Victorian victory once again at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

Melbourne 55-footer Living Doll, launched 10 months ago by Michael Hiatt and sailing for the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, has finished top scoring boat in IRC grand prix division 1 at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

Living Doll’s mostly amateur 16 man crew, with an average age of 41, squeezed the last out of the boat for the final Molle Islands race. They polished off the series with a second in today’s race, owner/skipper Hiatt at the helm of his winning Farr design.

Hiatt’s victory comes off the back of his title win last week at the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week and gives him the trifecta after he took out the IRC crown at Skandia Geelong Week in January.

“The back guard did a great job getting us in the right place at the right time,” said Hiatt today.

“We went out yesterday to do well in the windward/leewards as those three races can catapult you forward,” added Hiatt, who scored a first, second and third yesterday and a second today to cement victory.

Speaking on successive wins at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week by a Victorian boat Hiatt commented, “Sailing is alive and well in Victoria”.

“For the current season we have 13 evenly handicapped boats and a great group of owners who meet once a month to put a racing program together.”

Next on the calendar for Living Doll is the continuation of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Blue Water Pointscore Series, which includes the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. As well as contesting local events, Hiatt plans to have the boat delivered to Sydney for each of the remaining six of the seven-race series that stretches from July to March 2010.

Living Doll finished six points clear of Ray Roberts’ Cookson 50 Evolution Racing (CYCA), the same order the pair finished (40 seconds apart) at Airlie Beach, with Graeme Wood’s JV52 Wot Now (CYCA) third on the IRC grand prix division 1 ladder.

“We tried to reverse the Airlie Beach finishing order,” said Roberts this afternoon. “I actually enjoyed today’s race, it was very strategic and a lot like the light air sailing we do in Asia. Living Doll is a hard boat to beat when the pressure’s down; they sail around a lot of boats.”

Rod Jones’ Archambault 40 Alegria (MYC) capped off the series with an IRC grand prix division 2 win in today’s shortened Molle islands race.

“It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will shortly,” said Jones dockside this afternoon.

It’s the strength of our team – they’re all good at what they do.

“It’s been a tough week one way or another, but we had a great tussle with Dekadence. They’re a great crew and we both enjoyed the competition.”

Jones beat Phil Coombs’ DK46 Dekadence (SYC) by two points over nine races, Andrew Saies’ brand new South Australian Beneteau First 40 Two True Evolution taking home the third place silverware from its very first regatta hit-out.

Today’s 23.3 nautical mile Molle Islands race for the IRC grand prix, IRC passage 1 and IRC Invitation divisions started from Dent Passage in favourable tide and a light 6 knot SW breeze. All divisions, bar IRC grand prix 1, later had their courses shortened in the fading sou’easter.

Division after division lined up in Dent Passage this morning to set off in a northerly direction at five minute intervals, creating a magnificent march past for the onlookers standing atop the new Hamilton Island Yacht Club, the club’s flagstaff marking one end of the start line.

It was no-man’s land in Molle passage for those first on the scene; Bob Oatley’s RP66 Wild Oats X caught short while Stephen Ainsworth’s RP62 Loki moved into first, staging a remarkable comeback after being called OCS at the start. Loki picked up a handy land breeze off South Molle Island and scooted along the shoreline before they were challenged by Peter Harburg’s RP66 Black Jack.

The lead changed several more times before Alan Brierty’s RP63 Limit stormed home in what was one of the best finishes of the regatta, narrowly pipping Black Jack and the Adam Beashel helmed Wild Joe to get the gun by one minute, and record their second bullet of the series.

A final word from the regatta director....

This afternoon as the Audi race buoys were being deflated and packed away for the next Audi sponsored sailing event, regatta director Denis Thompson took some time to think back over the past week, which began with light and variable breeze and closed with the return of the Trade Winds, although uncharacteristically light.

“It’s been an almost Trade Wind-less regatta which meant the race committee had to work so hard to chase the breeze and make sure the fleets had some good racing.

“Once again the quality of the IRC fleet has been outstanding, probably the best ever seen in the country,” Thompson added.

Tonight crews will celebrate at the official trophy presentation marking the end of the 26th edition of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

For the final day of racing at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week the IRC Passage 2, Performance Racing 1 and 2, Cruising 1, 2 and 3 and Non-Spinnaker divisions were sent on a 17.5 nautical mile island course around Denman Island and White Rock.

Following an extremely slow finish in Dent Passage in “ordinary” breeze the final series results were a lottery, according to the eventual Performance Racing division 2 winning skipper Andy Kearnan.

Kearnan’s Sydney 32 Wirrajurnd (CYCA) sailed a brilliant series, their final tally including four firsts on handicap, to finish two points clear of club mate Andy Stoeckel’s Beneteau 42 Integrity and Roger Down’s Farr 11.6 True Love (WSC).

Paul Clitheroe’s Beneteau 45 Balance took top honours in the IRC Passage Division 1 results by the slimmest of margins, Clitheroe admitting “it’s nice to go one better” than his previous best Race Week results, a second and third in division with a former boat.

“We just snuck in by one point. Blue Water won today’s race and we finished second, which was just enough to get us over the line,” said a relieved Clitheroe.

