2006 SIMRAD Barrier Two-Handed Series
Race 3 - a race of mice and men
Everything we hear about the SIMRAD 100, from now until the last boat finishes, will go on this page. If you've got a story to tell, jump on our forum page to share, otherwise email it to zoe@due-north.co.nz.If you have VHF coverage, listen in from approximately 1pm when the first radio skeds are expected. Coastguard are monitoring the skeds, which you can listen in on Ch80 in the harbour, or Ch82 further out.
Some great pictures were taken by marine photographer
Gareth Cooke, who didn't mind getting wet yesterday. Visit Gareth's website,
www.garethcooke.co.nz, for four pages of images, available for purchase, or just for your viewing pleasure.
Official Race Report
From Cameron Thorpe, SSANZ
The final race, the SIMRAD 100 kicked off at 9:00 on Saturday 9th September. The wind was more easterly than forecast which resulted in the shorthaul division being sent on Course 2. With wind warnings in force many boats chose smaller sails at the start to avoid being forced to change, however despite a few good puffs of 20 knots it never really set in. In fact alot of the fleet got completely becalmed at the bottom end of Waiheke. It seemed quite ironic listening to weather forecasts of up to 40 knots while flopping around going no where !
With continous rain for alot of the race quite a few boats withdrew. In fact possibly even more than in the previous windy races ! (I'll have to count up the numbers). For those who wanted more moderate conditions I'm sure they will now agree it's so much more exciting in a gale ! Bring on the breeze next year !
Our post Sublime amendments in regards to Radio communications were a huge success. The Coastguard did a outstanding job. Comments from Dougall Love "The way Coastguard handled communications was outstanding. We monitored their channel to keep up with what was happening. They chased boats they hadn't heard from, and had everyone calling in at marina berths. Superb. It was very simple. They rang me this morning and said they didn't expect it to be that easy, and had extra crew sleeping over in case. They did an outstanding job." SSANZ plans to continue to build our relationship with Coastguard and encourages all competitors to be Coastguard members.
Unofficial Race Reports (unedited and unabbreviated!)
Hard Labour Race Report SIMRAD 100 2006
10 Sep 2006
So thats it all over for another year...
After the big breeze of the first two races we found the final race to be a anti climax. Metservice predicted big things, but it never really happened. They never predicted any parkups or the completely random wind as you approached the finish line.
So what happened onboard the "Hard Labour". Firstly the start was a disaster (B#$%dy typical, the one race we have a photographer on a RIB). Running late and ended up 5th row at 8 buoy stuggling to lay. In fact we were so far back "Grunty Chicken" who jumped the gun had time to go around 8 buoy and still recross the startline ahead. Even worse "Hanse Off", our main competition for the Shorthaul division fastest elapsed time trophy had got a great start and were off and gone.
After a few quiet mutterings we got into the job ahead and started to work our way back up the fleet. Luckily for us most of the competition had chosen No 2 headsails due to the forecast. We had gone for the 1, hoping we could make a gain and change quickly if we had to. Once past Rangi light the extra power paid dividends enabling us to drive though the waves without stopping. We noticed Share Delight made a gain hard over by Rangi so bit the bullet and tacked over. A series of tacks later and we found the right was paying big time (not entirely sure why...we got smoother water but less tidal assistance and forecast had breeze going left ???) so rather than go with what we thought we went for what worked ! We were quickly up to second behind Share Delight and closing in. By Rakino we were at the front of the shorthaul fleet (bar the 2 50ft Elliott cruisers) and with a slight wind shift found ourselves on the wind all the way to the bottom end of Waiheke.
The breeze had softened a touch and we had made a good gain on the fleet who were persisting with No.2's. Next was a cracked sheets reach to Shag Island. We decided to avoid the windshadow and make a conservative rounding but still fell in a big hole. At least we got out the otherside first and could extend away a little. It was once we got to Shag Island that the wind started to play games. First it built quickly to 20 knots, which was getting hard to handle on a reach to Flat Rock, and then as soon as we were about to change sails it all but died. 90 degree shifts became common before the breeze died completely. We were furthest north and furthest west and were lucky to be the first into the breeze when it eventually filled in several hours later. By now Revolution had sailed up to second place and was the only boat in sight behind us.
