8:48 PM Sat 31 Oct 2009 GMT
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'Arriving in the dark - the winner - 'Calm' - Stanley in the 2009 M2S part of the McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship'
John Curnow
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In the 70's the legendary Leyland Brothers Mike and Mal used to start their television show with 'We're here because...' So it dawned on me as I walked around a cool (and cooling further) Stanley on Tasmania's North West coast, overnight that there were in fact still no yachts here, as yet, and the very calm conditions that had beset Bass Strait were ensuring that it was still going to be a little longer yet...
Soon enough it was Eight Bells and all was well - especially if you were on 'Calm', our Line Honours winner and 'Goldfinger', who had moved from third to second during the gap between the 18:35 and 00:35 radio skeds and then put more distance down between them and 'Audi Centre Melbourne'.
Dockside I spoke with one of 'Calm's co-owners, Jason Van Der Slot, when the line honours winner arrived at 02:18 for a quick beer and soup stop.
Delighted with their win in the annual 152 nautical mile Sydney and Melbourne to Hobart qualifying race, he was quickly getting a text message off to David Pava, the Dealer Principal of Audi Centre Brighton and their principal sponsor, alerting them to their win.
'This is excellent and what a great race - David will be delighted that we have put their dealership on top. We had to do at least 25 sail changes and put a slab in the main, as the breeze climbed past 25knots.
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What the Melbourne to Stanley winner, 'Calm', looks like in the daylight. - McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship - John Curnow
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Great training for Christmas!' Slotty, as he is known, managed to get out whilst packing sails and spooning in the hot soup.
The breezes that were soft and flukey are now cold and a little blustery. Finally. You might say and that would be the sentiment of the crews too. Boats are appearing in the morning sun in relatively quick succession now and we have seven in port or on their way home. 'Merlion' retired at 04:30 with a torn mainsail, but the crew are all OK and that is the main thing.
The sea is still flat, which is nice. Better than nice, actually and a classic for the crews that are sticking their heads out into it for their first time.
Neville 'Nifty' Rose aboard 'Ninety Seven' tells us there is 18-20knots from the SouSouWest with a little half-metre sea. That building breeze has indeed put 'Ninety Seven' some seven hours ahead of where she was placed for finishing, based on the previous radio sked.
This is good news for everyone, from catering to prize ceremony and us, who have been waiting in the very cold van for the boats.
At this stage, IRC goes to 'Calm', then 'Goldfinger' and 'Extasea'. AMS placings are 'Extasea', 'Wicked' and the 11m Hick, 'Godzilla'.
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Goldfinger did really well to pass her opposition and then plough on to a very strong second. - McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship - John Curnow
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Performance Handicap placings are 'Extasea', 'Audi Centre Melbourne', 'XLR8', so those skippers could be the first to get the coveted new 'Yellow Ribband', which is for the sensational McConaghy Carbon Fibre Performance Wheel at the end of the season.
Last boat is now slated for 18:00hrs on Sunday Evening and that is a toss up between 'Hummingbird' from DSS and 'Rogue Trader'. In the middle of the fleet, it is now quite bunched up however, so you never know from whence the ultimate winners will come.
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Nary a sailing boat in sight in the delightful Stanley harbour - plenty of fishing boats though... - McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship - John Curnow
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by John Curnow
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Manly, QLD
