Tasmanians heading for Hamilton Island Race Week

9:42 AM Mon 13 Jul 2009 GMT

'Wayne Banks-Smith steers his Farr 40 War Games to victory' Peter Campbell &copy Click Here to view large photo

Hobart Farr 40 owner/skippers Wayne Banks-Smith and Hughie Lewis will join another wellknown owner Stephen Keal in campaigning the Bavaria 50 On Location at next month's Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

'We will be joined by ten other local Hobart sailors aboard this chartered 50-footer and plan to 'kick arse' in the Cruising with Spinnakers division at Hamilton Island,' Banks-Smith said on Sunday after his convincing win with War Games in the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's Winter Series.

While Banks-Smith and Lewis both own Farr 40s, Lewis' boat is Euro Central, Keal is the owner/skipper of the comfortable cruiser/racer Cyclone, once a contender for the Admiral's Cup.

Winter racing on the Hobart's River Derwent can be cold, and it can be frustratingly windless. Yesterday was near windless, but not so chilly (9? C) as some recent mornings, but the wind was noticeable for its absence for heat three of the RYCT Winter Series.

In fact, the breeze ranged from 2 knots (sometimes 0 knot) to 5 knots (for the final 10 minutes of the race). Unfortunately for most of the fleet, the 0 knot period occurred just after the start and, with a strong outgoing current, the majority of boats drifted backwards away from the line for half an hour and more.

Race officer Roger Martin wisely shortened the course to just one windward/return leg and all the boats that continued racing did actually complete the course inside the time limit. And fortunately, the rain hovering above Mt Wellington kept away for most of the morning.

As with such conditions, there were big winners and big losers.

Wayne Banks-Smith took line and handicap honours in Division 1 with War Games despite being over the line at the starting signal. In fact, returning and running down the line from the pin end to re-start probably helped as the Farr 40 sailed into a little private breeze and less current.

Other boats that had been close to the windward end of the line drifted backwards for 200 metres and more. The finally picked up a light northerly breeze nearly half an hour later, heading off in pursuit of War Games which by that stage was halfway up the first windward leg.

War Games finally finished the race almost 20 minutes ahead of the other Farr 40 in the fleet, Stephen Boyes' Wired, winning on corrected time from Michael Denney's Wild West, with third place going to Wired.

After three races of the RYCT Winter Series, only two points separate the three top boats in provisional pointscores in Division 1 with Wired on 8 points, War Games 9 and Gavin Adamson's Fine Cotton on 10 points.

Australasian Dragon class champion Nick Rogers also scored a big win in Division 3 at the helm of one of the club's Elliott 5.7s. Once clear of the start line, Rogers tacked to the east and picked up a light slant of breeze that eventually saw the little sportsboat finish fourth in the fleet close astern of the Farr 40 Wired.

On corrected time Rogers won Division 3 by 9 minutes 38 seconds from the previously unbeaten J24 Mrs Pickles, helmed by Kaye Roberts, third place going to another Elliott 5.7, helmed by James Anderson. With Mrs Pickles the only finisher in heat two of the Winter Series, the J24 has a commanding points lead.

Division 2 also saw the Wildfire Syndicate's red-hulled Wildfire beaten for the first time in the Winter Series, with Just Jones (Peter Giblin) taking the double, winning on handicap from Wildfire and Serenity (Graham Hall). Wildfire also holds a commanding points lead from Miss Conduct (Robin Flemming) and Rouseabout (Grahame Inglis).