The tight reach to Flat Rock was uneventful apart from getting fairly windy as we rounded. We set the small spinnaker as we headed to Motuora, but had to change to the big one shortly after as the wind died to about 7 knots. A gybe around Motuora and a super tight kite ride to Tiri Channel before a very light airs run to the finish. Hot angles and keeping the boat moving were critical and once inside Rangi light it was a minefield. On crossing the finish line we were very glad about finishing at Orakei rather than Westhaven as we once used to.
Official results are yet to come out but I don't think anyone slipped past in the night. We extended our lead on the way home (Jono, it must have been hell coming back without a spinnaker) and think we sailed a pretty good race.
Interestingly I bet more people talk about the first two races and the excitement of racing in strong wind than the challenges of the last race. I think more people will agree with me now when I say it's the light races that are the tougher ones.
Results now available at
http://www.ssanz.co.nz/results.html
From Steve Alloway and Quintin Fowler on Barvarian Wave
The course; Start Orakei, Waiheke Island to Starboard, Shag Island Port, Channel Island Port, Little Barrier Port, Finish off Orakei
The Forecast; East turning NE then NW 15 to 40 knots then SE on Sunday 20 to 30knots rain and Thunder Storms.
A 60 mile beat with a 40 mile run. We covered 130 miles 20 hours in 20 minutes on the caravan.
What promised to be number 3 weather hardly blow over 20 knots and by Shag Rock we were changing gears to number 1.
After a start that is best forgotten, some how we missed the 5min gun. We started at the back of the fleet with Truxton and Sportivo. However off we set, a beat all the way to Hooks. By Bean rock we had settled in and picked the right to make the most of the ebbing tide from the Tamaki River. Slowly one by one we picked off the tail enders and by the time we reached Motohe we had Rockstar and White Bait cross tacks just behind us with only Fun'n games and Snipper ahead of us. We had found a secret weapon, trickle down from Formula One, the caravan was climbing high and fast however catching the 2 leed yachts was going to be a big call but with a steady 20knots we were determined to give the guys infront everything the caravan could muster.
By the time we arrived at Hooks, we had Rockstar and White Bait still just on our stern and Snipper just a 100 meters ahead with Fun 'n Games a little further ahead of them. A quick reach to Shag Island and back on the wind to Channel Island. In the fading breeze we changed to the number 1. White Bait, Rockstar and Truxton all passed us while we were changing headsails. Bavarian Wave has a furler and the 2 sails we used needed to be bareheaded changed, a slow process, however off we set again. We picked a few good lifts and by the time we reached Channel Only Snipper was ahead, Fun 'n Games had found themselves fighting tide in a shifty east going north west fading breeze. Snipper got a lift from the wind Gods and bent 30 degrees to round the rock in first place popped a kite and we never saw them again. The rest of us in the chasing pack made several attempts (6) to wriggle round the rock. Truxton was next round followed a few minutes later by us then Hooters and Power Play leaving White Bait and Fun 'n Games to struggle with the new breeze. By now the rest of the B divi was too far back to recognise. What promised to be a fast reach turned into another on the wind lay to Little Barrier. Next on the list of must not hit was Horn Rock. The breeze had lifted a little and the Caravan was power reaching directly towards this submerged rock. We planned too go below this rock however as we closed on the rock the yacht below us was slowly lifting. With nowhere to go a tack was our only option after a quick 100 meter tack we were power reaching once more. The yacht that forced our tack had reached off below the rock into the darkness, we never saw them again. Little Barrier is a stunning Island, if you get a chance to get to this part of the gulf, take it. No going ashore, it's a DOC island for native birds and visitors that land are not welcome. By the time we reached the far side of Little Barrier we had caught and passed Truxton. The Caravan was again 2nd yacht on the water with a flat run home in a fading breeze, we felt pretty good getting to the top mark in such a good position, however flat running is not our best point of sail and it wasn't long before Truxton an off the wind flyer, to slide off into the night. Looking at the results it looks like they found a bigger whole than we did as they finished well behind us. Looking back at the Barrier, it was a long way back to the next yacht, infact it was hard to identify anybody. Closing in on Tiri we spotted 2 red lights closing fast one crossed our bow and gybes. Fun'n Games had caught us and with there masthead we could only watch as they slowly opened gauge on us.The other, Power Play, headed for Orewa and gybes to lay Tiri passage. A new breeze from the east was building, this allowed us to bend down to lay Rangi Light with only the one gybe off Orewa. Then just as we got to 5 buoy a SE forced us to drop the kite and finish under Headsail. A short reach to the finish off 8. We were 3rd home and far enough ahead to claim 2nd on PHRF and 2nd overall on ORC.
