12:22 AM Sun 4 Apr 2010 GMT
The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria's penultimate race of the 2009/10 offshore season, is to the incredibly delightful town of Port Fairy in SW Victoria. It is a sensational location to get the camera out and snap away. In the process, the wind God, Huey, had also turned on a good, but super chilly, 12 to 20 knots out of the SSE for a lot of the trip, so the fleet barrelled along nicely.
Ultimately, Extasea did more than enough to get the outright victory and take out the coveted IRC prize as well. They are a very competent crew of sailors, based out of Geelong and they were pretty thrilled with their efforts. Their elapsed time of 14:33:04 was just seven minutes outside of the old, old, old record as set by Quasimodo in the early 80's. 14:26:20 was the time to beat. Doh! In speaking with Tom Smeaton on the HF radio while they ventured back to Port Phillip Heads, he said, 'I'll go and tell the guys, they will be really cranky to have missed the mark!' I counselled with him that he might want to wait until they were back inside.
The next pair across the line in the faintest of twilight was Ninety Seven and Chikara Outlaw, who ended up just one minute and some 15 seconds behind their opposition. In ocean racing, this is like the photo finish at the Melbourne Cup!
As the light sunk very low indeed, it provided the opportunity to grab a few stylistic shots. Spirit of Freya was the last boat in at just on 0015hrs on the Saturday. They were about five and three quarter hours behind the winner, so the fleet had not separated too badly. Unfortunately for them, they had delayed dinner from the My Galley Rules, as well.
This appears to be due primarily to the 2-3m swells and 1m sea on top of it that, which have made it a little bit like a washing machine for them, as they have ventured down the Surfcoast. They were in 12 knots out of the South as the rounded Cape Otway, where at least now, wind and water are going in a similar direction to their destination, here at the mouth of the Moyne River. With a lot to do on deck, trimming the kite etc, the food would have to wait until the next day.
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These two vessels slugged it out for hours. Ninety Seven on the left won by just a minute. - Melbourne to Port Fairy - John Curnow/ORCV
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Well done to Joanne Harpur for getting her crew and boat safely to Port Fairy in her very first ever Ocean Racing Club of Victoria race as the boss. She completed the last Latitude Series and is now her very own certified Skipper. WooHoo! We do not have a picture of her at Port Fairy, as Dr Rosie Collahan was getting a fishing hook out of her toe. Perhaps she had relaxed so much at the joy of getting there, that she did not see it. As Rosie herself said, 'I should have held it over for suturing class.' which is the next part of the ORCV's Long Distance Offshore Seminars.
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Tradition ruled the day on Saturday. This vessel is the original style of pilot and rescue boat. - Melbourne to Port Fairy - John Curnow/ORCV
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Port Fairy Yacht Club Commodore, Bill Morgan, managed to get through all the wonderful team and participants that had helped to make it the 2010 M2PF the marvellous success it was. ORCV Commodore, George Shaw, gave thanks to the only one forgotten by Bill - the PFYC itself.
The first award, a very splendiferous plaque indeed, is for the first local boat home in the annual Easter time Melbourne to Port Fairy race. It was awarded to Barry Levinson from Running Wild who was quick to point out that 'One day it would be great to also be the first home, overall!!!'
George Shaw and Robyn Brooke won the Australian Measurement System category and did it all two-handed in preparation for that other really cool event - the 2010 Melbourne to Vanuatu. Yes. Two-handed all the way to Vanuatu!
Robin Hewitt and the Yoko crew won the Performance Handicap Class. 'Sometimes the weather just suits us - no tacks and cracked sheets!' said Robin, who was thrilled to get the win and the McConaghy flag. There is just one race to go in the season and thus far, no one still has more than one of these prized McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship flags. I dare say, there will be quite a few boats squaring up for that fight in the Melbourne to Apollo Bay race on May 15. Note to self: have camera ready!
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All smiles from the Yoko crew after their win in the Performance Handicap Class. - Melbourne to Port Fairy - John Curnow/ORCV
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The full race results are available at
www.orcv.org.au/results/2009/2010M2PF/series.htm
by John Curnow
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