Favourable winds provided fast times for the Ocean Racing WA (ORWA) fleet as the performance planing boats continued to dominate the results in last weekend’s Hillarys Yacht Club Beneteau by Mansfield Marine Pot of Gold Race. The mid-season race was the first of the new year and with Siska Series points on the line, 15 boats (split into two divisions) participated in the 39 nm offshore race from Fremantle, almost circumnavigating Rottnest before finishing at Hillarys. HYC was represented by three boats: Mark Pitt’s Beneteau First 35 ‘Mulberry’, Ian Holder’s Whiting 32 ‘Bad Habits’ and in a hark back to WA’s yesteryear ocean racing when the Ben Lexcen designed Viking 30 regularly raced offshore, Mark Taylor’s ‘Helga’ made its debut in the ORWA fleet.

The race began in a light south-easterly breeze off Fremantle but swung to a sea breeze just after the leading boats rounded the day buoy, with the fleet scrambling to either round the day buoy or drop kites for the reach west out to the Windmills navigation mark in the clear blue waters of the Indian Ocean. As the Fremantle Doctor kicked in, the fleet made their way further west along the southern edge of Rottnest Island dodging the ever-present cray pots and enjoying the gentle 2 m swell to the island’s West End. With David Davenport’s J/V TP52 ‘Crush’ establishing an unassailable lead, it was spinnakers up at Cape Vlamingh for the long run east along the northern side of the island back to Scarborough Beach. The performance boats excelled in these conditions and although Crush was setting herself up as the clear line honours winner, competition for the handicap places in Division 1 was intense in the following pack of Botin Carkeek GP42 ‘Enterprise NG’, the MAT1245 ‘Obsession’ and the BW36 ‘Al Fresco’. In a rare occasion for the ocean racing fleet, they intermingled with boats competing in the inshore Dash for Cash race as they made their way north after gybing round the mark off Scarborough Beach. Those people on Perth’s northern beaches that afternoon were fortunate to witness WA’s premier ocean racing boats racing north along the coast to the finish at Hillarys in a blaze of colour with spinnakers flying.

Winners for Division 1 IRC was Anthony Kirke’s ‘Enterprise NG’, with David Davenport’s ‘Crush’ second (and line honours winner) and Paul Arns ‘Obsession’ third. In Division 2 IRC, the winner was HYC’s own Ian Holder’s ‘Bad Habits’ in first place (showing the old seadog hasn’t lost much from when he regularly raced ‘Bad Habits’ offshore) followed by Ross Norgard’s S&S 48 ‘Salacia II’ second and David Kenny’s Sunfast 3200 ‘The Edge’ sailing double-handed in third. Results for PHS Div 1 was ‘Enterprise NG’ first, John Rayner’s ‘Al Fresco’ second and Micheal Giles’ ‘Endorfin’ in third. Results for PHS Div 2 was ‘The Edge’ first, ‘Bad Habits’ second and ‘King Canute’ third.

After a night’s partying, a reduced but nonetheless enthusiastic fleet sailed south in a building sea breeze for the return Shepherdess Cup Race to complete the weekend’s regatta. Either in acknowledgment of the forecast conditions, or to provide some reprieve to those who enjoyed HYC hospitality the previous night, the course was shortened by removing the long beat out to Stanton. Winners for Division 1 IRC was Bill Henson’s JPK 45 ‘Sirene’, followed by ‘Al Fresco’. In Division 2 IRC, the winner was Chris Hind’s Farr 40 ‘Sagacious IV’, ‘The Edge’ second and Brian Kerr’s Archambault A35 ‘Arajilla’ in third. Results for PHS Div 1 were ‘Sirene’ first, ‘Endorfin’ second and then ‘Al Fresco’ third. Results for PHS Div 2 were ‘Sagacious IV’ first, ‘The Edge’ second and ‘King Canute’ third.

By Ray Murphy