Hobart Combined Clubs Long Race Pennant Race 1
by Nick Hutton 9 Oct 2022 17:51 BST
8 October 2022
David Calvert's Intrigue takes first Long Race for 2022-23 season © Peter Watson
She is no stranger to setting new yachting records, so it is no surprise that David Calvert's Intrigue is the first winner in Group 1 under the Combined Clubs new rating system ORC Club.
Sailed in shifty mostly westerly conditions, Saturday's race one saw Group 1 travel to a mark off Clifton Beach and back to Bellerive Yacht Club's finishing line at Victoria Esplanade, while Group 2 raced around Black Jack Rocks and return.
Group 3 raced in the River estuary, with large gains to be made by reading the changeable westerly breeze. With wind strengths ranging from a low of five knots to a high of 30 and a strong adverse current at the mouth of the Derwent, it was a day of tactics and sail handling in equal parts.
Intrigue headed Ian Johnston's Zephyr Insurance Masters with BYC Commodore Jeff Cordell's B&G Advantage completing the ORC podium. Intrigue also won on IRC ahead of Matthew Keal's Heatwave and Sailient, skippered by Ian Snape.
Line Honours went to Gary Smith's Fork in the Road ahead of Andrew Jones' AdvantEdge and Chris Sheehan's Melges 32 flyer Assagai. PHS handicap in Group 1 went to Zephyr, followed by Assagai and B&G Advantage.
Group 2 ORC was won by one of the smallest boats in the race, Stewart Geeves' Footloose. Jimmy Dodd's Adams 10 Wednesday was second and Mako, Phil Soley, was third, reflecting the diversity of designs in the fleet.
Andrew Parker's Arunga and David Brett's Illusion battled out Line Honours right to the finish with Arunga victorious by under two minutes. Wednesday was third across the line.
PHS went to Wednesday with Mako and Charles Peacock's Serica filling the minor places. Footloose also took out IRC with Mako in second and Ambrose Coad's The Doghouse third.
Group 3 saw Innovator (Ian Smith and Dean Aberle) continue on her winning way from last year, taking line honours and PHS. Astrolabe (Peter Bosworth) took second on PHS from Ben Morgan's Joie de Vie.