Sydney Gaffers Day Flyer

The fleet today included 49 mostly wooden yachts in the Classic Yachts division, many gaff-rigged and several built more than a century ago. Many crews dressed in period sailing gear and later rendezvoused at the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club to celebrate the regatta’s history. Despite a morning sea fog that blanketed the city and suburbs and the harbour, the misty conditions cleared somewhat and a light east to north-easterly breeze cooled conditions and provided close racing around fixed marks.

On waterways along the New South Wales coast, Australia Day regattas were linked to the historic event on Sydney Harbour while ocean racing yachts sailed to Botany Bay and return, albeit slowly, covering the same course sailed by the First Fleet in 1788.

In Hobart, Australia’s second oldest seaport, yachts, dinghies and windsurfers competed in the Australia Day Green Island race and the Sandy Bay Regatta.

Another icon of Australian yachting, the 1970 and 1977 America’s Cup Challenger Gretel II took line honours in the 40 nautical mile Green Island Race, helmed by her 1977 skipper, 85-year-old Gordon Ingate.

On Sydney Harbour, a fleet of 49 yachts, mostly built of wood, many gaff-rigged and several more than a hundred years ago, contested the Classic Yacht division of the 175th Australia Day Regatta.Winner of the 175th Australia Day Regatta Trophy and the Australia Day Council Trophy was Antares (R Keeson and D Wood). The Centenary of Federation Gold Medal went to Reverie, owned by Nigel Berlyn and John Barclay.

The Botany Bay race, conducted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, was a slow race, with headwinds heading south and fickle breezes on the return leg, with some yacht not finish until 1900 hours, after more than eight hours at sea on a hot, humid and misty day. Line honours went to Jim Cooney’s famous conventional maxi, Brindabella, giving her the Geoff Lee Trophy, while the City of Sydney Sesquicentenary Trophy went to Rod Wills X43 Great Expectations. — Peter Campbell

“Below is a pdf of the January issue of Sheerlines with reminders to get your entries in for Anniversary Weekend events, including the Oceanbridge Anniversary Day Regatta and The Southern Trust Classic Yacht Regatta 11-13 February.
An invitation to join our Sail Past on Anniversary Day is also included ……….we would love to see a major armada of vessels on the Waitemata prior to the start of racing so please invite your friends to come along and join in. Sailing, motoring, paddling ………..all welcome!
General assembly outside the Viaduct at 0900 with a leisurely sail, motor or paddle to Orakei Wharf, across to Devonport (keeping an eye out for the tugboats finishing off the wharf from 10.20 approx‚) and heading back to the start area at Princes Wharf.”

Those Aussies planning to attend as crew on these magnificent vessels are asked to contact the Australian Co-Ordinator, Roger Dundas rogermdundas@gmail.com so that the information regarding the Australian contingent can be passed on to the organisers.

SheerlinesJanuary_11

For more information download the Invitation and Notice of Race below

Invitation

ADR175 Classic NOR

Veolia Maris, designed by the late Alan Payne and built of timber in Hobart by the famous Jock Muir in 1958, will be in line to win the IRC rating division for an unprecedented third consecutive year. Skippering the classic yawl will be Tiare Tomaszewski, a grand daughter of the original owner, marine artist Jack Earl.

Balance is French-designed Beneteau First 45 built to the latest composite construction methods, owned and skippered by television financial commentator Paul Clitheroe, and launched in 2008. She jumped to equal favouritism with Veolia Maris with an impressive overall win last Saturday in the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s historic Gascoigne Cup off Sydney Heads.

A fleet of 17 yachts, including four from Queensland, will be flagged away from Broken Bay, north of Sydney, at 1.00pm next Saturday, 30 October. The start line will be set between Barrenjoey headland and Lion Island.

From there, the fleet will sail close inshore up the New South Wales Central Coast for about six nautical miles before rounding a mark off Terrigal and then setting a north-easterly course to World Heritage-listed Lord Island Island, a tiny, semi-tropical island across the northern Tasman Sea.

The three IRC division placegetters are competing again – Veolia Maris, representing the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Amante (Dennis Cooper) from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and Copernicus (Greg Zyner) from Manly Yacht Club.

Last year’s PHS winner, the Queensland yacht Charlie’s Dream, skippered by Peter Lewis from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, is back again as is third placegetter, the Gosford Sailing Club entrant Polaris of Belmont (Chris Dawe). Another strong contender in the PHS division will be Peter Rodgers’ Olsen 40 which was overall PHS winner of last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. Rodgers has been a regular competitor in the Lord Howe Island Race, winning the PHS division in 1997.

Last year’s line honours winner, Stewart Lewis’ Ocean Affinity, also from RQYS, is racing ageing but a strong favourite for line honours The Stick, Rick Christianson 66-footer from the CYCA. — Peter Campbell

Event site:      www.gosfordsailingclub.com.au/top_left_sub_content.php?id=72