Skandia Geelong Week is the venue for the Sydney 38 Nationals and the first of eleven races for this Grand Prix fleet was an extended version of the historic Williamstown to Geelong Race.

It was a tough and tactical day on the water for the 16 boats contesting the Nationals, with Stephen Kulmar's Shining Sea, triumphing over Geoff Bonus Calibre' ahead of the pre-series favourite Cydon.

In the Port Stephen's regatta back in November, Kulmar with Steve McConaghy calling the tactics broke Cydon's grip on the 38 fleet and today Shining Seas showed she's ready to repeat the dose here in Geelong.

Soft conditions from the early morning start meant the race was always going to be about positioning when the southerly came in.

Up ahead Leon Christianakis and Team Wilmot had pushed Cydon into a solid lead and they decided to be the most southerly boat on the course.

Hundreds of metres behind McConaghy figured that following the lead was unlikely to produce a win. 'Some of the locals had offer their ideas on the best positions ahead of the sea breeze and we decided to give it a try.' Believing that the sea breeze would attach most strongly on the Werribee shore he positioned her there.

Initially she suffered in the soft conditions, but the sun came out, within 30 minutes there was a building breeze coming off the shoreline.

Perfectly placed Shining Sea speed towards Marker 10 and Corio Bay and closed on Geoff Bonus's Calibre.

Bonus had earlier sailed right, after having given Contentious Issue buoy room. Well advanced on Cydon, it seemed that she might be able to hold out Shining Sea, however she was high on course and the Sea had position and speed.

The Sydney 38 One Designs berthed together in a block on the Marina close to the Royal Geelong Yacht Club.

As the boats were being secured in the blazing afternoon sunshine, the dockside was abuzz, with tens of thousands of people strolling along the foreshore; clearly Skandia Geelong Week is unlike any other regatta.

The Shining Seas crew climbed onto the dock and one of them summed up the feeling of all the arriving sailors. . 'This is just sensational!'

The decision to retire to Eden after leading the Sydney 38 OD fleet in the 2004 Sydney to Hobart race may have been a major blow for Estate Master (EM), but nothing can dampen the enthusiasm of this competitive crew.

Photographed by The Sunday Telegraph in Eden the morning after their retirement, albeit with the boat intact, the weary crew smiled through their bad-hair-day, bruises and fatigue. Proving that while offshore yacht racing is all about winning, safety is the number one priority.

Co-owner Lisa Hill said that there was no point in pushing the boat so close to the Nationals. The EM crew are bursting with excitement about the upcoming National Sydney 38 titles in Geelong from 22-26 January 2005 during Skandia Race.

“Our aspiration at the Nationals is for a podium finish this time. We have been developing our sail and rig-tuning program with assistance of North Sails and our crew. The carbon sails have provided a good lift in performance,” says Skipper Martin Hill.

“The team arrives one week prior to racing so we can implement a crew training programme, familiarise ourselves with the local waters and be race ready.

“We have great admiration for all the competitors and realise we can not rely on boat speed alone to do well. We have to fight for a good start, sail consistently hard, stay focused and hope for a little luck on the day. There are no drop races, therefore we need to be consistent to do well. I am looking forward to great tight competition and lots of fun off the water.”

Estate Master finished 11tth in the 2004 Nationals at Pittwater last January, other results include:

• 3rd in BMW Winter 2004 Series for Sydney 38,
• 2nd in Southport Division B and 6th overall.
• 4th at Hogs Breath Regatta, Airlie Beach
• 8th Savills Regatta
• 8th at the NSW State Titles
• 2nd at the Rolex Cup
• Current leader of the Sydney Harbour combined club regatta series