Crash and bang off the Heads

Fraught start to Rolex Trophy Rating Series

Race one of the Rolex Trophy being sailed off Sydney Heads today has proved costly for four of the 22 starters with two of them racing against the clock to be back on the water tomorrow and one short changed and minus a mast.

Steve McConaghy reported he was steering Ray Roberts’ Cookson 50 Quantum Racing on a tight lay line to the last top mark rounding in race one when their jib back winded, throwing them onto port tack with no steerage and into Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest which was on starboard tack.



Quantum Racing’s bow sprit hit Quest, then in the lumpy seas and almost in slow motion the boats came together again, Quantum’s bow hitting Quest a second time. At some point Quantum Racing’s pole sheered off completely while Quest sustained two holes in the mid section on the port side, one on the waterline and one higher up.

“We were only doing about three knots [when we hit]. Luckily we didn’t snag anything,” said McConaghy, who is confident this incident is not going to threaten this regatta or their Rolex Sydney Hobart assault.

Quantum Racing is a Rolex Sydney Hobart overall chance while Quest, which went on to place fourth in race one and is protesting Quantum Racing, is bypassing the Rolex Sydney Hobart and going straight to Melbourne in January for Skandia Geelong Week.

“Hopefully we’ll have it fixed by tomorrow,” said a disappointed Steel.



Both boats limped into the CYCA marina this afternoon, the crew of Quantum Racing having already been on the phone to their New Zealand boat builder who is trying to arrange to have a new bow sprit flown to Sydney tonight.

Quest’s crew have tipped the boat on its side in the marina using rubbish bins filled with water and the weight of the crew so the workers can get busy trying to repair the two holes in time for day two of the fourday regatta.

In lumpy seas and a brisk 15-18 knot east sou’easter, Sam Newton’s Kirribilli was another casualty in race one, their regatta ending just two minutes into the first race when the ILC40’s mast toppled to the deck.

“We don’t know what happened,” said Jonathan Whitty who was helming at the time. “The mast just folded in to leeward”.

With the rig under the boat and wrapped around the keel, the crew, which included Newton’s 18 foot skiff skipper Seve Jarvin, made the decision to cut the mast and the brand new mainsail away.

The fourth casualty today was Peter Wintle’s Farr 40 Quantum Leap which retired with gear damage.

Following his SOLAS Big Boat Challenge handicap win on Tuesday, Roger Sturgeon’s Rosebud has scored two from two after his overall win in today’s first race. Rosebud beat Geoff Ross’ Yendys and Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll in IRC division 0/1 sailed over a 2.5 nautical mile course.

In IRC division 2, which sailed a 1.8 nautical mile course, Peter Sorensen’s The Philosopher’s Club beat the two modified Farr 40s and Rolex Sydney Hobart starters, Stephen Ellis’ Splash Gordon and Ed Psaltis’ AFR Midnight Rambler.

Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI took line honours in both races today, sailing the second race with a reefed main as they use the time on the water to do some testing for their all important tilt at a third consecutive Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours win.

A late change this morning saw Philip Childs’ Farr 49 Knee Deep move from division 0/1 to division 2.

Full results can be found here.