“There was no breeze for the final two hours; if they hadn’t shortened the course we would have all missed the presentation tonight.

“We have been a model of consistency this week, which is unusual for me.

“Thankfully for my wife it’s been a fantastic week to be a tourist on Hamilton Island.”

In Performance Racing division 1, Edward Earl’s Beneteau 47.7 Ishtar sailing for the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Sydney outclassed Ray Haslar’s NZ Davidson 35 Jive Talkin’ by one point.

Earl’s last Race Week win was in the late 1980s with a former boat. His crew makeup is a little different this time around with four husband and wife teams as well as his daughter and son part of the winning crew.

All divisional results are available online.

The impressive IRC Invitation division led the other Audi Hamilton Island Race Week classes contesting today’s passage races north out of Dent Island this morning in a building ESE breeze that was bulleting on the north western corner of Dent Island, causing plenty of spinnakers to collapse suddenly.

At 98 feet, Peter Millard’s Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron registered Lahana is the biggest of them all and not surprisingly has taken more line honours wins than the rest in its division. On corrected time the white hulled maxi is the other side of the half way mark, but more importantly the sizable crew of 28 is making the most of the opportunity for valuable time on the water with the Whitsundays their backdrop.

Lahana, formerly NZ maxi Zana/Konica Minolta, is one of six 98 and 100 foot maxis expected on this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race start line and is using Audi Hamilton Island Race Week to put some miles and crew experience into the bank in the lead up to the Boxing Day blue water classic.

Andrew Short’s RP80 Club Marine Shockwave is another Invitation division headline act, followed by the two Volvo 60s and the stunning Marten 49s.

In what were perfect Swan-type conditions, Leslie Green’s Swan 60 Ginger scored its second back to back handicap victory to be leading the IRC Invitation division by three points from Bruce Hogan’s Perpetual Mocean with a day’s racing to go. Ginger’s crew spotted a whale on the course at Dent Island.

The IRC Invitation division was sent on a stunning 26.5 nautical mile course around Dent, Pine, Sidney and Pentecost islands.

IRC Passage 2, Performance 2 and Cruising Division 1 sailed a slightly shorted course, leaving Sidney Island out, while Cruising 2 and 3 and non-spinnaker went shorter again, sailing 23.4 nautical miles.

Performance Racing Division 2 leader Wirrajurnd from Sydney, named by its original lawyer owner, has held onto pole position leading into tomorrow’s final Molle Islands race which will start from Dent Passage at 0930hrs when the procession will head out of the Passage at five minute intervals.

“We got second over the line today which is pretty good for a 32 footer,” said Wirrajurnd’s owner Andy Kearnan this afternoon.

“We are looking forward to tomorrow’s Molle island course, it’s one of the greatest courses of the regatta.” And on his chances of bettering last year’s third place Kearnan is not jumping ahead of himself. “Every day is a new day,” he said.

This morning the vast majority of the 194 Race Week entries paraded in front of the judges for the annual Prix d’Elegance for the best presented yacht and crew and the best fun-themed yacht and crew. Michael Jacksons, Mexicans and a crew decked out in imported safari suits, including pith helmets for all, were amongst the highlights. The judges’ decision will be announced at tomorrow evening’s trophy presentation, the final event of another Audi Hamilton Island Race Week showstopper.

The stunning playground that is the Whitsunday Islands showed off its best for the penultimate day of the 26th edition of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Consistent south east Trade Winds, flat water and whales and dolphins frolicking in the turquoise waters as the fleets slid by made for the perfect day’s sailing.

With tomorrow signalling the close of competition, those in the silverware hunt are throwing everything they have at the final races of the week-long series that commenced last Saturday.

In the IRC grand prix division 1 Michael Hiatt’s Victorian Farr 50 Living Doll is poised for back to back victories having claimed the coveted overall win at Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week last week.

With just one race to go, the 23.3 nautical mile Molles Island race for all classes which will kick off in spectacular fashion tomorrow at 0930hrs from Dent Passage, Living Doll’s crew can sleep a little easier tonight with a seven point cushion back to seasoned campaigner Ray Roberts and his Cookson 50 Evolution Racing, which finished the bridesmaid to Living Doll at Airlie Beach.

In IRC grand prix division 2 a first, fourth and a fifth in today’s three windward/leeward races has Rod Jones’ Archambault 40 Alegria from Mooloolaba Yacht Club teetering on the edge of a win from Phil Coomb’s DK46 Dekadence, but it will go down to the wire tomorrow with only a point separating the pair.

Andrew Saies’ Two True Evolution, a brand new South Australian Beneteau First 40 which is utilising the vast knowledge of Michael Spies for the boat’s first hit out, is third on the series pointscore after eight races.

In the line honours count, Bob Oatley’s RP66 Wild Oats X is still one ahead of Peter Harburg’s near sistership Black Jack from Queensland, while Alan Brierty’s RP63 Limit from Sydney entered the fray today, scoring its second bullet on corrected time and its first line honours win to be third on the progressive series scoresheet.

With New Zealand America’s Cup sailors Gavin Brady and Rodney Keenan adding plenty of kudos to what is already a top Australian crew, Limit stayed out of the tide on the first beat and snaffled the win from the bigger boats.