Our secret weapon...... most yachts have one but hardly ever use it when racing.
Next big race for me is the Coastal on Blackout and I have ordered a 20-30 knot SE
In the end...
I caught Dougal on the phone at 9.45am Sunday, just as he was arriving home. The last boat, the Young 11 Peppermint Planet finished around 8.30am.
The smallboats were the first in, finishing around 8pm Saturday and led by the two Ross 780s.
The shorthaul boats were held up by lack of wind. Hard Labour was 30-45 minutes ahead of the next shorthaul finisher - no surprises there -, getting in at 3.02am.
Likewise, Wingz was the first big boat home, and well clear of the others. Sundreamer (1.27am) beat X-Factor by approximately an hour two.
There were a lot of withdrawals, but more due to rain and misery than breakages. Only two of the Young 88s, Waka Huia and 88 Proof, finished.
The guys are working on confirming results, which will be posted on the SSANZ website as soon as possible.
www.ssanz.co.nz
Big Ups to Coastguard
"The way Coastguard handled communications was outstanding. All we did was start the race and take finish times. We monitored their channel to keep up with what was happening. They chased boats they hadn't heard from, and had everyone calling in at marina berths. Superb. It was very simple. They rang me this morning and said they didn't expect it to be that easy, and had extra crew sleeping over in case. They did an outstanding job."
Dougal Love, SSANZ
8.45pm from Hard Labour
Hard Labour has just rounded Flat Rock - with not another boat in site. It's stopped raining, seas of 1m from 120, and they are flying their small kite. Like others in the shorthaul course, they parked up at Shag Rock but they reckon they went the right way - purely speculative racing in the dark now as the don't know where there competition is. Good luck, guys.
7.45pm update - Bavarian Wave
Bavarian Wave is third around Channel Island, behind Sniper and Truxton. Hooters is still intact for once and is in close pursuit, with Power Pla, White Bait and Fun n Games. It's a long, long way back to the rest, he says. The wind is a northerly and they are just laying Little Barrier. It's clocking NW at 15 knots.
Later on, Steve let us know that at 2am they were almost at Tiri, making five knots in eight knots of breeze, with Hooters just crossing their bow.
BW finished at 0520.
5.00pm update - Cool Change & Bavarian Wave
An update from Dave on Cool Change in second place at Shag Island, but lagging 500m behind Atom Ant ... in no breeze. 'It's pouring down. THe breeze has died and we're all floating around. Atom Ant is half a mile ahead, if that."
Bavarian Wave (we think), on the other hand, is five miles off Channel Island. "The caravan is third on the water," says crew Steve Alloway. "Fun n Games and Sniper are just ahead, Truxton and Whitebait are just behind. The rest are too far back to see. 15 to 17 from 070, rain just off Coro. Wil contact again after Channel."
4.30pm update - Fun n Games & Sundreamer
Both Sundreamer & Fun n Games are leading their respective divisions. Steve onboard Fun n Games says 'Wet. Cold. Coming first so can't complain. These rain squalls are bloody heavy.
Sundreamer is also getting wet. They have just rounded Channel Island and are leading X-Factor, who is a mile astern of them. Wingz, in the Longhaul keelboat division, is about a mile in front. Sundreamer has cracked sheets and is chasing them down. Breeze is 10-15 knots.
Hard Labour reports in
1.45pm
20 minutes from Shag Island, Hard Labour is sitting pretty with only the two big cruisers, Elysium and Oblique, ahead of them.
Cameron describes a slow start with the boat back in front by Rakino.
The Farr 1020 is carrying a #1 headsail in the 15-20 knot breeze, doing mid 7's, while most of the fleet are sailing with only a #2.
Their sheets are cracked and the kite will go up at Flat Rock.
Plain Sailing for Sundreamer
1.30pm
Phil gave us a call on his mobile, after rounding Shag Rock:
Sundreamer was sitting in third, just ahead of Sportivo. XFactor was two miles ahead, with Wingz two miles ahead of them.
Behind Sportivo is a big white cruising boat (?), and within striking distance are the two Z39s and the Farr 40.
Phil said it was only about 15 knots, but 'pissing down'.
Update from the Start Tower
11am Sunday - Phone call from Dougal Love, race official and captain of the start tower
It was a decent on the wind start, with a big tide going out. There were two individual recalls, so it was tough on those boats, said Dougal Love after completion of the race start where 83 boats, out of 130 potential starters (wimps) got underway.
