Fleet gets home for AFL grand final

1:49 AM Sat 26 Sep 2009 GMT

'Scarlett Runner racing in Port Phillip -
she is now owned in Hobart.' Peter Campbell &copy

A decision by Derwent Sailing Squadron race officer Tony Nicholas to finish Friday night's first race of the Combined Club's Offshore Yachting Series at the Iron Pot enabled crews to return to Hobart in time for some rest before this afternoon's AFL grand final.

'Conditions were extremely light and I was conscious that most of the crews wanted to be back home well before the footie, so we set up the line at the Iron Pot,' Nicholas explained.

After starting from Castray Esplanade at 7pm on Friday and sailing down the River Derwent and d'Entrecasteaux Channel to Yellow Bluff, the first boats to finish in the fleet of 15 crossed the line before midnight, the last finishing after 1am.

There was another reason for several boats to be back in Hobart early: several were booked in for a measurement weigh-in at the CSIRO wharf as Castray Esplanade, starting at 7am.

Sydney Hobart race contender Auch, David Bean's Beneteau 44.7, got the gun but placed 12th on corrected time with the smaller boats dominating the top placings.

Stewart Geeves' Young 88 Footloose excelled in the light overnight winds to finish only 4 minutes 17 seconds astern of Auch and take handicap honours from Michael Cooper's half tonner Kaiulani and Neil Snare's Jigsaw, another Young 88.

This was Footloose's second major win in a week, the previous weekend winning the Cock of the Huon race.

Friday night's race was the first of five overnight or long races over the summer season, three of them before Christmas, designed to give crews experience in night sailing conditions in the lead-up to the long ocean races between Christmas and New Year.

At least ten of those sailing last night are expected to contest the Launceston to Hobart race, with three of the fleet also likely to compete in the longer Sydney Hobart.

The race saw the Tasmanian debut for the former Melbourne-based Sydney 38 Scarlet Runner. With Steve Chau on the helm, Scarlet Runner crossed the sixth but placed 13th on PHS handicap.

Next Saturday will see the Combined Clubs Opening Day on the River Derwent with a fleet of more than 200 yachts and motor cruisers expected to take part in the spectacular sail past.

by Peter Campbell

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Fleet gets home for AFL grand final

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