Following this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart and Audi Victoria Week in January Brierty is heading overseas to try his luck on the northern hemisphere stage. He’ll ship his boat to the US for the Pacific Cup and Rolex Big Boat Series, amongst other events.

In the first race of the day Wild Oats X and Black Jack split tacks up the windward work then duelled back to the bottom mark, Mark Richards and his red shirt brigade once again shutting down the Mark Bradford skippered Black Jack.

In the second race, race seven of the series, Richards uncharacteristically broke the start, both Wild Oats X and Rob Hanna’s Shogun recalled by the race committee to re-start. By the first top mark rounding there was only 40 seconds between the two front runners but by the finish line Black Jack had stretched that lead to almost two minutes.

Today the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week fleet of 194 split, the Performance Racing divisions enjoying some round the cans action on the eastern course, the Cruising Divisions setting off at a leisurely pace from Dent Passage for their 12 nautical mile pursuit race and the IRC and Passage Divisions racing a stunning shortened course to Baynham Island in what was the best breeze of the week.

“It was nice to have some consistent breeze” said today’s IRC grand prix division 1 winner Graeme Wood, owner of the JV52 Wot Now which is being helmed by Julian Freeman.

Wot Now beat overall series leader Living Doll, Michael Hiatt’s Victorian Farr 55, by a minute on corrected time.

Alan Brierty’s RP63 Limit was the only big boat to figure in today’s podium finishes, claiming third over the line and third on corrected time. Their sense of humour was also on display, a Limit crewman offering to re-lay the pin mark for the race committee, a reference to Monday’s tangle up.

Finishing ahead of Limit over the line was Bob Oatley’s RP 66 Wild Oats X and Peter Harburg’s RP 66 Black Jack sailing for the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. The two staged a thrilling line honours duel rounding Dent Island, Black Jack missing out on a long awaited opportunity to climb over Wild Oats when their Code 0 failed to unfurl properly.

“It may have cost us the opportunity to pass Oats,” said Black Jack’s tactician Peter ‘Billy’ Merrington. “They sailed very well and defended their lead.”

“Hats off to them,” offered owner Peter Harburg.

In the line honours contest Wild Oats X is now one up on Black Jack with two days of competition remaining.

IRC division 2 winner was Phil Coombs’ Victorian DK46 Dekadence over Robbo Robertson’s Queensland Farr 40 Cracklin Rosie. With well known offshore yachtsman Roger Hickman part of the afterguard, Dekadence is leading the series overall, on equal points with Rod Jones’ Archambault 40 Alegria.

On Monday Dekadence was lifted out of the water so the keel could be inspected following a slight touch of the keel at Isolated Rock. “In order to sail really well we needed to be touched by paradise, unfortunately the translation to the helm went a little skewy,” said Hickman today. No damage was reported.

His first bullet of the regatta has moved money man Paul Clitheroe and his Beneteau 45 Balance from Sydney into first on the IRC Passage division 1 series scoresheet. Balance leads Graham Jones’ Bluewater by two points.

In the IRC Invitation division, the stately Swan 60 Ginger owned by Leslie Green, helmed by round the world yachtsman Gordon Maguire and with Australian Development Squad member and women’s match racing champion Katie Spithill calling the shots, took the win today from Andrew Banks’ You’re Hired.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia boat You’re Hired was a very late arrival at Hamilton Island. Their engine blew up off Mackay three days prior to the regatta’s opening day and after sourcing a new engine block the delivery crew motored into the harbour at 2am Saturday morning, just hours before the first race commenced at 1015hrs.

Andy Kearnan’s Sydney 32 Wirrajurnd is on a relentless charge to be top scoring boat in Performance Racing division 2, taking four overall wins from five starts to be clear leader by eight points from CYCA club mate Andrew Stoeckel and his Beneteau 42 Integrity.

Peter Skillington’s chartered Beneteau Oceanis 343 aptly named Heartstruck missed out on the Cruising division 3 silverware in today’s 12 nautical mile race but the crew enjoyed the scenic course nonetheless with building easterly to SE breeze all the way round the track.

With three Melbourne based cardio thoracic surgeons, two anaesthetists, one surgical assistant and one plastic surgeon aboard, Heartstruck is the equivalent of a sailing ambulance.

This afternoon around 700 competitors and their families are enjoying the inaugural Dent Island Day, which has replaced Whitehaven Beach day on the Race Week social calendar.

Part of the fun that is Race Week is the Prix d’Elegance, which will be judged as the fleet departs the harbour for racing tomorrow morning, Friday, August 28. It is open to all yachts that are competing and there will be two categories judged:

The best presented yacht and crew – with the yacht in first-class trim and the crew in matching crew uniforms.
The best fun-themed yacht and crew – where the sailors dress up their yachts and let their imagination run wild.

Tomorrow’s penultimate day of competition will see the IRC grand prix divisions 1 and 2 aiming for three windward/leewards in the Eastern course area starting at 1100hrs while the rest of the classes undertake an islands course with the first starter’s off the line in Dent Passage at 1040hrs.

That was the name of a great rock record from the band Spooky Tooth circa 1969 and the dilemma facing the racing crews and officials today at Hamo. It's not that Australia is short of wind... but it is poorly distributed! Down south, they are getting it all and the Whitsundays aren't getting enough to buck the tide. so....

