The aptly named “Morris Finance Premier Racing Division” of the Geelong “Festival Of Sails” Regatta was fiercely fought out over a seven race series in a variety of weather. An impressive fleet of 11 competitive Sydney 38”s including “Zen” from NSW and the well travelled “Another Challenge” provided exciting racing with tactical and mechanical challenges for crews . The winner was Lou Abraham’s “Challenge” with a perfect score. Unfortunately, Lou was not well enough to participate in the Regatta but made the effort to attend the Trophy Presentation. The following report was how I saw the event from a “ Challenge” perspective.
Passage Race
After a delay due to bad weather, a shortened passage race from Melbourne to Geelong was started in a light southerly. Those at the pin started best with “Sierra Chainsaw” and “Adrenalin” leading from “Challenge” with “Cinquante” and “Clockwork” opting to sail lower on the rhumb line. With the fleet spread, a threatening sky and stronger winds already south in the Bay, those that went left did better. When the front hit an hour into the race, “Challenge” changed from a light jib to a heavy, eventually selecting the number 4 for slog to windward. A broken halyard didn’t help but we felt our early tack to the left helped our cause. With 25 knots on the “nose” and an uncomfortable seaway, talk on the rail was all about how sensible we were to give up offshore racing! Getting to the first mark in the lead was crucial in this race as there was a lot of fetching up Corio Bay to the finish. “Adrenalin” did well to finish 3rd with “Sierra Chainsaw” also doing well.
Day 2 Windward / Leewards
After a long trip to the outer bay and less wind, three races were conducted in very difficult conditions with 30 degree wind shifts. The key to success was finding a lane and keeping all options open. At times the right hand side of the course looked great but generally the left paid dividends especially approaching the top mark. Starts were important as the line was short and the priority was to get in phase with the shifts early. Avoiding traffic was another key to success. On board “Challenge”, Mark Bulka and Peter Milne worked extremely hard to position the boat primarily for the wind, before considering the opposition. Noticeably the main threats on the course seemed to be caught up in traffic! Racing was none the less close and you could lose any gains by missing a shift. Down wind sailing was equally as important and sometimes there was more to gained on the runs by staying in the “lanes”. Again the focus was primarily on the wind veins and best angle to the gate marks. Our best race of the day was determined by taking the left gate and holding a lane on starboard tack for 75% of the windward leg. Mark and Peter picked we were high and whilst the boats to our right looked threatening, they were in no doubt the wind would back. Eventually, we sailed into a 15 degree shift to the left, tacked and at that point doubled our lead. “Zen” was a threat in all races and it was great to see “Playground” placed 2nd in the last race of the day. After racing Andrew Molnar hosted an excellent dockside party and was to be congratulated for his initiative and his hospitality. Based on the response from crews, the Association needs to pick up on this in the future.
Day 3 Windward / Leewards
The day got off to a great start with the event sponsor, Ian Murray’s company Morris Finance sponsoring a breakfast for the owners. It was not only extremely generous of Ian but a great opportunity for the Owners to discuss Class business. With winds of 10 to 12 knots on the inner harbour , the big question was there a favoured side of the course? The flat water provides some visual assistance to answer that question but given the short start line, starting in the clear air was again a priority. Our brains trust thought the right provided better options but keeping in phase was again the key. Patience is also a virtue in these conditions and I can recall thinking we were in a bit of trouble on a starboard tack approaching the weather mark and may need to duck a couple of boats when true to the wind pattern, we had a knock , tacked and were able to clear the fleet! Fortunately, the shifts were not as great as the previous day and as a result racing was closer. I can visualize one gate rounding where we were fortunate to avoid a wall of approaching spinnakers and make a significant gain in clear air. “Cinquante” had a good day winning a race and suffocating us with bad air in race 6. In the final race of the day, roles were reversed but given the conditions there was little option but to stay between the mark and opposition. “Clockwork “ sailed a very consistent series to finish the regatta in third place.
Final Results
Summary
The series was sailed in good spirit and racing was much closer than the results suggest. Those competitors who were able to stay in clear air and sail their own race did well. The combination of Mark Bulka and Peter Milne on Challenge, who had both enjoyed recent success in dinghies, mastered the difficult conditions best. The crew was as solid as ever and the absence of Lou was no doubt a motivation. We hope he will back sailing soon. It was also great to see Gordon and his Zen team make the effort to come down from Sydney. The standard of sailing in Victoria continues to improve and the future looks bright for the class.
Finally, all Sydney 38 sailors very much appreciate the ongoing sponsorship of class stalwart Ian Murray and his company Morris Finance. As usual the Royal Geelong Yacht Club were excellent hosts and the regatta management was excellent.
Rowan Simpson
Challenge