SOUTHERN CHAPTER SYDNEY 38 ASSOCIATION
2012 /2013 SEASON REPORT
The Victorian Chapter of the Sydney 38 Association enjoyed a very successful 2012 / 2013 season. The fleet of 10 was very active and the addition of Pheonix (ex London Tavern ) at the end of the season was a bonus. The One Design calendar provided a winter series, a pre season weekend regatta at Geelong, a season long Summer Sprint Series, a second weekend regatta at Geelong, a State Championship and a winter series to wrap up a very busy year.
2012 /2013 Highlights
1 Victorian Championships
The 2013 Quantum Sails Victorian Championship was hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club on the weekend of 20th and 21st of April. Whilst the final points suggested an easy win for Lou Abraham’s Challenge team, this was far from the truth. Two races were won by 2 seconds and a 6th place opened the door for a close series. Bruce Taylor’s Chutzpah38 finished second with Ian Murray’s Cinquante 3rd. The Corinthian division was won by Clockwork (Gordon Mathers and Frank McDermott). Audacious (Greg Clinnick and Paul Holden) was second. Conditions ranged from 5 to 20 knots in strength, variable in direction. The nine competitors enjoyed close racing in a no drops series. The Saturday night social and presentation was also well supported.
2 Morris Finance 2013 Pre Season Regatta
The Morris Finance Regatta was held at Royal Geelong Yacht Club over the weekend of 15th and 16th September. The Series was won by “Cinquante” skippered by the local and sponsor Ian Murray. Second place was the new boat on the block “Pheonix”, owned by Brenton and Jen Carnell which also sails out of the RGYC. These locals are well placed to be successful in the next Nationals to be hosted at their home club. “Challenge” was the best of the visitors finishing third. Interestingly, both “Cinquante” and “Phoenix” were sailing in the Corinthian division. “Playground” owned by Andrew and Gayle Robinson, was third in the Corinthians and is improving each regatta. The seven race series was sailed in predominately light and testing conditions. The regatta was well supported by 10 boats and the social activities enjoyed by all crews. If the event was any indication of what lies ahead for the Nationals, we have a lot to look forward to in January, 2014.
3 2013 Winter Series
The 2013 Winter Series was won by “Phoenix” from ‘Clockwork” and “Audacious”. This was a terrific result for the “Phoenix” team in their first series in a Sydney 38 and reward for their effort ferrying their boat back and forward from Geelong to Sandringham, often in inclement weather.
4 2012 / 2013 SUMMER SERIES
The UK Sailmakers Summer Series made up of 20 races spread over a number of Sunday mornings and events during the summer was won by “Challenge” from “Clockwork” and “Sierra Chainsaw’.
The racing on Sunday mornings allows crews more time on the weekends for other weekend activities and is very popular with a high turnout of Sydney 38’s.
5 Club Marine Series
Whilst not a scratch event, it is interesting to note that Sydney 38’s did well on IRC in the interclub series. Whilst the well rated Beneteau 45 won the series, Sydney 38’s affectionately referred to as “the Colts” enjoyed good racing, with “Audacious”, “Chutzpah38” and “38 Degrees South” (John Chatham) all having won a heat. This series is the feature event of the IRC summer calendar in Victoria and the results reflect the competitiveness of the class.
6 2014 NATIONALS
Planning is well under way for this regatta scheduled between 23rd to the 26th of January 2014 as part of the “Geelong Festival of Sails”. With all 12 local Sydney 38’s expected to enter the series, negotiations are being finalized to offer a $500 cash incentive for early bird entries interstate entries. RGYC has been a terrific supporter of Sydney 38’s and run a great regatta. A social event has also been organized for Friday evening for crews to get together. Again, Ian Murray, owner of “Cinquante” and recently appointed Commodore of the RGYC has generously agreed to sponsor the event through his company “Morris Finance”. The Southern Chapter very much appreciates his ongoing commitment to the class.
SUMMARY
The Sydney 38 fleet in Melbourne is very healthy, participation levels are high and the standard of racing has improved. The addition of “Pheonix” and the potential of another new owner, no doubt places the class in a strong position. The Chapter also plans to promote the class with an open day “Pro Am” event in March 2014 where interested crews and buyers will be given the opportunity to race first hand on a Sydney 38. The slogan “One Design One Passion” will be used to promote the event. The class is very well supported by the Royal Geelong and Sandringham Yacht Clubs which host events at a reasonable cost by relying on volunteers. We are grateful for this support as it encourages participation and keeps the cost affordable.
Rowan Simpson,
Secretary,
Southern Chapter.