Racing for all classes contesting Audi Hamilton Island Race Week has been postponed until tomorrow, Thursday 27 August, when SE/NE winds 10 to 15 knots are forecast to bring relief to the almost 2,000 sailors champing at the bit following three days of light air sailing and effectively two lay days.

A dozen buggy trips to the top of One Tree hill and half a tank of fuel later, regatta director Denis Thompson made the call mid-afternoon to keep the cruising and non-spinnaker divisions ashore, then the IRC and performance racing divisions.

“Everyone understood the decision, no-one wants to race in such light and shifty conditions,” said Thompson.

“I’m confident we will get everyone out tomorrow,” he added.

Racing was due to get underway at 1030hrs this morning but with glass-outs intermingling with a 4 knot breeze out of the ESE, crews waited ashore until 1400hrs when the last AP flag was lowered, signalling the end of the wait.

After considering their options, the race committee has published a revised racing schedule.

Instead of an island course, Performance Racing 1 and 2 will tomorrow race two windward/leewards starting from Eastern start area at 0900hrs, the second race to start as soon as practical after the first.

All other classes will be sent on a pursuit race with a ‘Mark Foy’ start, named in deference to Hamilton Island Yacht Club Commodore Iain Murray’s 18 foot skiff days. Each boat will receive a start time and will have to try and catch the front runners after setting off from the Dent Passage start line tomorrow morning. These races will be timed so all participants and their guests can head to the party on Dent Island immediately after finishing.

Two of the most eagerly anticipated additions to this year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week will be on show tomorrow, the Mark Foy pursuit race followed by the inaugural Dent Island Day.

Dent Island Day will be a day of laid-back activities for competing sailors and their families. Most of the fun will be based around the magnificent new Hamilton Island Golf Club, which stands impressively at the summit of Dent Island.

On Friday 28 August, the series’ penultimate day of competition, IRC grand prix divisions 1 and 2 will aim for three rather than two windward/leewards in the Eastern course area starting at 1100hrs.

The remaining classes will as per the original schedule complete a short around the islands course starting from Dent Passage at 1040hrs.

Australia’s most awarded keelboat regatta staged in amongst the stunning Whitsunday Island Group will conclude Saturday afternoon prior to an evening trophy presentation.

It’s D-Day here at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week; a mixture of nerves, reticence and resolve written on the faces of the chosen representatives of each yacht as they pit themselves against each other for their biggest test yet – the Audi Drive Challenge – the opportunity of driving away in an Audi A4 Avant, courtesy of German luxury car manufacturer Audi on the line.

Brad Jones, the Audi Motorsport ambassador who designed the course at Hamilton Island airport, explained the Challenge to competitors. “It’s about skill, precision and consistency. The most consistent driver after two rounds will win,” he said before giving each a test round in the Audi RS 6 sedan. Obviously speed comes into the picture too.

However, it is not just the Audi Drive Challenge that will deliver the vehicle to one lucky boat owner. The victor will first have to win his or her division at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week – and there are 11 divisions.

Jones went on to say: “The great thing about the way we do this exercise is that we never know who is going to win. It’s an event anyone can win and the lucky person won’t know until the prize giving at the end of Race Week.” Joerg Hofmann, Audi Australia’s Managing Director, will divulge the lucky winner at the prize giving on Saturday evening.

A surprise first driver was English adventurer, Ben Southall, famed for winning the Greatest Job in the World at Hamilton Island, after a world-wide search to find one enterprising individual from over 34,000 applicants, who was given the ultimate experience of working in the islands surrounding the Barrier Reef for a six month period just over two months ago.

The gregarious Southall, 34, who lives in a three bedroom beach home overlooking the Barrier Reef, far from his home in Hampshire, was keen to take the Challenge: “Great. I get to drive the RS 6 and the TTS. I’m extremely interested in Audis – I’m stoked.

“This was my day off work, but when I got this invitation, I said ‘no way! I want to drive those Audis.’”

Southall, who is making the most out of his time on Hamilton Island, enthused after his drive: “I’m getting to do amazing things. This is a real experience; it gets the adrenalin going! Getting to drive the RS 6 around the course comes close to England winning the Ashes!

One of the early sailors to take the Challenge was yachtsman of renown, Iain Murray, representing Hamilton Island owner, Bob Oatley and the Wild Oats X crew.

Before taking his chances, Murray, of America’s Cup, Olympic and 18ft skiff sailing fame, admitted: “I haven’t done this before. I’m just going to watch the guys before me and take it from there.”

After the drive, Murray conceded: “Everything’s easy until you’ve got to do it. It was good fun. Pity it was over in 30 seconds, I’d love to do it again…”

Comments were flying thick and fast from the sidelines, with a lot of laughter, as some drove like maniacs, missed some of the course, burnt up rubber and came to a screeching halt at the finish.

“I think some of those guys got a big shot of testosterone before they got behind the wheel,” commented Darren Jones who drove for Limit, owned by Alan Brierty. It sure appeared that way.

For the almost 200 crews contesting day three of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week it was a case of take a number and wait your turn for wind.

