Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

Airlie Beach Race Week, Day 4: The diamonds and the dusty

by Di Pearson, ABRW media 13 Aug 2019 09:26 UTC 8-15 August 2019
A Eureka II (Mal Robertson) moment in Division 1 - 2019 Airlie Beach Race Week © Shirley Wodson / ABRW

Day 4 at 2019 Airlie Beach Race Week and the 31st running of Whitsunday Sailing Club's largest sailing event, which reels in the big tourism dollars to the region, hit a new high note today, with winds reaching in excess of 20 knots and gusting 24 at times.

And while it was a day of diamonds for some, the Lay Day was celebrated too hard by others with some dusty starts, slow tacks, equalling not the most brilliant results.

IRC Racing boats were the first cabs off the rank at 10.05am. Starting deep in Pioneer Bay, their course took in Hannah Point, Denman Island, White Rock, back to the Bay, then Bluff and the finish line.

Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan prevailed over the other TP52, Zen (Gordon Ketelbey) by nearly three minutes on the water, but only nine seconds when the times were corrected out. Ray Roberts' Botin 40, Team Hollywood, was third, making it an all-NSW show.

With two days of racing to go, Hooligan holds the upper hand over her class mate by three points. Team Hollywood is third by one point over Victorian yacht, Ponyo (David Currie).

Blackmore said this afternoon: "The courses here are good. We have a mixture - and I like a mixture. It's a great place to race.

"Zen's obviously our main competition here. It's an older boat, but well sailed. They had the edge on us at the start today and we pretty well went round the top mark together. From there, we led, but it was close and could have gone either way.

"When we got around the Island (Denman), we ran out of air a bit, then at another point they ran out of air. It was an interesting race. A good day of wonderful sailing; we look forward to the next two days."

Blackmore mused, "We won one race from Zen by 20 seconds and today by nine. It says how good Zen is and now accurate the handicapping is."

On winning, he said: "Mike Fletcher (Olympic coach) gave me a lesson 20 odd years ago; 'He who makes the least mistakes wins'. He's right.

The Performance division, along with the Sports Boats, Cruising 1and 2 course also took in Hannah Point and Denman Island, but deviated to Roma Point, before heading back to Pioneer Bay, Bluff and the finish.

It was Whereswall 11 that took the gun today from Paul Jackson's Keep on Running, a Thompson 870 that is having an up-and-down regatta. Both boats are from Victoria.

The Whereswall crew were thrilled. According to owner, Roger Jepson: "We got off the start reasonably well and the breeze suited us - we are a bunch of old blokes (average age of high 60's), our junior crew is 61 years old - the oldest in his seventies - we didn't have any more tacks left in us when we finished!

"We love it up here - this is our seventh year; the third with this boat. Our old boat is also here racing. It's really competitive, the weathers fantastic and you don't get a better part of the world to sail in. It's lovely up here. We sail out of Brighton and we drive 2400 kilometres to get here, but it's worth it."

Tonight the prize presentation will take place at Northerlies, and all are looking forward to this first for the annual event. Northerlies is renowned locally as one of the Whitsundays' premier venues for food, beverages, service and views

Full results in all divisions and all information: abrw.com.au.

Related Articles

Glorious Race Weeks
Bumper participation is an indicator for the health of sailing It would be so easy to write about the Olympics and America's Cup this week in my newsletter but, in all honesty, we're writing and talking enough about those on Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com already. Instead let's focus on Race Weeks. Posted on 3 Sep
ODMG Airlie Beach Race Week concludes
The last three days of racing have been in variable light breezes Compliments flowed from competitors at Whitsunday Sailing Club's (WSC) Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024, following a solid week of racing, as the Club and Whitsunday Islands delivered the best mix of racing seen for a while. Posted on 15 Aug
Light air to decide Cormie's fate
At Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week It's the final morning of racing at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 and once again it is light and lovely and expected to be almost a replica of yesterday, with the sea breeze poking her nose into the Whitsundays around midday. Posted on 15 Aug
Some have divisions stitched up at ABRW 2024
Racing starts just after midday on day 5 at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 Where is that damn wind", we were all asking this morning, Day 5 at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 Posted on 14 Aug
Waiting for the wind at ABRW 2024
PRO Kevin Wilson has announced an AP ashore It's the morning of Day 5 at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 and PRO Kevin Wilson has announced an AP ashore, as the beautiful sunny morning does not include a breath of wind. Posted on 13 Aug
Airlie Beach Race Week day 4
Light air enthusiasts have a field day Day 4 at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 was the antithesis to the earlier part of the week-long regatta, as variable warm breezes under a sunny sky meant a return to the beautiful tropical Whitsundays Posted on 13 Aug
Paradise is not lost as sun is back at ABRW 2024
After an extremely wet lay day at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week It is the morning of Day 4 at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 and the sun is out again after an extremely wet lay day - the question though is will there be any wind in Paradise today for the fourth day of racing. Posted on 12 Aug
Conditions take their toll at ABRW 2024
Rain squalls and conditions general tested a few on Day 3 of Airlie Beach Race Week Rain squalls and conditions general tested a few on Day 3 of Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 and not everyone escaped unscathed, Michael Unwin's Fuzzy Logic from Townsville was dismasted and others suffered too. Posted on 11 Aug
Antipodes moves up ladder
At Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week It's Day 3 at Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 and the forecast is for nice south-easterly trade winds again - 17-20 knots and gusting to 28 during the afternoon, making it three days in a row of hard but enjoyable sailing. Posted on 11 Aug
Another big day out at Airlie Beach Race Week
Another big day on the water for Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 It was another big day on the water for the 36th running of Whitsunday Sailing Club's Airlie Beach Race Week 2024, although it was more 'doable' than yesterday's race, as the seaway was a lot more user friendly according to competitors. Posted on 10 Aug
Savvy Navvy 2024Maritimo 2023 S600 FOOTER