Big day for the Classics Summer Series Fleet.
Thanks to the invitation and efforts of David Seaman, Commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and John Burgess, Chair of the RYCV Lipton Cup Regatta Organising committee, along with the patient and persistent work by the RYCV Principal Race Officer David Leroy and the support of the RYCV front office admin led by Danielle Cooper, Classic’s Summer Series fleet was part of RYCV’s 2014 Lipton Cup Regatta success story.
The battle to the start line
However success on the water didn’t come easy on Sunday. Once again the sea conditions were at the boat damaging stage. Many skippers made the right call to fight another day. 9 yachts of the Classic fleet, with additional crew from Classic yachts that couldn’t race, were able to take on the conditions thrown up to them by Port Phillip. Sayonara and Frances went out all set to race but no. With the big seas running, Dave Allen on the helm of Sayonara and Peter Johns who raced Frances through the Cup Regatta 40 knot front knew that with decks awash in 2 metre seas, it wasn’t worth the risk to crew and boat. A sad Lipton Cup Regatta Race 2 track
Royal Yacht Club of Victoria Lipton Cup Regatta Trophy Classic Yacht Association of Australia Lipton Cup Trophy sight to see them turn back, with no expected let up in the conditions both made the right call. There went the chance for the todays Lipton Fleet to see how they stand against the champion yachts of the original Lipton Cup era. Doug Jenkin also had to turn Bluejacket around to retrieve and fly his number 3, accidently left behind.
Hang on we’re off
At the start, with Trim fighting the heavy sea conditions to make the line in time, Blackadder made Mercedes III work hard to break through and not fall below the pin end of the start line. Tense times were the go beating to the weather gate with many clean big fleet port tack clearances by Mercedes III.
Tumlarens in heavy Port Phillip conditions
Not able to see how the other Classic’s were doing on the beat in the Cruising division fleet big fleet but looking over the results Blackadder didn’t leave off from her on the button start. In what was to be her day, she ate up the heavy conditions to scorch the Classic fleet and take 1st on corrected. Snow Goose must have been in there at the start as she turned in the best corrected timer ever since George Low bought the families heritage Tumlaren to back full racing condition. In fact all the Tums, Avian, Ettrick with Karen Batson of Zephyr on board and Snow Goose put in a heavy weather performance that showed the Lipton fleet why the Tumlaren’s, although now regulated to Cat 7, are known as the boats that excel in whatever heavy conditions Port Phillip can throw at them.
Bluejacket paces the fleet
After a head sail change down to his number 3 Doug Jenkin put Bluejacket up against Avian for a short time as the conditions had lightened out on the beat home from the Hobsons Bay gate but Avian under full rig made short work of him.
The squeeze of time
Ross Clark bought Martini home 11 seconds ahead of Bungoona who told her skipper don’t push me or else. Or else was a touch of the finish line mark where the time to complete the exoneration turn was fatal to her corrected time placing. Bungoona took out a close run third over Avian.
Don’t look back but it’s Boambillee
George Fisscher kept Boambillee going and was closing in on Mercedes III on the run from Gellibrand to the Hobsons Bay Gate but being caught on the wrong side of the starboard hand fleet at the R2 gate and forced to cover more ground to windward of the rhumb line to P3 didn’t do his corrected time chances any good.
A Drama not wanted.
With a protest committee redress of 4.5 minutes Mercedes III was elevated to second on corrected. This redress came from being the point boat, deploying of her life ring to and standing by the Skipper of Blue Chip who went through the life lines with some help from a spinnaker pole. Left the helm to assist with a kite retrieval. After a 5 or so second wait from when he first sunk to when he finally appeared, with hand out stretched, like Godzilla, to grab the life lines of a long gone boat. That time was not a good time to go through. A lucky escape from the Rhapsody of the Depths in full wet weather gear, fortunately no boots.
Trim done in by the conditions
With a combination of a hard beat to the start line and not being able to fly her mizzen in the conditions, Phil Atkins tried many tactics to help Trim make up for the lost time by flying all sails plus the mizzen stays’l on the run from P3 the Hobsons Bay gate. But with the conditions lightening off it was not to be.
Blackadder takes the Tea Bag Trophy
So congratulations to Clive Moulday and his crew on Blackadder. From her start to reaching across to P3 she always looked a winner. Mercedes III and Bungoona followed up with second and third placings. A feature of the results was close corrected times between the second to eight placings.
Recognition of the Classic’s participation.
Congratulations were passed to the entire fleet of classic who participated with the Regatta entrants by the chairman of the 2014 Regatta organising committee, John Burgess and seconded by David Seaman, Commodore of the RYCV. The Associations participation was noted as an important feature towards sustaining the traditions of RYCV Lipton Cup Regatta.
With suitable fanfare the Classics results were announced prior to the Lipton Cup Regatta results.
The Col Bandy inspired Classics Lipton Cup Trophy will now have Blackadder as the additional name to join that of the handicapper when he took out the Classic division of the RYCV 2006 Lipton Cup Regatta with his Alwyn. In her former days as an A class racer on the Derwent, Alwyn took out the 1924 and 1926 Hobart Regatta Lipton Cups.
The Regatta Classics
For the classic yachts that entered the Regatta, Mercedes III and Boambillee, it was not to be. The handicaps assigned were too aggressive compared to what now goes for racing yachts. So be it, if the construction materials and design tools of today were available then our Classic yachts would have used them. While retaining the elegance of yesteryear racing they are still the best examples of yesterday’s leading edge technology of the yacht racing technology an era that has evolved to what yacht racing is today.
FYI, the Cruising division results were recalculated using Classic handicaps. You guessed it. Boambillee first race 1 and Mercedes III, first, followed by Boambillee in race 2. Classic handicaps being used in club racing. Forget it.
The 2014/2015 Summer Series continues
While that’s it for the Lipton Cup Regatta, not so for the Classics. Next race will be Race 3 conducted for the Association by Hobsons Bay Yacht Club on November 30.
One admin reminder note.
Notice of Our AGM being held on November 23 at 6:30pm at Ravaloe, 205 Domain Road South Yarra, aka Martin Ryans house, has been recently forwarded to all financial members.
Regards to all
Peter Costolloe
CYAA (Vic) Handicapper
Inserted in the story is a reference to the Rhapsody of the Depths. To help understand what it’s all about, an extract from the Errol Flynn story where he describes what you go through before drowning has been included. Important info to remember and stop panicking when in trouble in the water.
Race 2 results and series aggregate status after Race 2 are available on the results page
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