Festival of Sails - Bare Essentials and Shogun takes Line Honours


5:34 AM Thu 26 Jan 2012 GMT
'Bare Essentials first home in the Multihull Division, in the Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race - Festival of Sails 2012, Royal Geelong Yacht Club' Teri Dodds/ Festival of Sails &copy
Festival of Sail 2012.

Tim Pepperell's Grainger 8 metre trimaran Bare Essentials was the first boat to finish in 3 hours 35 minutes and 57 second, taking overall line honours victory while Geelong sailor Rob Hanna's new TP52 Shogun V has taken the monohull double of line and handicap honours in its maiden Melbourne to Geelong Passage race, the 34 nautical mile course which traditionally marks the start of the Festival of Sails proper.


Under sunny skies and with a building afternoon sea breeze, Shogun finished in a time of 3 hours 38 minutes 8 seconds, and placed first on corrected time with Georgia runner up across the finish and on handicap.

Jim Farmer's 52-footer from New Zealand was leading the fleet until a peril of being out in front - a navigational slip-up - saw them take the wrong mark, which is when Hanna pounced.

'We didn't play the shifts properly on the first leg and Georgia wasn't going to let us past,' said Hanna dockside at Geelong this afternoon. 'It was a drag race, first we got Living Doll then Georgia made a mistake and we took them.'

On the week ahead Hanna says it will be interesting if the breeze lightens off to 8 knots, when boat speed will matter less than good tactics.

Previously Hanna has finished second in the passage race with a former Shogun, his DK46, so today's line honours victory was alien but welcome territory. Having taken his yachting into fifth gear with the purchase of a newer generation Med Cup TP52 late last year, Hanna can expect to be crowned more often.

Shogun's crew reads like a who's who of yachting...Grant Simmer, Alby Pratt, Morgan White, Tristram Eldershaw.

Georgia also has plenty of good guys - Chris Dickson, Ricky Royden, George Hendy - and women too - Jackie Hendy and Keryn McMasters, who has done two Volvo Ocean Races.

Farmer is eagerly anticipating the three days of competition ahead, and expects to be very competitive against the gun Australian boats. 'We have a deeper keel and new 3DI jibs and we are going to be competitive.

'This event traditionally clashes with our Bay of Islands event, which we like to support, but this year we decided to come to Geelong'.

Michael Hiatt's Farr 55 Living Doll crossed the finish line third ahead of Jason Van Der Slot's TP52, Calm, third placegetter on handicap in Premier Racing Series Division A.

Premier Racing [Melbourne] - Div A

Hosted By Royal Geelong Yacht Club

PROVISIONAL RESULTS

Updated: 22/01/2012 16:53:21

Series Results [IRC DivA] up to Race 6 (Drops = 1)
Place Ties Sail No Boat Name Skipper From Design Sers Score Race 6 Race 5 Race 4 Race 3 Race 2 Race 1
1 AUS280 SHOGUN V Rob Hanna RGYC Tp 52 6.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 [3.0] 1.0 1.0
2 SM5252 CALM Williams Van Der Slo SYC Farr Tp52 9.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 [2.0]
3 SM24 TERRA FIRMA Nicholas Bartels SYC Cookson 50 14.0 3.0 4.0 [4.0] 1.0 3.0 3.0
4 SM11 SCARLET RUNNER Robert Date SYC Rp-52 23.0 4.0 3.0 3.0 9.0C [9.0F] 4.0
5 SM460 XLR8 Ray Shaw SYC Reichel Pugh 46 24.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 [9.0C] 4.0 5.0
6 R55 LIVING DOLL Michael Hiatt RYCV Farr 55 45.0 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C [9.0C]
6 10000 GEORGIA Jim Farmer RNZYS Botin & Carkeek 45.0 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C [9.0C]
6 CR1 OPTIMUS PRIME Trevor Taylor TCYC Marten 49 45.0 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C 9.0C [9.0C]




SAILING - Festival Of Sails 2012 - Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race Finish, Royal Geelong Yacht Club, Geelong (AUS), 26/01/2012. - Teri Dodds- Festival of Sails &copy


SAILING - Festival Of Sails 2012 - Royal Geelong Yacht Club, Geelong (AUS), 26/01/2012. OPTIMUMM - Teri Dodds- Festival of Sails &copy


SAILING - Festival Of Sails 2012 - Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race Finish, Royal Geelong Yacht Club, Geelong (AUS), 26/01/2012. Photo. Teri Dodds. - Teri Dodds- Festival of Sails &copy


SAILING - Festival Of Sails 2012 - Royal Geelong Yacht Club, Geelong (AUS), 26/01/2012. - Teri Dodds- Festival of Sails &copy



Premier Racing Series Division B winner was none other than Grant Botica's Adams 10 Executive Decision.

Conditions were perfect for the offshore hit out, sunny skies and a coolish but consistent 12-14 knot southerly breeze tending east by the time the fleet reached Corio Bay and the finish off Geelong's busy waterfront.

Entrants in the Festival of Sails Melbourne to Geelong passage race are still making their way to Geelong and the finish line where they will join locals and visitors for this evening's huge waterfront party to mark Australia Day.

Tomorrow most divisions will revert to short course racing, the warning signal for the grand prix boats scheduled for 1225hrs.

Results at www.festivalofsails.com.au




by Lisa Ratcliff


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