Today’s lottery meant that at one point this afternoon, as the sea breeze tried its best to shoo away this morning’s light sou’easter, the different course areas were experiencing wind from opposite sides of the dial. While some boats were becalmed, others had full kites and reasonable speed. There was oodles of guesswork involved, and it left many scratching their heads.

The IRC grand prix, IRC Passage and Invitational and Performance Racing divisions had their island race cut short at the southern tip of Pine Island, Bob Oatley’s RP66 Wild Oats X drawing level in the line honours tally by edging out Peter Harburg’s Queensland registered near sistership Black Jack by five minutes.

The two Reichel Pugh 66’s slunk along the far western shoreline of the Whitsunday Passage with their Code 0’s flying, trying to stay out of the remnants of the south running flood tide and hunting a light easterly shore breeze.

Michael Hiatt’s Farr 55 Living Doll from Victoria followed the big boats’ lead to finish third over the line, a mere 16 seconds behind Black Jack, and first on corrected time.

Ray Roberts’ Evolution Racing was one of three boats caught in a local back eddy on the south side of Ann and Cole islands and was looking less than famous until they picked up a 12 knot easterly that rocketed the Cookson 50 to the finish line and into second on the IRC results sheet for today’s race.

Third on IRC was Rob Hanna’s Shogun, another caught in the same back eddy with Loki and Evolution Racing, which managed to save face with a third on corrected time. Hanna’s woes began from the starting signal when the Cookson 50 was individually recalled then clipped the pin mark while returning to re-start, forcing a penalty turn.

Hiatt’s second overall win for the regatta has moved him to second on the progressive series pointscore behind new series leader after four races, Evolution Racing which is campaigning for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

The tide and local anomalies played a big role today, a number of starts on the southern area general recalled while individual boats were also recalled for misjudging the 2-3 knot current and overshooting the start line.

In IRC grand prix division 2 Phil Coombs’ Victorian based Dekadence, with Sydney veteran yachtsman Roger Hickman aboard, finished ahead of Rod Jones’ Archambault 40RC Alegria and Jim Farmer’s Farr 43 Georgia One from New Zealand.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 25 August, is a layday for all divisions with a number of shore based activities planned including beach sports, the Audi Drive Challenge, Todd Woodbridge Ultimate Tennis Experience and Moet and Chandon Lunch at the luxury qualia resort.

Racing will resume Wednesday with windward/leewards for the Performance Racing divisions and a short around-the-islands race for all other classes. The forecast has the south east Trade Winds returning Thursday at 13-14 knots, with slightly more pressure expected Friday for the closing races of the week-long regatta.

Results for yesterday’s opening race for the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week IRC grand prix division 1 boats shuffled overnight following arbitration between Wild Joe and Wot Now, and the discovery of a rating office error that has affected Wild Oats X’s handicap placings.

Using the correct handicap rating, Wild Oats X’s first in yesterday’s opening windward/leeward race didn’t stick, Bob Oatley’s RP66 skippered by Mark Richards and flying the Hamilton Island Yacht Club burgee moving to third on the ladder then back up to second after Graeme Wood’s JV 52 Wot Now was penalised for a port/starboard with Steven David’s Reichel Pugh 60 Wild Joe.

This shuffle gave Robert Date’s new Victorian Reichel Pugh 52 Scarlet Runner, with Graeme Taylor helming and famed Australian navigator Will Oxley aboard, the win on corrected time by the slimmest of margins – just three seconds separating Scarlet Runner from Wild Oats.

On the division 1 progressive series scoresheet after three races Scarlet Runner leads Alan Brierty’s RP63 Limit and Ray Roberts’ Cookson 50 Evolution Racing, both sailing for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

Date has stepped up from Sydney 38 one design racing to join the strong fleet of 50-footers racing out of Melbourne.

“The 50 somethings in Melbourne are a good group...Living Doll, Cougar, Shogun. That’s the main reason we have stepped up to a bigger and faster boat,” said Date, who will share the driving with Taylor later in the week when the Trade Winds revisit the area.

“In the light stuff we have got to hit the groove straight out of the blocks, I’ve made the decision to pull back for now. The last couple of days have been challenging for everyone, it’s hard having to put crew off. We are sailing with 12 in the light stuff but when the breeze picks up we’ll go to 16,” Date added.

On his end of year plans, Date says he’s considering signing up for the big one, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, but first needs to fill a couple of key crew spots.

Wot Now took a heavy penalty for its port/starboard with Wild Joe, sliding backwards from the top of the IRC pile in yesterday’s first windward/leeward race to seventh, a result that could figure at the end of the week when the Audi IRC Australian Championship is decided.

Today’s forecast is for 0 to 10 knots with the chance of a glass-out this morning and 2 to 10 knots this afternoon out of the south east.

After finishing almost bottom of the pile in yesterday’s opening race, Alan Brierty’s RP63 Limit displayed some threatening form today, New Zealand America’s Cup import Gavin Brady showing plenty of grit on the wheel at the start of the second windward/leeward as he shaved the pin end smack bang on the starting signal and backed it up with the all important handicap win.

However in the pre-start Limit tangled with the pin mark, crewman Darren ‘Twirler’ Jones diving overboard to try and free the mark to the delight of the other race crews who cheered as they watched the spectacle unfold. Eventually the anchor rope was cut and the boat freed, the crew’s embarrassment left in the wake of Brady’s sizzling on-water form.

