, and their boat will be waiting.  

The three will be joined by some regulars, although one, Peter Sorensen will be there with his latest boat, the newly named ‘Advanced Philosophy’, a Sydney 38. Division1’s top two from last year, Box Cox’s DK46, Nine Dragons and Darryl Hodgkinson’s Carkeek 40, Victoire, also return.

Meanwhile, the TP52 fleet has been slightly impacted by damage done in the Cabbage Tree Island Race two weekends ago, but defending champion Hooligan, Frantic, Zen, Woteva, Celestial and Gweilo are all confirmed to start when Day 1’s coastal passage race, which is combined with the CYCA Ocean Pointscore, gets underway.  

MHYC is generously waiving the late entry fee for the SSORC.  The standard fee will apply until entries close at midnight on 20 November - so sign up now.

MHYC expresses its thanks to sponsors: Helly Hansen, Club Marine, Oatley Wines, Short Marine, Vittoria Coffee and Key Sun Zinke for their support.

All information, including Notice of Race and entry: www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au 

SSORC Sailing Instructions: click here

Read more: Top entries and still time to come on board Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship

Edake wins Pittwater One Design Trophy

By Jennie Hughes

There was absolutely no stopping Jeff Carter and the Edake crew today as they smashed out two quick wins in races five and six, putting them so far ahead they had won the regatta before the last race had begun.

Carter had the win in the bag after the most spectacular finish in race six, where down to the last fifty metres Exile were three boat lengths ahead.  Never to be underestimated, Carter caught a small vein of pressure giving them a hotter angle to the finish, where they pipped Exile by less than a quarter of a boat length as the race finished with cheers from spectators and crew.

“Today was very close racing.  In race six we were able to work our way into second place behind Exile.  We had to be patient on the last leg downhill and felt the boat end was favoured, so we broke away to the pin.  Exile came back a little later and that’s when Harry (Price) and Alice (Tarnawski) decided to let them have the pin, while we put the speed throttle down to the boat end. 

We worked the lumpy conditions and crossed in first by the smallest of margins to take the win.  We were not sure of how many points we had on the others but as it turned out we didn’t need to finish the last race of the day.  We played it safe and gave Outlaw a run for their money and finished second.  The back to back regatta wins is a good start to the season, however, we still have room for improvement.

Reigning National Champion Tom Quick’s Outlaw narrowly snuck into second place and whilst they are not dominating as they did last season, they are always on the podium and the competitive team will be on the hunt for a win in January.  

The Exile crew, with substitute helmsman Sam Hill, along with his rock star tactician Finn Alexander, were strong all weekend and just missed out on second place to Outlaw by one point. 

Hats off to Bob Bennett and Tommy Spithill for organising the Youth Development Team on Enigma who impressed all competitors. 

That’s a wrap for 2019! The next Farr 40 regatta will be held in January at Middle Harbour Yacht Club where eleven entries have been confirmed, as the rest of the fleet reunite and get down to business in the lead up to a massive year with the NSW State Titles, National Championships and then the big one, the Farr 40 Worlds 2020.

The Class would like to thank Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and all the wonderful staff for their superb hospitality and PRO Steve Merrington and the race management team, who are so committed to our great sport. 

RESULTS 

1st – Edake (Jeff Carter) 13 points
2nd – Outlaw (Tom Quick) 18 points
3rd – Exile (Rob Reynolds and Sam Hill) 19 points
4th – Double Black (Rob Pitts) 20 points
5th – Enigma (Bob Bennett) 35 points

The Farr 40 Australian Class is proudly sponsored by Hacer Group.
             
Farr 40 Australia Website: www.farr40.asn.au 

Read more: Edake wins Pittwater One Design Trophy

Fresh and Fun for Sunday Centreboards

A moderate to fresh and shifty south-easterly provided some challenges for the Optimist and 29er fleets today, the final session of MHYC Centreboard Club Championship before Christmas.  There were some fast downhill rides on the Balmoral racetrack, but there was quite a bit of swimming and bailing going on too.

Jake Barnabas claimed two wins in the 29er, with Archie Cropley taking the final race.  In the Optimists, Zara Marks was first home in race 7 and Sebastian Wegner claimed the race 8 win.  After 9 scheduled races, Jake Barnabas currently leads the 29er pointscore and Zara Marks is on top in the Optimists.

Many thanks to Mark McLeay, Matt Marks and Michael Giffney for race management today.

To view the latest results – click here 

For more information about Centreboard Racing at MHYC - click here

Read more: Fresh and Fun for Sunday Centreboards