Telstra Cup - Day Three

Super Shockwave continues stunning success in Telstra Cup

Without question, Neville Crichton's turbo-charged maxi Shockwave will start a hot favourite for line honours in the Telstra Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day following two more stunning performances in the Telstra Cup off Sydney Heads today.

The 80-footer must also be one of the favourites to do well on corrected time in the IRC handicap division, although she still has to race offshore against the extended Victorian 83-footer, Wild Thing (Grant Wharrington), and the Swedish 80-footer, Nicorette (Ludde Ingvall).

Both Wild Thing and Nicorette have water-ballast, whereas Shockwave uses conventional ballast.

Starting in the IRC division fleet of the Telstra Cup, Shockwave gave five minutes start to George Snow's 75-footer Brindabella which is part of the IMS handicap fleet, and sailed past her in both 12 nautical mile races to get the gun.

In the six Telstra Cup races sailed so far, Shockwave has come from astern to get the gun in four, also winning two on corrected time in the IRC division.

She held her time in race five, the first race sailed today, but in the second placed only seventh, with first placed on corrected time going to Stephen Ainsworth's Swan 48, Loki.

Shockwave now leads the overall handicap standings in the IRC division with 271 points, just one ahead of Loki.

The IMS, IRC handicap divisions and the Sydney 38 One Design class sailed two races today, while the Farr 40 One Design class completed three short races.

The Telstra Cup regatta ends tomorrow with two races for the Farr 40 OD class, and a 20 nautical mile offshore race for other classes.

Sailing conditions were ideal, a hot and sunny day and steady 10 to 12 knot south-easterly seabreeze that produced close tactical racing, particularly in the Farr 40 and Sydney 38 One Design fleets.

In the grand prix IMS handicap division, last year's Overall winner of the Telstra Sydney to Hobart, Geoff Ross' Farr 49, Yendys, began today's competition with a win in race five, but bombed out in race six after having to take a 720 degree penalty turn after a starting line touch with rival Ragamuffin, skippered by Syd Fischer.

Yendys lost six places in taking the penalty and placed 12th on corrected time, the overall winner being Howard Piggott's Beneteau 40.7, True North, which is not a entrant in the Telstra Sydney to Hobart.

Fortunately, Yendys can discard this placing and still leads the IMS pointscore on 272 points, but by just one point from Howard De Torres' newly-imported IMX 40, Nips-n-Tux, with sailmaker Bob Fraser on the helm.

Loco, David Coe's Farr 52, with another sailmaker, Michael Coxon, on the helm, is third overall in the IMS division with 267 points after a third and a sixth today. She was the top placed Sydney to Hobart race entrant in race six, with smaller boats dominating corrected time results.

The Farr 40 One Design "owner-driver" division again produced three tight, tactical races, with American yachtsman Philippe Kahn winning two in his Australian-based boat, Pegasus.

Former ocean racing owner/skipper Simon Whiston, now the owner of the Farr 40 OD, Smile, scored his first victory in the class in race five.

Whiston previously campaigned with great success a Beneteau 40.7, also named Smile, last Wednesday being named as the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Ocean Racing Rookie of the Year.

Runner-up in all three races today was current Farr 40 World champion John Calvert-Jones, helming Southern Star, his consistency taking him to top of the leader board in the overall pointscore with two more races to sail tomorrow.

The Farr 40 OD class is using a low scoring system with Southern Star on 23 points, followed by Buon Giorno (Steve Ellis) on 27 points and Smile on 32 points.

The Sydney 38 One Design class also saw close boat-for-boat racing, with veteran Victorian Lou Abrahams notching up a second and a first with Another Challenge, with The Business (Vaughan Stibbard) also having a win and second today.

The Business has 275 points on the board, Another Challenge 273 and Obsession (Michael Jones) 262 points.