The breeze at the start was quite east. Nowcasting reported a direction of 120 at Channel Island, with a much more northerly 40 at Tiritiri Matangi. That means big shifts during the day, and a very tactical course.
In the smallboat division, Team Zenith from Whangarei - Craig Loome's trailer boat - is one to watch. They retired from the last race and were over at the start of this one when they were pushed over by other boats, but they are a strong performer, up against the Elliott 7.9 Southbound.
Only four of an original nine multihulls - two GBEs and the giant cats, X-Factor and Sundreamer, made it to the startline today. (Are the rest scaredy-cats after the capsizing of two boats in the first race? - ED)
Safety was a big focus for this race following the capsize and subsequent midnight rescue of a boat in the first race. Coastguard has worked closely with SSANZ since the incident, and 30 SSANZ members joined Coastguard at Thursday night's briefing.
Race 3 - what it's about
Courses for Race 3
Where they are going:
Simrad 100 Longhaul Course:
Start off Orakei Wharf, passing Waiheke (starboard), rounding Tarahiki Island (Shag Island) (port), rounding Channel Island (port), Little Barrier Island (port), to finish Orakei Wharf. (approx.110nm)
Simrad 100 Shorthaul Course:
Start off Orakei Wharf, rounding Rangitoto (starboard), Rakino Island (starboard), Tarahiki Island (Shag Island) (port), Flat Rock (port), Motuora Island (port) to finish Orakei Wharf. (approx 82nm)
Simrad 100 Smallboat Course:
Start off Orakei Wharf, rounding Navy Buoy, Tiri Channel, (starboard), Waiheke Island (Starboard),to finish off Orakei Wharf. (approx. 56 nm)
Expect to see up to 130 boats on the start line once again.
For the series Line Honours X Factor (Jon Vincient) is looking good to win easily. Wingz (Peter Geary) is set to do the same in the Longhaul Monohull Division. However they should get some stiff competition from the Elliott 50 Sportivo (Greg Elliott and Wayne Tomlinson).
In the Shorthaul it will be a battle royale between Hanse Off (Tony Newmarch) and Hard Labour (Steve Barton) for the fastest elapsed time. Nothing separates the two at the moment so they will have everything to play for.
In the smallboats expect the SR26 Rattle n Rum (Richard Watson) to continue her unbeaten run.
Weather wise, forecasts suggest anywhere between 15 and 35 knots from N to NE so once again the crews will face a good challenge.
Once again SSANZ would like to thank the support of Advance Trident Limited, SIMRAD and the Lion Foundation whose continued support makes the event such a huge success.
RACE 2: 'snap, crackle and pop'
Hi, Due to the arrival of my baby daughter, I wasn't able to make the startline this year to get you photos and stories. Here is the report from SSANZ. Roll on race 3...
SIMRAD 60 Report06 Aug 2006
The second race, the SIMRAD 60 kicked off at 9:00. Conditions at the start were somewhat lighter than what was forecast, and the breeze was very patchy until clear of Rangitoto. This resulted in some big gains and losses. The breeze built all day averaging over 20 knots with gusts of over 30 knots at the finish which gave competitors plenty of challenges. Both Oracle and Akarana Express lost their masts, High Profile lost it's rudder and Hooters broke the front crossbeam. In total we had 29 retirements who had all made it back to land safety by last night.
X Factor, Wingz, Hard Labour and Rattle and Rum were the quickest boats around their respective courses.
Hard Labour Race Report SIMRAD 60 200606 Aug 2006
Yet another challenging race which provided a full range of conditions, just a pity about the rain. In the shorthaul fleet Grunty Chicken got the best start, right by 8 bouy, with their Code 0 on they were off and gone. On Hard Labour we were second out of the blocks and after 100m popped the kite up. Shortly after North Head things got interesting. Grunty Chicken parked up big time, we managed to climb to windward of them and keep going but a long way to windward Atom Ant was in a new breeze and scorching. Following in their wake were Stratocaster, Moving Violaton, Cool Change and Shokran (prob our biggest threat in the 1020 div). We were lucky to extract ourselves from the leeward position with minimal losses and felt sorry for Grunty Chicken who was still parked up. As we approached Rangi light the breeze started to fade again. This time being to leeward was a advantage as we could heat up our angle more and keep the boat moving.