“After hooking the mark it was good to get off the start line in great shape,” admitted AC sailor Rodney Keenan, who is part of Limit’s impressive afterguard.

Black Jack’s blistering regatta debut yesterday was a distant memory in this morning’s first race with the Queensland RP66 finishing second last over the line after being caught short in a local glass-out on approach to the finish. Skipper Mark Bradford made amends in the second race, finishing ahead of the pack and second on the progressive pointscore in front of Ray Roberts’ Cookson 50 Evolution Racing.

In the first race this morning Bob Oatley’s Reichel Pugh 66 Wild Oats X packed its first regatta punch, scoring a runaway line and overall handicap honours win in the 8 knot northerly breeze.

Wild Oats led the fleet around the track to even the line honours tally with Peter Harburg’s Black Jack then in the second race were again out-classed by Black Jack and Limit from Sydney after their spinnaker tack blew out.

Second on handicap in the first race was Graeme Wood’s JV52 Wot Now with Rob Date’s new Victorian RP52 Scarlet Runner, helmed by Graeme ‘GT’ Taylor with Will Oxley navigating, claiming the final podium place.

These results are provisional as Wild Joe's crew has just lodged a protest against Wot Now for a port/starboard incident in today's first race.

The IRC grand prix fleets enjoyed fairly consistent breeze with a single postponement between races while the race committee moved the course further south to the breeze line, and while rendering the pin start mark Limit-less.

In IRC grand prix division 2 Jim Farmer’s Auckland registered Farr 43 Georgia One followed the All Blacks’ lead in last night’s Bledisloe Cup, relegating Phil Coombs’ DK46 Dekadence from Victoria to second in the opening race.

The Aussies fought back in the next race, Andrew Saies’ brand new South Australian Beneteau First 40 Two True Evolution, with Michael Spies calling tactics, scoring its first win in what was only the owner’s third time on the boat.

The Cruising and Performance Racing boats weren’t as lucky, wallowing in no breeze in the Southern start area until regatta director Denis Thompson moved more than 150 boats to the northern end of Dent Passage and sent them on an alternate 15 nautical mile island hopping course starting at 1330hrs, three hours after their scheduled race start.

Due to the ongoing light air forecast tomorrow’s Club Marine Classic Long Race will be replaced with a short round-the-islands race with the IRC grand prix divisions first off at 11am from Southern start line. The long race may be rescheduled later in the week when the breeze is forecast to freshen.

All divisions apart from the IRC grand prix fleets had a mixed bag today, enjoying plenty of warm winter sunshine, cloudless skies and conditions “just like the postcards” commented Balance skipper Paul Clitheroe, but with one important ingredient noticeably absent – wind.

The first start was due to get away at 1030hrs in the Southern start area but despite the race committee’s best attempts those that managed to start were called back shortly afterwards as races were subsequently abandoned.

The impressive fleet of 150 plus whiled away the hours, crews swimming and enjoying the tropical sunshine until regatta director Denis Thompson moved all nine divisions to the north of Dent Passage and sent them on an alternate 15 nautical mile course which kicked off at 1330hrs.

In a 6-11 knot NNW breeze the fleet island hopped around Denman Island to White Rock and back, tactician on Bernie van’t Hof’s Swan 45 Tulip Sean Kirkjian reporting a very pleasant sail and breeze the whole way around.

Results for today’s race are still being calculated and will be available shortly at http://www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au/on-water-events/race-results

Due to the ongoing light air forecast, tomorrow’s Club Marine Classic Long Race will be replaced with a short round-the-islands race with the IRC grand prix divisions first off at 11am from the Southern start line. The long race may be rescheduled later in the week when the Trade Winds are forecast to return to the track.

While the IRC classes stretched out over the 22 nautical mile Lindeman Island course on day one of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, the remaining divisions enjoyed the best of the breeze which steadily built from just shy of five knots to a respectable 10 knots.

Cruising divisions 1, 2 and 3, Performance Racing 1 and 2 and IRC passage 2 divisions sailed an amended shortened course, the latter having their race cut short at Cole Island due to unfavourable tide and light airs.

Regatta director Denis Thompson commented “the cruising fleets had the best of the day, just great sailing with tide underneath in a building breeze”.

Hamish and Michelle Petrie’s 23 tonne Beneteau 57 Ngak Ngak from Pittwater on Sydney’s northern beaches struggled in today’s lighter breeze, even without the pottery kiln.

While it’s typical for cruising boats to offload the extras such as dive gear, the Petries reckon they are the only crew contesting Audi Hamilton Island Race Week that has offloaded a kiln. Skipper Michelle is a keen artist and while cruising has taking advantage of the many deserted beaches between Sydney and Queensland to fire off her ceramic sculptures.

Ngak Ngak’s was a late entry after the Petries were ‘hugged’ by a whale off Hervey Bay. The couple were enjoying a whale watching cruise and figured it wasn’t going to get any better than when a whale playfully touched the boat so continued onto Mackay and from there, well it was just a short hop across to contest the 26th edition of Race Week.

Sailing with only five on board, Ngak Ngak is due to lose a crewmember on Wednesday, just before the Trade Winds are expected to turn up the wind dial at Australia’s most awarded keelboat regatta.

