Mayor Troy Pickard, amidst distinguished guests, office bearers and families declared the season for 2017-18 of Hillarys Yacht Club open with the firing of the cannon on Sunday, October 8th.
A festive atmosphere of colourful decorations, children’s activities, music and ceremony set the scene for a sail-past of yachts and power craft dressed in the theme of “sea creatures”.
A highlight was the departure of Kraken. The crowd, sensing that history was about to unfold watched on, in awe, as Todd Giraudo and David (Dubbo) White set off in their Sunfast 3600 yacht Kraken, a mere 36 foot long, bound for Melbourne where they will compete in the Melbourne to Osaka (Japan) race next March. Commodore Neil Harrison, no stranger to such races himself having competed in the Fastnet race, wished them fair winds, calm seas and a safe return.
Crew and family members were almost as adventurous with their sea creature costumes which featured sharks, octopi, colourful fish, alluring mermaids and even a lobster perched half way up the mast. Best dressed yacht in the sail-past was shared between Zinfandel and Sandrine and best dressed power boat was Ambassador.
Following the sail-past dinghies and keelboats left the harbour to compete in the first race of the season, the prestigious Commodore’s Cup. A ten knot southerly was ideal to test the rusty skills of sailors and those who made the least mistakes were victorious. Presentations of pennants and trophies followed with celebrations continuing well after sunset. Discover Sailing Day will be held at Hillarys Yacht Club on October 22nd from 9am til 1pm, come and take a ride on one of the yachts.
Results Commodore’s Cup:
Keelboats
Div1: 1. Hard Evidence (D Riley & M Fox); 2. Perle (J Bird); 3. Salamander (B Bradford); Fastest Mulberry (M Pitt).
Div2: 1 and Fastest Covert Operation (G Atkinson & B Brouwer); 2. Blue Chip (K and D Fisk); 3. Zinfandel (S and G Osborne).
Div3: 1. and Fastest Pandora (R Giraudo); 2. Sheer Magic (T Waymouth)
Dinghies
Tasar: 1. and Fastest Escapade (C Carmichael); 2. Zest (G Jennings-Berinice); 3. Rum Line- (J Brett).
Laser 4.7: 1 and Fastest Maxed Out (B Taylor); 2. Club Boat- (M Masque); 3. Aurora (A Tucker).
Laser Radial: 1 and Fastest Ndege ll (M Fisk); 2. SS (R Conboy); 3. Calista (N Willis).
Optimist: 1 and Fastest Dinghy Blue (A Gardner); 2. Skywalker (B Dick); 3. Hang Loose (M Graham).
John Bird