Just past Rangi the breeze was filling in from the windward side, it was a case of rich getting richer and the first boats to get into it would make huge gains. By this time we had passed quite a few of the longhaul division that started 5min ahead ! There were some most unhappy faces and a general lack of eye contact. From Rangi light to Navy Bouy the breeze kept building and shifting left causing everyone to eventually drop their spinnakers. Atom Ant was first to round about 2.5 min in front of Stratocastor who was 1.5 min ahead of Elysium and us. Everyone tacked on the mark except us. We knew nobody would lay Gannet Rock on port and the forecast was to shift left so decided to carry on towards Tiri. We eventually tacked just before Tiri and were headed at Rakino. However we soon started lifting and ended 20 deg up and pointing at the Noises.
The breeze continued to build and was now averaging 20 knots so we changed to the No.2 headsail. When we crossed tacks with the opposition we now were in front of Elysium with Stratocaster and Atom Ant a few minutes behind. A few tacks to work shifts and clear the Noises and David Rocks then we headed towards Waiheke keeping a cover on Shokran and Hanse Off who were to leeward and going very well. Close to Waiheke we got headed so tacked over to be lifted and almost laying Gannet Rock. We had caught the leaders of the smallboat fleet and were passing SR26's. Rattle n Rum was most impressive going extremely well upwind and very hard to pass. They had a full main and No.1 up and were pushing the limits of the sails wind range. One hundred meters from Gannet we tacked and were only going to cross the "Rattle" by a boatlength when the mainsheet attachment broke off the boom !!! @#$% Not good timing, but luckily we could still make the cross with "Rattle" and just kept clear of Gannet Rock. A quick lashing with some spectra and we were back in race mode.
X Factor and Wings were the only boats to round Gannet ahead. Despite our breakage we still got the kite up before Rattle n Rum and were quickly doing over 10 knots. Rattle n Rum then put up a big masthead and started to boogie. A good puff of 27 knots soon sorted them out with a good broach ! While they sorted themselves out we snuck away again. Approaching Motuihe channel Rattle n Rum was right with us again running a fractional spinnaker. In the puffs they would surf more than us but lose a little in the lulls. With the wind lightening off a little they changed to a big masthead gennaker and cranked the pace back up. They were going so quick in a puff we yelled out to them they would need to go in the new high speed ferry lane ! It was quite amusing when they misunderstood and thought it was a fairway mark and did a big soak to round it. At least it got them closer for the camera !
With the big gear Rattle n Rum started to pull away. We also noted boats well behind obviously had more breeze as they were closing. Ublique was close behind us and we could also see Sundreamer and Exodus approaching with huge pace. At Bean Rock the breeze started to crank, by the finish we had 30 knots (the most seen all race). We finished just ahead of Ublique and took the Shorthaul Div gun, with a good lead over Shokran and Hanse Off. So we think we had a great race.... just got to wait and see about the handicap result and racetrack analysis !
RACE 1: different year, same story
8 July 06
For the third year in a row, race 1 of the SIMRAD Triple Series - the SIMRAD 50 - blew like billy-o.
118 of 130 boats hit the startline, encountering up to 35-40 knots at various stages on the race course.
There were some fast times and with those the stock standard ratio of casualities: Silverraider was picked up by Coastguard after turning turtle (we believe near Rakino ?). Sublime also flipped, near the bottom end of Waiheke. Riverwind, Helluva Hurry, Buoy Racer, Open Country, Ceasar's Palace, and Prism retired with gear failure.
Tony Baker sent this picture through of somebody having fun.
The
first boats arrived back at Orakei between 2 and 3pm. It was a good day to have water ballast or a canting keel.
The Farr 1020 Hard Labour reports
drowning all of its electronic equipment - including laptop and instruments. Guess Steve and Cameron might be paying a visit to sponsor company
SIMRAD at 383 New North Road, Kingsland before too long!
Divisional winners included Wingz, Hanse Free and X-Factor. Results should be online at
www.ssanz.co.nz from Saturday night and we'll look forward to hearing how your race went too - until our forums are back up on Monday, please email stories and pictures through to
zoe@due-north.co.nz and we'll post them straight away.
GBE! Capsized! Twice!
The crew of GBE 'Sublime' spent a cold night awaiting rescue in the Waiheke Channel when they capsized not once but twice during yesterday's race.
In an interview with Crew.org.nz, Graeme Robbins tells their story >
RaceTrack speaks
Mark Mulcare's analysis of yesterday's results is an alternative viewpoint to the official one.
