The second West Offshore Products Coastal Sprint race sailed in light, and tricky conditions in Bass Strait saw Nigel Jones GINAN lead the way and come away the victor. Jones commented, “conditions were variable; we were preparing for storms yet applying sunscreen”.
Skippers and crews were up at sunrise in preparation for the early Queenscliff start with the dawn sky, mesmerising shades of blue. Due to anticipated light winds, the course was shortened to the eastern course; however, this did little to dampen the spirits of seasoned sailors and eager newcomers.
A light north-westerly at the start, allowed for a kite run to the first mark before a tight reach toward Cape Schanck. With glass-like conditions on the water and variable wind, the race fleet slowed to a mere knot, testing patience and prompting some early retirements and playful antics among the crews. True to the spirit of sailing, the wind eventually picked up.
GINAN, a J111 with an impressive offshore racing record, led the fleet for most of the race to take line honours and win both AMS and ORC divisions.
Nigel commented after the race that he was surprised by the weather conditions and he was “unsure how the low-pressure system would play out, starting with the A2 spinnaker and then alternating between the A1.5 and Code 0 spinnaker ten times throughout the race!” While Nigel was navigating today, he was complimentary of Stuart Bloom’s helming and the overall crew effort, noting they are now well-versed together, having done many ocean races this year and understanding GINAN’s capabilities. He was also complimentary of Timothy Olding’s Summit 35 VERTIGO’s race, noting they kept them on their toes.
Since launching its Category 3 event in 2019, the Coastal Sprint Series, explicitly aimed at helping crews move into ocean racing, the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV) is pleased with its support for growing offshore fleets in Victoria.
This race welcomed new entrants Michael Vandertop’s Hanse 325 PZAZZ, Matthew Ross’s Sydney 32 RAKU, and Rod Gunther’s Nelson Marek designed QUEST.
ORCV Commodore Cyrus Allen acknowledged, “We believe our future, and that of offshore yachting in Victoria, relies on being innovative and helping grow skippers and crews from Cat 3 to offshore racing. That equates to us investing in it.”
The third and final Coastal Sprint is scheduled for 20 April 2024.
Provisional Results:
AMS
- 1st Ginan (M111) skippered by Nigel Jones
- 2nd Vertigo (R935) Skippered by Timothy Olding
- 3rd Alien (R880) skippered by Justin Brenan
ORC
- 1st Ginan
- 2nd Alien
- 3rd Faster Foward (R6155) skippered by Matt Fahey
PHS
- 1st Vertigo
- 2nd Ginan
- 3rd Alien
Double Handed:
- 1st Maverick
For complete race results, please click here.
ORCV media
Further information: media@orcv.org.au
About ORCV: A leading authority on ocean sailing, racing and training in Australia, the Club was formed so that ocean races in Victorian waters could be efficiently developed and run by an organisation focusing specifically on the needs of ocean racers.