The Cruising and Performance Racing Divisions represent generations of Australian boat building including classics such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours winner from the early 1980s, David Molloy’s IOR heavyweight Condor to the luxury Hanse 540 Pandora with Olympic 49er sailor Ben Austin amongst the crew.

Tomorrow the cruising and performance racing divisions will enjoy a round-the-islands course while the IRC grand prix classes will short tack over two windward/leeward races.

The tactician aboard Rob Date’s new Reichel Pugh 52 Scarlet Runner out of Victoria took a major punt, breaking away from the fleet and opting for the western side of Pentecost Island where the boat languished before clawing its way back through the fleet to finish second on the IRC scoresheet.

Graeme Wood’s JV52 Wot Now with North Sails’ Michael Coxon a new addition to the brains trust, finished third on handicap.

In IRC division 2 the strongly campaigned Alegria, Rod Jones’ Archambault A40 out of Sydney, made an early break on handicap. A past Audi IRC Australian Championship title holder, Jones is one of the leading combatants for this year’s series that will be decided at the end of next week.

The line honours contest that began at last year’s Race Week between the two duelling Reichel Pugh 66s, Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats X and Peter Harburg’s Queensland registered Black Jack has resumed with the same ferocity, Black Jack scoring the first runaway bullet over the line today.

Strategist aboard Black Jack Dave Biggar kept a weather eye out for new breeze lines from up the towering carbon rig and with the wind dropping in and out until it filled in mid afternoon from the NNE, it paid handsomely having the crewman aloft chatting constantly with tactician Peter ‘Billy’ Merrington.

Black Jack’s skipper Mark Bradford had nothing but praise for his light-footed crew, special mentions going to Tom Braidwood on the bow and David Blanchfield in the pit.

“There was also a lot of luck involved, tomorrow it will be someone else’s turn,” said Bradford dockside.

With legendary precision the Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X was first out of the blocks of the Eastern Start line and went well to the right, the crew suddenly finding themselves stranded in a glass-out off the south east tip of Hamilton Island.

Those following the leader had the benefit of watching the grey and red boat come to a complete halt and gybed, Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki, with Cameron Miles on the helm and Andrew Palfrey calling the shots, heading way left while Black Jack tucked in nicely along Pentecost Island riding the flood tide conveyer belt south to Lindeman Island.

Steven David’s RP60 Wild Joe from Sydney, with six-time Olympic sailor Colin Beashel driving, pulled one out of the bag to be ahead of the larger Wild Oats X at the start of the long reach up Whitsunday Passage to the Dent Passage finish line.

Two impressive new ‘Gun Boat’ trophies have been introduced at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week to recognise the yachts that dominate the race for line honours during the regatta.

One of the trophies will be awarded in the IRC Grand Prix Division, where the fastest yachts in the fleet are competing. The other will go to what is judged to be the best performing line honours yacht across all remaining divisions.

Tomorrow IRC divisions 1 and 2 will sail two windward/leewards on the Eastern course area and the other classes will be sent on a course around the islands with the course number to be decided in the morning.

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week opened in stunning fashion with close to 200 boats taking to the water for the opening Lindeman Island Race, which finished in Dent Passage using the flagstaff on the new Hamilton Island Yacht Club as one end of the line.

The line honours contest that began at last year’s Race Week between the two duelling Reichel Pugh 66s, Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats X and Peter Harburg’s Queensland registered Black Jack has resumed with the same ferocity, Black Jack scoring the first bullet over the line today by a country mile.

Strategist Dave Biggar kept a weather eye out for new breeze lines from up the towering carbon rig and with the wind dropping in and out until it filled in mid afternoon from the NNE it paid handsomely having a crewman aloft for most of the 22 nautical mile race.

Black Jack’s skipper Mark Bradford had nothing but praise for his light-footed crew, special mentions going to Tom Braidwood on the bow and David Blanchfield in the pit.

“There was also a lot of luck involved, tomorrow it will be someone else’s turn,” said Bradford dockside.

A light wind regime and increasing temperatures over the coming days are set to test the stamina of the 194 navigators gearing up for the 26th edition of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

Light air sailing is tricky and when big tides come into play, particularly when snaking in amongst the many islands that make up the stunning Whitsunday Group, those charged with keeping the boat moving forward will be sweating over the nav station.

According to regatta forecaster Kenn Batt the ridge of high pressure that normally produces the fresher Trade Wind flow at this time of year won’t have time to develop due to a number of cold fronts that are expected to pass through the southern states.

Instead, light morning west sou’westers of 5-8 knots are forecast to precede 8-12 knot NNE afternoon breezes until Thursday when the Trade Winds are expected back on the race track. In the interim, the boats that are optimised for light air should have created a handy gap on the progressive scoresheet.

Michael Hiatt’s Victorian Farr 55 Living Doll, fresh from its win at Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week yesterday, is considered the light air specialist and with a hard fought title under the crew’s belt, their confidence is sky high.

Steven David’s 60-footer, Wild Joe - a former Race Week champion - has been fine-tuned for this year and will be ultra competitive in light breezes with the likes of America’s Cup sailor Adam Beashel and brother Colin, a six-time Olympian, and international navigator Tom Addis giving the boat plenty of rock star status.