More >
Crew-cam
Crew.org.nz was on the startline to capture the action, and we'll be posting other pics here too as they come through from guys on the racecourse.
...
prior preparation prevents p*ss poor performance... or let's hope so. - by Crew.org.nz
Cruising past the start tower - by Crew.org.nz
A friendly wave is always welcome - by Crew.org.nz
Most of the longhaul division were late to start but a couple of hours later were flying - by Crew.org.nz
Alcatraz (front) with the yellow boat, Graham Dalton's new Open 50 in the background - by Crew.org.nz
Atom Ant what a ripper! Div 1 for you next time. - by Crew.org.nz
The shorthaul divsion battling for the pin end - by Crew.org.nz
And they're away - by Crew.org.nz
Hey that's Cool Change in the front row! - by Crew.org.nz
Three of the shorthaul boats heading on their way (I'm sorry to say that despite a rapid fire battery change our camera missed much of their start) - by Crew.org.nz
Repeat Offender looks sharp - by Crew.org.nz
Simrad SR26 Style
From ANDREW SHARP
Well we managed to get 7 boats to the start line in the end, with only Markone not turning up for the day.
It was great to see all the boats milling around at the start line preparing for the respective starts, the SR26s and small boats were the last start of the morning, with only a little bit of banter within fleet, all the boats got off to a pretty good start, first around Rangi Light was Train Smash with brilliant start, a little behind the fleet at the time of the gun but with there Factional Genny up moved through the fleet to lead by a large margin from Jagged Edge, Rattle n Rum and Gaucho followed closely by Aqua Vitae, Travellin Man and then Mercenary.
The fleet enjoyed a great kite ride down to the Haystack, with Jagged Edge and Gaucho having few problems with broken gear, Gaucho unfortunately breaking her rudder and retired back to Arkles Bay to warm them selves with a bottle of Rum. Speeds of 18.9 knots were recorded on the run to haystack before the boats turning the corner to head back to Motuihe. SR’s do not like bashing there way into 30-40knts 2 up but it was the only way to get home and several of them endured knockdowns in gusts well over 30knots. Final results on line were Rattle n Rum, battling it all the way to the finish with Mercenary, Train Smash, then Jagged Edge coming on strong towards the end and giving Train Smash a little hurry up, then back to Travellin Man, and Aqua Vitae with Gaucho not finishing due to her broken rudder.
Biggest mover of the day was Geoff and Andrew on Mercenary, recovering from last after the Prod broke just shortly after the start to finish second on line and taking out the handicap win.
It was a trying day for the SR’s, but fun had by all with only the one casualty. Thanks to the organisers and sponsors for an enjoyable event. And we look forward to seeing you all for race two of the Simrad in August.
Farr 9.2 Race Report
The first race of the 2006 SIMRAD two handed series proved to be a blustery affair with winds gusting to 40 knots and some fast rides from all boats. The Farr9.2’s were part of the Short haul 50 divisions and started at 0905 off Orakei tower in a benign breeze which eventually built to a good 30 knots after rounding Rangi light. First to Rangi light after a kite run and then two sail reach off the start line was Communiqué. Nicole and Fendall started extremely well as usual and were followed by Cool Bear and Destiny in Motion who were footing it together and trying to stay ahead of a fast running Steve Horne and crew on Cloud9. After rounding Rangi Light everyone poled back and ran flat off towards Rakino. All boats were keeping reasonably equal speed until Destiny in Motion got a burst off the back of a wave collapsing the kite and wrapping it around the forestay. Communiqué and Cool Bear charged ahead while Cloud nine raced past and Destiny struggled to free the kite and reset the old spinnaker after a tear in the number one kite. Communiqué, Cool Bear, and Cloud9 all had a difficult time dropping kites at Rakino in a building breeze but jibed and headed towards Motuihe Channel in that order with Destiny still trailing behind.
It was Communiqué that rounded Motuihe first followed by Destiny in Motion who called Starboard on Cool Bear at the mark to slip into second with Cloud9 in close contention. Communiqué went almost immediately to the kite for the ride down Waiheke to Passage Rocks but was pushed down towards the Waiheke shore line and about three quarters of the way down dropped the kite in favour of a two sail broad reach to the rounding mark. Cloud9, Cool Bear, and Destiny in Motion all stayed with working sails on a broad reach and stayed in the middle of the strait until the wind went further aft about half way down. Destiny in Motion was first to hoist the kite and reached speeds on the log of 11.5 knots surfing off the odd small wave. Cool Bear followed with a kite hoist and Justin recorded over 12 knots on the GPS as they raced towards Passage Rocks where they chinese jibed the boat without any damage except to their overall time. Cloud9 stayed with two sails and rounded Passage Rocks safely for the slog to windward towards the finish at Orakei.
