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SKANDIA GEELONG WEEK

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OCEAN RACING

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PRESS RELEASE: JAN, 24, 2005

First National leads IRC at Skandia Geelong Week
by Di Pearson

Michael Spies and his crew on First National Real Estate have backed up their previous results at Skandia Geelong Week with enough points from today's two races to provisionally take out the Scotchmans Hill Trophy, the premier event, which finishes tomorrow with a race around fixed marks in Corio Bay.

Spies, from Sydney, started the series well on his Beneteau 44.7, winning the first three races in the IRC grand prix division, his worst result a seventh in Race 4. Today the crew on First National notched up fourth and second placings to consolidate their lead.

'We got a poor start in the first race today, but we recovered and found ourselves on the right side of the shifts. After that, we sailed a bit too conservatively and paid the price. We had a great next race, but Cougar sailed better than us, they deserved to win. My crew is very happy with our performance with just one race to go,' Spies said.

Although results are provisional at the moment, with protest time still open at the time of writing, Spies does not need to sail tomorrow's final race, his eight point lead over second placed Dekadence (Vic), a DK46 owned by Sandringham Commodore Phil Coombs, leaves him enough leeway to take the series out.

Dekadence, only launched late last year, won Race 5, the first race of the day, but finished seventh in Race 6, killing any chance Coombs had of taking Spies on for the major trophy.

Dekadence's DK46 stable mate, Skandia Courage, owned by Ray Roberts (NSW), is in third place overall, four points behind, scoring seventh and fourth today. Just behind Roberts is Alan Whiteley's Cougar, a Beneteau 44.7 from Sandringham in Melbourne.

The 48 yachts sailing in the IRC class on the Royal Geelong Yacht Club windward/leeward trapezoid courses today enjoyed ideal conditions. Breezes were light to moderate and a little shifty in Race 5, but built to around 17 knots during the afternoon giving all competitors a pace-packed Race 6.

Should Spies, winner of the Sydney Hobart race last year, be successful in his mission to win this series, he will be the third person from NSW to do so in the past three years.

Ray Roberts won this event in 2003 with a Farr 52 named Hollywood Boulevard and Matt Allen won it last year with his Farr 52, Ichi Ban. Defending champion Allen is not having one of his better regattas, currently placed eighth overall and not in a position to win the series.

Roberts, Allen and Spies are all members of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney.

What does Spies think of his first venture down to Skandia Geelong Week? 'I think it's a fantastic event. It's growing in stature, credibility and importance - that's why we are here. I don't have a crystal ball, but if I have the opportunity to come back and support this event again next year, I will,' he said.

Moondah clean winner of S80 title

Moondah, Grant Hailes Mornington entry, has taken home the trophy having trounced the opposition in the S80 three-race series at Skandia Geelong Week.

In a runaway win, Hailes won the battle in the all-Victorian showdown, winning two out of three races conducted by Royal Geelong Yacht Club.

Race 1 was won by eventual second placegetter, Robert Date's Scarlet Runner (RYCV) with Bas Huibers Merak (RYCV) finishing third. Date Finished on 10 points, while Huibers scored 12.

Results were different only last week, when the S80's contested their Victorian Championship. At that event, sailed on Port Phillip Bay off Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Scarlet Runner had the upper hand finishing 11th, Moondah was 12th and Merak 13th.

At Skandia Geelong Week, the S80's tackled the 34 nautical mile Melbourne Geelong Passage race in the first instance and followed up with two windward leeward trapezoid courses on Corio Bay in Geelong.

Their passage race was a tricky affair, with light to vanishing breezes which did not increase till late afternoon, giving tacticians and navigators a difficult job. The latter courses on Corio Bay were a little easier, with light to moderate breezes.

Skandia Geelong Week Media Team.

A Family Affair in the Sydney 38 Class
by Rob Kothe

Cydon skipper Leon Christianakis and his top class racing crew is leading the Grand Prix Sydney 38 Class Nationals at Skandia Geelong Week

Christianakis with a background in Farr 40 and Mumm 30 racing in Europe, has been the most consistent performer since he joined the Sydney 38 One Design circuit in February 2004.

It's a real family affair. Leon's West Australian-born wife Fiona is a sail trimmer and her father Bill is also a member of the mid-deck crew.

Former Olympians, the brothers Wilmot, also have a family involvement. Bobby Wilmot is calling tactics and Jamie is on the mainsheet, while Bobby's wife Susan is mid boat, with Jamie's son Jeremy on the foredeck.

The Cydon crew consolidated their series lead with solid results on a windy Corio Bay this afternoon. In this eleven race series with 'a no worst race result discard', a single mistake is one too many.

The first race today, which was race five in the series, started just on 12:30. At that point the sea breeze was not firmly established, providing tricky, shifting winds and headaches for the tacticians.

A five-degree shift only two minutes before the gun had the 16 boat fleet crowded at the pin. Michael Hill's Estate Master was best away, with tactician Michael Blackburn keeping her on the left hand side of the course.

As the breeze built slowly, Estate Master, Tony Wall's Acuity and Cameron Miles' Team Lexus had the best of the first run. Then Team Lexus chose the wrong side of the course and fell back to eleventh place. Shining Sea fared only slightly better and finished ninth.

Across the line it was Estate Master, Cydon and 38 Degrees South. This was the third race win in the series for Estate Master, but consistency is the key and her Passage Race ninth was 'still weight in her saddlebags.'

In the second race today the breeze was more settled, at 17 knots.

Bobby Wilmot placed Cydon perfectly, picking the shifts and running fast down the right side of the course, to win from 38 Degrees and Acuity. It was Estate Master's turn to stumble and she finished seventh.

Blazing sunshine and a glorious 18 knots provided the best conditions of the whole regatta in race seven. Steve Ellis, driving London Tavern, took the lead, with Shining Sea close, and Acuity and 38 Degrees South hot on their heels.

On the last run, Steve Kulmar and his Shining Sea team snatched the lead, with London Tavern second and Acuity third.

Cydon leads the series overall on 22 points. Acuity is second on 25 points with Estate Master third on 30 points followed by Shining Sea on 31 points and 38 Degrees South on 38 points.