Just eight weeks after giving birth to her second child, Wild Oats X’s navigator Adrienne Cahalan is looking forward to the feel of wind in her hair once again.

“Because the wind will be from a totally different direction to previous years, and light for the first part of the regatta, it gives different boats a chance to excel. Lighter is trickier, particular with the tides. I’m guessing the navigators will be in bed early this week and equally the crews will be exhausted from all the sail changes.”

Wild Oats’ skipper Mark Richards talks about recent modifications to the RP66 “I don’t think the boat has ever been so good. We’ve changed the bulb and rudder shapes and taken a lot of weight out, as well as changing the weight distribution.

“There are so many good boats here and a lot of them are similar to our size which will make the racing so much better.”

The cream of Australia’s IRC grand prix crop is readying for the starting stalls with many out training yesterday and this morning, squeezing the last out of the final countdown to the starter’s gun.

Tonight’s official opening of the magnificent new Hamilton Island Yacht Club is the hottest ticket in town with Race Week owners and skippers joining VIP guests, including Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and the island’s owners, the Oatley family, on the eve of Australia’s most awarded keelboat regatta.

Every Australian state and the ACT will be represented at this year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, the third to be sponsored by German luxury carmaker Audi, with international entries from New Zealand and Singapore combining to take the fleet to 194, a figure that has surpassed all expectations.

The competition for all classes will kick off at 0945hrs tomorrow morning, Saturday 22 August, when Cruising Division 1 sets off from Eastern Start line for the Lindeman Island Race.

An impressive fleet of 194 yachts comprising everything from small cruising boats to the upper echelon of Grand Prix racers will line up for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, starting this Saturday, August 22.

The fleet size, which has exceeded the highest expectations of organisers, cements Race Week as the biggest offshore yachting regatta in Australia, as well as the most awarded.

"This fleet confirms that Audi Hamilton Island Race Week stands at the pinnacle of keelboat racing in Australia," said the island's CEO, Glenn Bourke, who is a yachting Olympian and multi world championship winner. "Everyone associated with the regatta is elated. To achieve the fleet we have this year you must offer the best formula for close and satisfying racing, and an outstanding venue, and that is what we have done, thanks in no small way to the Oatley family who have done a superb job in developing Hamilton Island as the premier island holiday destination in Australia.

"However, we also recognise we can't rest on our laurels. Our challenge is to see Hamilton Island Race Week continue to deliver a premium level of competition plus stimulating events onshore that satisfy everyone over the years ahead."

Glenn Bourke made special mention of the cruising and non-spinnaker cruising divisions that make up the bulk of the fleet. He said Race Week organisers would never lose sight of the important role they play in the overall success of the regatta.

And while these cruising division sailors are destined to enjoy close racing on special courses that embrace the exceptional natural beauty that comes with the many islands making up the Whitsunday region, it will be the intensity of the competition in the IRC Grand Prix division that will hold centre stage. The fleet here is possibly the best ever assembled in ocean racing in Australia.

In all 59 yachts make up the IRC Grand Prix and IRC Passage divisions, a figure that this year represents a surprising percentage increase in the makeup of the entire fleet.

With many of the Grand Prix yachts using this regatta as their first step towards winning this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, it will be give-no-quarter racing where the result will probably not be known until the final day. Among the yachts that will be fighting for top honours in IRC Grand Prix are Alegria (Rod Jones, Qld), Black Jack (Peter Harburg, Qld), Evolution Racing (Ray Roberts, NSW), Limit (Alan Brierty, NSW), Living Doll (Michael Hiatt, Vic), Loki (Stephen Ainsworth, NSW), Scarlet Runner (Rob Date, Vic), Wild Oats X (Bob Oatley, NSW), and Wot Now (Graeme Wood, NSW).

The Race Committee's decision to establish the new IRC Invitational division has been very well received among competitors. This classification will comprise yachts taken from both the IRC Grand Prix and IRC Passage divisions which are no longer competitive against the newer and more developed racing yachts.

Race Week is also the final round of the Audi IRC Australian Championship. It is expected that Alegria and Wot Now will be the leading combatants for this prestigious award.

Almost every Australian state will be represented at the regatta this year, and entries have also been received from New Zealand and Singapore.

The appeal of the 26th edition of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2009 has been reinforced by the inclusion of the best ever onshore social programme. This will involve the official opening of the magnificent new Hamilton Island Yacht Club and a host of other activities, including the inaugural Dent Island Party Day on Thursday, August 27. There is also a great line up of food and wine events featuring top chefs - the likes of Shannon Bennett, Matt Moran and Peter Evans, and for the ladies there will be the release of fashion collections by Collette Dinnigan, Camilla Franks and Little Joe.

In another first, a Race Week golf competition is to be staged this year on the newly completed and very tempting 18-hole Hamilton Island Golf Club course. The perpetual trophy created for this competition will be presented to the winning team at the gala Race Week Trophy Presentation Dinner by Australian golf legend Peter Thompson, the designer of the course.

This is the third year that German luxury carmaker Audi has sponsored Race Week. Audi is the largest supporter of yachting events in Australia.

AND... TCP thanks Hamilton Island Race Week for providing the fine coverage of this event to TCP.