Skandia takes it overall

Grant Wharington's maxi wins Hahn Premium Race Week reports Ian Grant

Grant Wharington’s Skandia crew completed an outstanding season of offshore yacht racing when they won the 2004 Hahn Premium Race Week series at Hamilton Island on Saturday afternoon.

Skandia beaten for line honours in the Lindeman Island race by her equally impressive match racing rival Konica Minolta today became the first maxi yacht since Tamworth grazier Tony Paola skippered the famed Condor to win in 1990.

Skipper Grant Wharington and his crew added the prestigious trophy to their success in winning the Australian Blue Water Grand Slam with wins in Rolex Sydney-Hobart, Sydney Mooloolaba and Brisbane to Gladstone races.

However while Skandia was again outpaced by the Stewart Thwaites skippered New Zealand maxi Konica Minolta in the 22.3n/ml Lindeman Island race today her crew can thank the Americas Cup style match racing competition for their overall championship win.

Skandia showed she can out sail her penalty plus 1.6010 rating by recording the very impressive 1-3-8-1-1-7-2 score securing the series win by 4 points over David Mason’s Sydney sloop Prime Time helmed by Sydney 2000 Olympian Neville Witty while Admirals Cup champion Colin O’Neil in Aftershock was another 1 point away third.

In other classes the talented New Zealand skipper Alan Pepper out sailed a very competitive fleet to win the Performance Handicap Class championship with his sloop Second Life.

Skipper Pepper and his Second Life crew won three of the nine races over some demanding courses to eventually record an 8 point win ahead of the Port Douglas yacht Ice skippered by Mal Richardson while the New South Wales skipper Peter Hewson piloted Wallop into third place.

The remarkable 77 year old Victorian skipper Lou Abrahams expressed his personal skill and tenacity to win the final race of the Sydney 38 class championship with Another Challenge.

This was another strong sailing performance by the Another Challenge crew however while they out sailed their Sydney rival Cydon in a demanding race today it was Leon Christianakis and his Cydon crew who won the series.

Cydon won four of the 10 races compared with two wins and four second places by Another Challenge which was the difference between both crews at the end of the series with Cydon 887 points defeating Another Challenge 883 points and the Geoff Bonus skippered Calibre 867 points taking third place on count back from Queensland’s Asylum skippered by Wayne Kirkpatrick the CEO of Hamilton Island.

In the cruising class Max Prentice skippered his comfortable Bavaria 47 CCCC’S Apples to a comfortable win in the Hahn Premium Race Week Cruising class championship.

Prentice and crew raced consistently in all six races around some of the most picturesque yacht sailing courses in the Whitsunday Islands to win the very competitive championship form a 91 boat fleet.

CCCC’S Apples failed to win a race on corrected handicap however the crew sailed far more consistently to record a 5-12-3-11-7-4 score card to claim the title trophy by a clear 6 points from the South Australian sloop Serein (John Collett) while Brisbane skipper Roger Hart from the Wynnum Manly Yacht Club won the Bronze Medal with Grizzly Adams.

Previous experience played a big role when popular IRC Cruising class skipper Greg MacMahon helmed his Beneteau 44.7 AfterNOON to an impressive performance to win his Hahn Premium Race Week title trophy.

AfterNOON raced with a simple tactical strategy to first gain a clear wind start then build on that advantage completed the series with a very consistent 2-1-2-2-1-1 score which she needed to win the title ahead of the equally well sailed X43 White Satin co skippered by William and Nevine Neill.

White Satin was also skillfully sailed finishing the series with a creditable 4-3-1-1-2-2 score in her debut regatta.

The result is particularly encouraging considering they maintained the tactical racing pressure on the more experienced crew on AfterNOON to finish second overall 9 points clear of Race Week 2000 IRC class winner Col Crawford in Pamela C.

Husband and Wife sailors Steve and Mary Chiodo of Melbourne valued the opportunity to race with specialist tactician Ron Jacobs of Sydney to score a close one point win over the Premier Cruising Class fleet.

Ron Jacobs winner of more Hamilton Island Race Week championships than any other tactician played the major role when skipper Steve Chiodo steered his impressive sloop Gomez to victory in the Lindeman Island race on Saturday to claim a deserved championship win ahead of the Sydney sloops Eagle Rock (Ross Wilson) and Espresso Forte (Laurence Freedman)