Local skipper stars in Crown Series Bellerive Regatta

9:50 AM Sun 22 Feb 2009 GMT

'Sagittarius - Div 2' Peter Campbell &copy

Bellerive Yacht Club members Geoff Cordell and Harold Clark today regained for eastern shore sailors the major titles of the Crown Series Bellerive Regatta after a weekend of exhilarating yacht racing on the Derwent River.

"For the first time in three years we were able to beat Don Calvert from the 'Royals' in Intrigue," Cordell said. "He is a most formidable opponent and had won this regatta for three years in a row."

Cordell virtually wrapped up the Performance Handicap (PHS) division by winning the morning race today and, despite a last race seventh, Host Plus took out the series with 29.5 points from Tas Paints on 36 points, third overall going to Marineline (Gary Smith & Geoff White) which won line honours in all six races.

"The real battle was against Ian 'Seaweed' Stewart in Tas Paints, which is also a Mumm 36," he added. "We call this regatta the Mumm 36 worlds!"

Cordell's winning crew comprised Gary Eiszele (tactician), Paul Fazacerley (bow), Kurt Chalk (mast), Jaryd Cohen (trimmer), Paul Curry (trimmer) with Quantum Sails general manager and designer David Eickmeyer joining them for the regatta. "A superbly organised event, a wonderful place to sail with the bonus of being on a winner," Eickmeyer said.

Bellerive Yacht Club completed a Division 1 double with the aptly-named Invincible, skippered by veteran Harold Clark, winning the final race under IRC ratings to take out that category with 16 points from Don Calvert's Intrigue on 21 points and Host Plus on 23 points.

More than 200 keelboats, trailerable yachts and centreboard dinghies, skiffs and catamarans contested the highly successful regatta, with today's final races sailed in perfect summer weather on the Derwent River.

Silver Mist - Peter Campbell &copy

Other keelboat division winners were Dave Shepherd's Shaw Contracting (Division 2), David Allan's What a Life (Division 3), Dave Willans' Trouble (9 Metre), Walter Knoop's Silicon Ship (Half Ton), Ian Johnston's Portobello (Cruising Green) and Enigma (G Davidson/M Dewey) in Cruising Red.

Cordell has owned his Mumm 36 for the past eight seasons, with wins in the inaugural Launceston to Hobart Race in 2007 as well as competing in the Tasmanian Three Peaks Race, 18 in total.

"I'm not competing this year as we have a young family.for the first time in 20 years I will be spending Easter with my wife," he added.

Going into today's final two races for Division 1, Host Plus held a commanding lead over Gary Smith and Geoff White's Bakewell-White 45 Marineline under Performance scoring while Harold Clark in his Farr 1004 Invincible headed the Division 1 IRC pointscore from Marineline and Intrigue, the IRC winner in the three previous regattas.

Host Plus won the first race of the day on IRC ratings, beating Intrigue but had to taken second place under PHS handicaps to Tas Paints. Nevertheless, this placed the Mumm 36 at the top of both handicap categories in Division 1.

However, the final race was a duel between the two veterans, Harold Clark sailing the 28-year-old Farr 1104 Invincible for the Bellerive Yacht Club on the eastern shore, Don Calvert skippering his 26-year-old Castro 40 Intrigue from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

Intrigue crossed the line in sixth place, Invincible ninth, but on IRC corrected time Invincible turned the tables, the two boats placing second and third, with Invincible's lower rating giving her a winning advantage of 2 minutes 36 seconds and a final 5 points winning margin.

Host Plus placed fourth on IRC corrected time, but still finished third overall, an excellent performance by the Mumm 36 which does not rate well under IRC.