In the tightest contest in the history of the championship, Challenge was ultimately crowned the winner of the 2014 Quantum Sails Sydney 38 Victorian Title hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club last weekend. There is no doubt the gap between the 9 Sydney 38 competitors has narrowed as the highlight of the series was the close racing. There were four different heat winners with Challenge , Phoenix and Chutzpah 38 winning two races each and Mille Sabords leading from start to finish in race 3.
After day one of racing Phoenix lead by 3 points with Chutzpah38, Playground Challenge and Clockwork all locked on 13 points . However, Challenge came out blazing on Day 2 of the regatta with two bullets to lead into the last race. A match race at the start of the final race saw Challenge get the better of Pheonix to consolidate the win.
Conditions were relatively light with winds from the south east between 8 and 15 knots throughout the weekend. However, the breeze was far from steady with pressure patches and on Saturday in particular, a right hand track favoured.
Race 1. It was North racing team which dominated the first race. Chutzpah38 (Bruce Taylor) with North Sails Noel Drennen calling the shots, jumped out of the blocks to lead from start to finish with Playground (Andrew Robinson) ably assisted by Arron Cole also from North Sails filling in as Noel’s wingman. Clockwork (Gordon Mather and Frank McDermott) held off Challenge (Mark Bulka) by one second to finish fourth.
Race 2. In a close race Challenge infringed Phoenix (Brenton & Jen Carnell) in a port and starboard incident when the crew overruled their skipper (Yes it was the crew’s call!). The resultant penalty turn enabled Phoenix to sail away to snatch a win. Third and definitely in the hunt was Clockwork.
Race 3. Whilst Phoenix and Challenge were playing games with each other, it was Mille Sabords ( Stephane Howarth ) who played the right side of the course to lead throughout the race for a well deserved first win in a championship regatta.
Race 4. A dominate performace by Pheonix placed her ahead on points at the end of day 1, Playground and Chutzpah 38 also did well whilst Challenge one second behind was looking for a change of luck.
Race 5, After some overnight soul searching it was Mark Bulka’s brilliant pin end start that had Challenge leap ahead to win from Clockwork who did Challenge a favour by snatching second on the finish line from Pheonix.
Race 6. A fired up Mark Bulka had Challenge at full pace off the start to have a convincing win after picking up some pressure on the left on the first beat. Sierra Chainsaw (Andrew Mollison), disappointing thus far in the regatta, sailed an excellent race to finish second ahead of Pheonix. Challenge’s luck had turned for the better as the gap had widened and Chutzpah 38 had her worst race of the regatta. No drop series certainly favour consistency!
Race 7. It was now down to the wire with only Phoenix and Challenge, one point apart ,that had a chance to win the series. When Pheonix locked onto Challenge’s stern in the pre start, Mark Bulka muttered “bring it on” and gybed when he needed to and tacked back to the start leaving Pheonix in his wake. You might think the regatta was won at this stage but being on board Challenge this was far from the case. We lost the plot on the first run watching our nemesis and were passed by a few boats. Our 6th place indicated the amount of distraction on the boat but Pheonix could do no better than 8th, so the title was retained for another year.
Meanwhile, Chutzpah38 finished where she had started in race 1 with a win whilst Sierra Chainsaw were no doubt pleased to finish ahead of Playground which continues to improve with every regatta.
Final placings were :-
1. Challenge (Mark Bulka ) 21 points
2. Phoenix (Brenton & Jen Carnell) 24 points
3. Playground (Andrew Robinson) 26 points
4. Chutzpah 38 (Bruce Taylor) 29 points
5. Clockwork ( Gordon Mather & Frank McDermott) 32 points
6. Mille Sabords ( Stephane Howarth) 40 points
7. Sierra Chainsaw (Andrew Mollison) 43 points
8. Audacious (Greg Clinnick & Paul Holden) 45 points
9. 38 Degrees South (John Chatham) 55 points
In the Corinthian division it was Phoenix 1st, Clockwork 2nd and Sierra Chainsaw 3rd.
An enjoyable social function was held on Saturday night for competitors and the presentation held on Sunday after the racing was completed. Many thanks to our sponsors, Quantum Sails and Ronstan.
At the presentation, Mark and his crew acknowledged the recent passing of the boat’s owner Lou Abrahams and dedicated the win to him. Mark also commented that it was “the closest Sydney 38 regatta he had been involved in” and that “the standard of racing in the fleet had reached another level”. Furthermore, it had been “a stressful series” as a result of a poor first day on the water and he was “very relieved” to the win. The Phoenix team in particular, need to be congratulated for frequently journeying from Geelong to seek out competition to improve their skills. However, he was “not quite ready to pass on the batten.” Challenge is for sale so the regatta may well be the end of an era for the crew.
The regatta was very well managed both on and off the water by Sandringham Yacht Club and the numerous volunteer race management, jury and office officials are to be both congratulated and thanked for their effort.