Giddy Up wins IMR Technologies 50th Anniversary Geraldton Ocean Classic
by Bernie Kaaks 22 Oct 2018 20:38 BST
James Halvorsen at the helm of IRC winner Giddy Up © Bernie Kaaks
Mike Giles Sydney 47 Endorfin took line honours in the IMR Technologies 50th Anniversary Geraldton Ocean Classic. The iconic race up the west coast, organised by the South of Perth and Geraldton yacht clubs, was well supported with nearly twenty entries.
It was a slow race by historic standards, soft and shifty west to north westerly winds challenging crews all the way, but it took almost half the race before Endorfin was able to wrest the lead, after an embarrassing mechanical fault delayed its departure from its marina berth.
James Halvorsen's Farr 395 Giddy Up started strongly, chasing down the early leader, Barry Walsh's Beneteau 44.7 Twitch. Having established the lead by sailing some distance west of the rhumb line, she held off the challenge from the larger Endorfin long enough to claim IRC victory by more than 20 minutes over Chris Higham's Archambault 40 Argo, relegating Endorfin to third place.
Division two was dominated by two double handed entries, the seasoned campaigner Kraken, a Jeanneau 3600 fresh from a successful Melbourne-Osaka race, against newcomer Lithium, a J122 sailed by Hillary Yacht Club's Wayne Pitcher, whose previous experience was in a 30 footer. Although Lithium reached the finish line first, it was Kraken which scored the IRC win, by a margin of less than nine minutes in a 220 mile race.
A six boat rally fleet accompanied the racers and were led home by Paul Schapper's Bowman 57 ketch, Toroa IV. Early leader Kondili was forced to retire after losing her navigation system, but in the benign conditions the fleet enjoyed a most enjoyable cruise to the mid-west. All yachts spotted multiple migrating whales but no incident was reported.
While in Geraldton, yachts will compete in a five-race "Lobster Pot Regatta" before returning to Fremantle next Friday.