3:22 AM Thu 15 Apr 2010 GMT
Yesterday the Commodore's Cup series wrapped up and today skippers and crews are psychologically and physically shifting gears as they prepare for the second half of the week-long Sail Port Stephens regatta and the prestigious Yachting NSW IRC Championship.
IRC heavyweights such as Rob Hanna's Victorian TP52 Shogun arrived at Port Stephens from Sydney yesterday, and today some of the rock stars of the sport are jetting in for the Championship which commences tomorrow and is made up of six windward/leeward offshore races on a scenic course close to Cabbage Tree Island.
Rolex Sydney Hobart veteran Michael Spies will add plenty of clout to Brendan Hunt's Beneteau First 35 Eugenie's three day IRC campaign while Sean Kirkjian will be part of the afterguard on Darryl Hodgkinson's Beneteau 45 Victoire, which is race tuned and the crew hungry having placed second overall in the recent Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race.
CYCA Commodore Matt Allen and famed Ballyhoo and Apollo skipper Warwick Rooklyn arrived late yesterday afternoon with their Farr 40 Bandit and well-known Sydney northern beaches sailor Steve McConaghy is due into town shortly to take up his place as Shogun's tactician.
The Championship is sanctioned by Yachting NSW and not only will representatives be on-site to present the silverware, they are also getting down and dirty with the other competitors. Yachting NSW's Development manager Andrew Cribb will be sailing on Paul Clitheroe's Balance and development officer Daniel Williams will join Rolex Sydney Hobart stalwart Roger Hickman aboard Wild Rose.
Twenty-one yachts will contest the IRC Championship including the current leader of the Audi IRC Australian Championship, Harvey Milne's Archambault 31 Aroona from the Royal Motor Yacht Club in Sydney.
At 52 feet they may be the biggest but Hanna is well aware that Shogun's size doesn't matter when it comes to the handicap stakes.
'We may get over the line first but I don't think that's where we will end up on corrected time. I expect with the forecast and so many well sailed smaller boats with handy ratings we are going to see some weird results.
'We may not win, but we are going to be tough to beat though,' he warned.
The forecast for Friday is for southwest to southeasterly winds 8 to 13 knots, tending east to southeasterly 8 to 13 knots during the afternoon while Saturday should bring variable winds 5 to 10 knots, tending easterly 10 to 15 knots.
www.sailportstephens.com.au
by Di Pearson
|
Manly, QLD