Tamaki Strait proved a rugged little bit of water on the way home with the breeze nudging over 40knots with a small but steep sea creating a bumpy ride. Fendall and Nicole on Communiqué were wearing a no.3 head sail and one reef in the main and powered off but soon after put in a second reef while battling up the Waiheke side of the course. Destiny in Motion carried on Starboard tack and headed towards the Pine Harbour side of the course but soon after tacking onto Port put a reef in the main. One reef wasn’t enough and the boys changed head sails from the small No.2 to the No.3; considerable improvement in control and the same upwind speed. Cool Bear put a reef in the main and ran deep with the No.2 on to eventually overtake Communiqué to the finish. Once round Browns Island the sea flattened and the wind dropped to a slight 25 knot average. First of the Farr9.2’s across the line was Destiny in Motion, second was Cool Bear, Communiqué was third, and Cloud9 fourth. It was a great days racing and proof that the nuggetty little Farr9.2 is an excellent boat that is easily manageable in tough conditions and provides close class racing.
If we had one more Farr9.2 entered this series we could have had our own class division. If you haven’t done the first race but are thinking about doing the others get into it. You’ll love it.
Mid winter marshmallows cruise is set for Saturday the 26th of August. Destination to be decided on the day depending on weather with a start time 1000. I’ll e-mail everyone with confirmed details in the near future.
See you all on the water soon.
Cheers,
Matt
Destiny in Motion
Hard Labour Race Report SIMRAD 50 2006
09 Jul 2006
The Price we pay...
During the Post race debrief with the other 1020 sailors on "Share Delight", between lies, an interesting subject came up. "The high price we pay to win !" One of the other boats lost a near new spinnaker, complete with sheets, snapshackles and halyard and they didn't even win. Another skipper remarked "Jeez, thats approaching $100 per mile. You could have done the course in a chopper for less than that !" On the Hard Labour we destroyed a laptop and got alot of water in the boat more than what came aboard thoughout the entire Round North Island Race. The clean up (when we finally finish) will take longer than the race !
So what happened ? I had a very busy morning, (after staying up to 1am the previous night along with Dougall to prepare results spreadsheets, check handicaps etc) the boat still needed to be sorted for racing, plus I had to do a interview with
Peter Montgomery at 7.55am. We finally left the dock and motored down to Orakei Wharf to be greeted by the safety inspector. I'm sure he targeted us because we looked busy and still had alot to do. I thought being Chairman of SSANZ would have had some advantages but no... Anyway we passed with flying colours.
It was obvious 8 bouy was the end of the start to go for. Our pre race prep worked out an apparent angle of 120 degrees, so the call was hoist the big kite as soon as we could. I think the shorthaul start was the most competitive with a fair bit of luffing going on, but everyone seemed to be pretty sensible and got away cleanly. We popped the kite up... but now the wind had swung forward to 75 apparent. It was going to be a bit touch and go to lay Rangi light but we had pace on the boats still under genoa. Luckily the forecast breeze hadn't arrived just yet and we made it past Rangi light with Grunty Chicken and Cool Change alongside. Next it was a flat run to Rakino channel. The prod boats headed off towards Tiri while everyone else sailed as low as they could. The breeze came in strongly causing many boats to change headsails in preparation for the next leg. Stratocaster went flying past to take the lead and Hellava Hurry came flying up under a huge masthead kite.
Going through Rakino channel every one dropped their spinnakers and sailed hard on the wind to Motuihe Green Bouy. At the front of the pack we had a good battle with Stratocaster and managed to slip back in front. The smaller lighter sport keelboats didn't fair so well on this leg with Grunty Chicken falling back towards the pack of boats behind. After rounding Motuihe Green it was a two sail reach past Motuihe before bearing away a little more and setting a spinnaker. Stratocaster had retaken the lead at this point so the decision was made "Big Kite". Stratocaster set their spinnaker as well and we both charged off towards Passage rock enjoying the best kite ride I've had for a long time. With gusts of 30 knots we were often sitting on 12-13 knots boatspeed. However half way down Waiheke a bigger gust saw Stratocaster wipe out and forced them to drop their spinnaker. We carried on for a while longer until a particularly big gust sorted us out as well. We got back under control, rehoisted the little spinnaker and set off in pursuit of Stratocaster once more. It was quite depressing to find even though they were two sailing and we had the spinnaker up we could barely catch up. This wasn't a problem for the Young 88's who were absolutely flying. Outrageous was the 3rd boat to Passage Rock despite starting 5 min behind the Shorthaul fleet.
