Sydney 38 Stella wins Philippines Cup

by Fred Kinmonth on 27 Feb 2001 Stella’s victory in the Presidents Cup, one of Asia’s top Regattas was remarkable
because in the four months since her launch she took third in Kings Cup in Thailand, she
won the 7th Singapore Straits regatta and now she’s won the Presidents Cup…all with
the same bunch of Etchell sailors from Hong Kong.

During the Presidents Cup conditions varied between 6 and 16 knots.

Stella was the most consistent boat in the regatta and won with a 3,3,1,2,2,2,4 record

A US chartered Farr 40 came second, an Andrews 53 third and two Sydney 46’s filled
fourth and fifth positions.

The first day Tuesday was a windward leeward in Manila Bay and in that race Stella had
time on the fleet until she parked but managed to claw her way back into a third.

On the second day the fleet turned south to Maya Maya in a thirty five-mile passage
race. The breeze died as the day progressed which delivered victory to the largest boat
in the IRC fleet, the four year old Andrews 53, however the little Sydney 38 held on for a
third.

On Thursday in the two windward leeward saw Stella secure a win and a second. On the
fourth day Stella had a second in the morning behind the Farr 40, again in the afternoon
the Andrews 53 were favoured by a dying breeze and she won again but the consistent
Sydney 38 again corrected to second place.

The final race was a 20-mile upwind race back to the middle of Manila Bay and Stella’s
fourth secured the Regatta.

It has not been a easy series, the conditions across the three countries are very mixed
and we’ve been racing against some gun crews, for instance Jamie Wilmont and Steve
Benjamin were aboard the third placed boat Karakoa. The Farr 40, not limited by class
rules had a fully professional crew and Neil Pryde’s Sydney 46 is always well sailed with
a professional crew..

We are looking forward to sailing the Typhoon series back here in Hong Kong through
our summer. the locals are beginning to think the Sydney 38 must “a point and shoot
boat “ it has performed so well, but we’ve really had to work over these three regatta’s
because the conditions have been so mixed.

The Sydney 38’s are just such fun to sail, we’ve been talking about coming down to the
Whitsunday’s to compete in your Nationals and the Australian IRC nationals.
Unfortunately it clashes a bit with some of our racing but we’d love to join in the fun if we
possibly can.