October 28 2007
Matt Allen and his team on Ichi Ban have now won the first two regattas for the 2007-08 Australian Farr 40 season. Over the last three days eight teams have been racing on the waters known as the Palm Beach circle located off Sydney’s famous Palm Beach and Barrenjoey Headland.
It has been a testing seven race series with the top breeze of 10 knots making for three very long days on the water. The breeze was mostly from the nor east and was very shifty as tacticians tried to predict what was going to happen and where was the best place on the race course.
Race six of the series and regatta leader Ichi Ban was initially in the front but Guido Belgiorno Nettis’s Transfusion sailed through them to take the lead for the next three legs. It was only at the finish that Ichi Ban was able to gybe and hold Lisa and Martin Hill’s Estate Master out at the finish line to cross one second ahead and take their fourth win of the series. Transfusion crossed the line another second back in third place. The next finish was equally as close with Lang Walker’s Kokomo sneaking their bow across the line just in front of Brett Neill’s White Cloud and Michael Blumentals’s Quantum Leap.
“It was a tight finish for us and behind us for this race. The three days have been really challenging with the conditions making it hard work out there. We had a couple of really good starts which helped our races. The team did a great job on a long weekend on the water”, said Allen.
As the breeze built the race committee prepared for race seven. As the fleet lined up for the final minute of the start sequence the breeze dropped out to less than one knot and the race committee decided to abandon the race and bring the fleet back for another attempt at race seven.
After waiting for the breeze to build and settle the fleet got away again in a six knot nor’easter. Estate Master manoeuvred into first place with White Cloud close behind as the race committee decided to shorten the course and finish the race at the top mark. Yet another close finish was about to happen with the first two boats, Estate Master and White Cloud, again separated by one second as they crossed the line. “We had a tough day on the water but are really pleased to finish the regatta with a win and to be second overall”, commented Martin Hill.
The Farr 40 class would like to thank Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club for hosting this regatta. The next regatta on the Australian Farr 40 schedule will be the CYCA Farr 40 regatta being held November 3-4.
Final Results:
Place |
Boat Name |
Skipper |
Yacht Club |
Total |
Race 7 |
Race 6 |
Race 5 |
Race 4 |
Race 3 |
Race 2 |
Race 1 |
1 |
Ichi Ban |
M Allen |
CYCA |
13.00 |
3.00 |
1.00 |
4.00 |
2.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
2 |
Estate Master |
L& M Hill |
MHYC |
20.00 |
1.00 |
2.00 |
3.00 |
5.00 |
4.00 |
2.00 |
3.00 |
3 |
|
L |
CYCA |
20.00 |
4.00 |
4.00 |
1.00 |
3.00 |
2.00 |
4.00 |
2.00 |
4 |
Transfusion |
G Belgiorno-Nettis |
MHYC |
29.00 |
8.00 |
3.00 |
2.00 |
1.00 |
5.00 |
6.00 |
4.00 |
5 |
White Cloud |
B Neill |
RNZYS |
32.00 |
2.00 |
5.00 |
7.00 |
4.00 |
6.00 |
3.00 |
5.00 |
6 |
Quantum Leap |
M Blumentals |
RPAYC |
36.00 |
5.00 |
6.00 |
5.00 |
6.00 |
3.00 |
5.00 |
6.00 |
7 |
Revolution Edake |
J Carter |
MHYC |
48.00 |
6.00 |
7.00 |
6.00 |
7.00 |
7.00 |
7.00 |
8.00 |
8 |
Impi |
I Resnekov |
RSYS |
57.00 |
7.00 |
8.00 |
9.00C |
9.00C |
9.00C |
8.00 |
7.00 |
For more information on this event please contact Sam Crichton ph # +61 0407 63 64 16 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it