October 16 2005
After three days of close racing at the Corinthian Doors Peppers Anchorage Farr 40 regatta, Lang Walker and his crew on Kokomo won the opening regatta of the Australian Farr 40 season. Racing off Soldiers Point, inside the bay at Port Stephens, the fleet sailed in a moderate easterly breeze that reached 21 knots.
Race eight of the regatta had an early retirement of the regatta leader Ray Roberts’s Quantum Racing after they were involved in a port starboard incident at the top mark with Michael Milne’s Blacksnake. Both boats retired from the race and with Quantum Racing sustaining hull damage they called it a day. Meanwhile the remainder of the fleet continued the three lap windward leeward course. Walker led the fleet for the rest of the race to then battle it out at the end with Richard Perini’s Evolution and get the gun as he out surfed Perini to the finish line. David Urry’s War Games crossed the line one second after Evolution to take third place.
Lining up for the final race of the regatta the fleet spread out across the course as they headed to the top mark set off the breakwater at Peppers Anchorage. Kokomo locked themselves into a comfortable lead as they rounded the top mark for the first time with Evolution and Blacksnake in close pursuit. In a repeat of the previous race Kokomo maintained her lead and took the gun for race nine to win the regatta. Evolution and Blacksnake finished in the same positions as they rounded the first top mark. ‘We’ve had a terrific regatta and it’s great to start off the season with this win,’ commented Walker. ‘The racing in Farr 40’s is always close and we saw a lot of that over the last few days.’
The Rhodes Waterside Farr 40 regatta at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club at Pittwater on October 28-30 is the next event in the Farr 40 Australian season.
The Farr 40 fleet would like to thank regatta sponsors Corinthian Doors, Peppers Anchorage Port Stephens and Club Marine Insurance.
Final Results:
| 1 | Kokomo | Lang Walker | CYCA | 2,4,3,1,1,3,5,1,1 | 21 |
| 2 | Quantum Racing | Ray Roberts | CYCA | 4,1,1,2,2,6,3,RDG2.7.RDG 2.7 | 24.4 |
| 3 | Evolution | Richard Perini | RSYS | 3,7,2,3,4,1,2,2,2, | 26 |
| 4 | Panther | Steve O’Rourke | CYCA | 5,3,5,4,3,2,4,6,6 | 38 |
| 5 | Blacksnake | Michael Milne | RSYS | 1,2,7,8,8,7,1,DNF,3 | 46 |
| 6 | Rushcutter | Don Telford | CYCA | 7,5,6,6,7,5,6,4,5 | 51 |
| 7 | War Games | David Urry | CYCSA | 6,8,8,5,6,4,8,3,4 | 52 |
| 8 | Venom | Brett Neill | RNZYS | 8,6,4,7,5,8,7,5,7 | 57 |