>From Passage Rock it was a long hard beat to the finish. With wind against tide it was particularly lumpy on port tack. The best option was to head over to the mainland for flatter water before tacking. The boats on that side of the track also got lifted and made huge gains. We battled hard to get back in front of Stratocaster but a new danger was approaching. Hanse Off, a 37 footer, had a big edge in upwind speed and was just hauling us in. We kept in front to Browns Island but eventually they slipped past. We hung on for second across the line but importantly first 1020 by a good margin.
Cameron
Hard Labour
Pre-race commentary by SSANZ
The SIMRAD Triple Barrier Series - What is it ?
A Series run by the Short Handed Sailing Association of New Zealand (SSANZ) each winter. It consists of 3 races, a month apart, with the long course covering distances of 50, 60 and 100miles approximately.
So whats "Two Handed" ? Two Handed means each boat only has two people onboard. Most of the boats competing would normally be expected to have 7 onboard while racing, some of the big boats often have crews of 15 or more ! Just because they have less crew don't expect the sailors to back off or use smaller sails, near the front of the pack competition will be fierce. Practice, teamwork and planning will be vital. Often crew's over estimate their abilities, which provides great entertainment as they struggle to unravel the mess created.
Special mention of SIMRAD distributed in NZ by Advance Trident Limited (ATL). ATL, run by the Geldard's, has supported the series for approaching a decade and have seen the event grow from 30-40 boats right up to the huge fleets we see today. As of 1st of July SIMRAD's "Brooks and Gatehouse" brand (known as B&G) will be distributed and serviced by Advance Trident Limited. B&G are recognised leaders for yachting instrumentation with virtually all America's Cup and Volvo boats using their product.
The first race, SIMRAD 50, starts on Saturday 8th July. There are 3 courses. The biggest boats essentially round Rangitoto, Motutapu and Waiheke. The medium sized boats round Rangitoto, Motutapu then come back inside Motuihe and Waiheke and round Passage Rock. The Smallest boats round Rangitoto, Motutapu, Haystack and Motuihe. All starts and finishes are off Orakei Wharf with the first boats getting away at 9am. Orakei Wharf and North Head would be the best places for spectator viewing
Weather wise, the forecast is for plenty of wind. 20-30 knots from the Southwest, this will make the race a quick one and a very challenging one !
For the longhaul fleet, I would expect the multihulls to finish first. The favourite being Jon Vincient's Xfactor with the father and son team Philip and Mathew Hart on Sundreamer and Rex McCamish's McMoggy also strong contenters. In the Monohulls, expect a fierce battle between the Cookson 50 "Wingz" which will be sail by long time shorthanded experts Peter Geary and Angus Small and "A Southern Man AGD" Graham Dalton's virtually brand new Open 50 which he will sail with designer Greg Elliot. Graham is using the race to test the boat as he builds up to his next round the world adventure.
In the shorthaul fleet we expect the biggest battle for line honours. Favourites this year include Tony Newmarch's "Hanse Off", which is the biggest boat in the division, Brent Linnell's "Stratocaster", Jason Haggitt's "Helluva Hurry" with any of the Stewart 34's or Farr 1020's also being in with a chance, partitularly the very experienced shorthanded team on "Hard Labour".
On the shortest course, expect the SR26's to dominate results on line. Last year Richard Watson and Phillip Crowther on "Rattle N Rum" dominated. It will be interesting to see if anyone can knock them off this year !
This year the class/one design divisions have continued to grow with 8 Pied Pipers, 5 Trackers, 8 SR26's, 15 ! Young 88's and 6 Farr 1020's. I imagine there will some fierce battles amongst that lot !!!
Absolutely fantastic to see such a huge fleet who not only have to tackle the challenge of sailing shorthanded, but also have to take on the elements in the middle of winter ! Just finishing will be a great achievment.
130 Boats now entered !
