McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship

(M2S as part of the MMOC)

Thank you Stanley.

Even though it was a slow 152nm race for everyone (the winner was eight hours behind the record), it was all smiles around in Stanley on Tasmania's NW Coast today. Last boat home was 'Rogue Trader' at 15:14hrs, about three hours in front of earlier predictions. All have then qualified for the M2L, M2HE and M2HW and any other Xmas races as well. The only retirement was 'Merlion' with a torn mainsail, but the crew are all OK and they returned to Melbourne. For all the sailmakers out there that was 'Merlion' from HBYC who may well need a new rag now!!!

So thank you Stanley. You've been great and we'll see you next year. As a mark of how far the Lions Club go to, in order for us to feel welcome, we were able to secure three cases of beer at 03:00hrs! Now that's above and beyond the call of duty.

The biggest comments around the quay centered on the sea fog that had been all over Bass Strait for the first part of the race. Visibility had well and truly been in the sub 100m category and some passed on cross tacks, having paid ultra clear attention to the fog horns. 'INSX' had been in close quarters with both 'Wicked' and 'XLR8'. James 'Cyclone' Bacon, who drives the boat said to me that "It was pretty cool being in there with the bigger boats and we were glad we could hear them first, before they just popped out of the fog. We're happy it was very light winds and no-one was really moving that quickly!" Think that may well be true...

Line Honours was a trifecta to SYC - 'Calm', then 'Goldfinger' who had a blinder (I can just imagine Peter Blake's face now) and 'Audi Centre Melbourne'. In IRC you had 'Calm' first, then 'The Finger' (both from SYC) and in third was 'Extasea' from Geelong.

First light finishers - it was very stylish indeed...

AMS has 'Wicked' first, 'Extasea' and then 'Magazan 53' - good one Nick McGuigan. A nice reward for all your efforts for the ORCV of late.

PHS is now a very much watched class, thanks to the McConaghy Carbon Fibre Performance Wheel that is the prize for the 2009/10 McConaghy Melbourne Offshore season. First was 'Pretty Woman', then the classic S&S36 'Magic' and the well seasoned crew from the Tamar Yacht Club aboard 'Matangi'. They have now left Stanley and are going back along the coast to their home.

The other Tasmanian entries made it in all OK, if not with any great podium claims. Hummingbird had some issues with the mainsail and was trying to drop it for ages and the new owners of the old 'Dekadence', now 'Creese Properties' got better with every mile sailed.

'Hummingbird' from DSS was the penultimate boat in and had issues getting the main down...

Finally a few yachts filled the pretty little harbour that is Stanley.

The Southern and Eastern views (above and below respectively) of the granite massif known as "The Nut" which dominates Stanley's place on the globe.

This is the carbon fibre performance wheel that everyone wants to get their hands on and 'Pretty Woman' are the first to get the coveted Yellow Ribband that marks their success in the McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship.

To get the full M2S results, click HERE.

Many thanks as well to Toll Shipping for getting us to Tassie last Thursday.

By John Curnow

McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship

(M2S as part of the MMOC)

That famous African tribe.

You know - the $@*&arwes... So it dawned on me as I walked around a cool (and cooling further) Stanley on Tasmania’s North West coast, overnight that there were in fact still no yachts here, as yet, and the very calm conditions that had beset Bass Strait were ensuring that it was still going to be a little longer yet...

This is the race winner crossing the until then very unused finish line... thank God they made it.

This is what our Line Honours winner, 'Calm' looks like in daylight...

Soon enough it was Eight Bells and all was well - especially if you were on ‘Calm’, our Line Honours winner and 'Goldfinger', who had moved from third to second during the gap between the 18:35 and 00:35 radio skeds and then put more distance down between them and ‘Audi Centre Melbourne’.

I spoke with one of ‘Calm’s co-owners, Jason Van Der Slot, when they arrived at 02:18 for a quick beer and soup stop. Delighted with their win in the annual 152 nautical mile qualifying race, he was quickly getting a text message off to David Pava, the Dealer Principal of Audi Centre Brighton and their principal sponsor, alerting them to their win. “This is excellent and what a great race - David will be delighted that we have put their dealership on top. We had to do at least 25 sail changes and put a slab in the main, as the breeze climbed past 25knots. Great training for Christmas!” Slotty, as he is known, managed to get out whilst packing sails and spooning in the hot soup.

'Goldfinger' had a great race and that will make her co-owner, Peter Blake, very happy indeed. Well sailed!

The breezes that were soft and flukey are now cold and a little blustery. Finally. You might say and that would be the sentiment of the crews too. Boats are appearing in the morning sun in relatively quick succession now and we have seven in port or on their way home. ‘Merlion’ retired at 04:30 with a torn mainsail, but the crew are all OK and that is the main thing.

The sea is still flat, which is nice. Better than nice, actually and a classic for the crews that are sticking their heads out into it for their first time. Neville 'Nifty' Rose aboard 'Ninety Seven' tells us there is 18-20knots from the SouSouWest with a little half-metre sea. That building breeze has indeed put 'Ninety Seven' some seven hours ahead of where she was placed for finishing, based on the previous radio sked. This is good news for everyone, from catering to prize ceremony and us, who have been waiting in the very cold van for the boats.

At this stage, IRC goes to ‘Calm’, then ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Extasea’. AMS placings are ‘Extasea’, ‘Wicked’ and the 11m Hick, ‘Godzilla’. Performance Handicap placings are  ‘Extasea’, ‘Audi Centre Melbourne’, ‘XLR8’, so those skippers could be the first to get the coveted new 'Yellow Ribband', which is for the sensational McConaghy Carbon Fibre Performance Wheel at the end of the season.

The wheel that they are all racing for...

Last boat is now slated for 18:00hrs on Sunday Evening and that is a toss up between 'Hummingbird' from DSS and ‘Rogue Trader’. In the middle of the fleet, it is now quite bunched up however, so you never know from whence the ultimate winners will come.

By John Curnow

McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship

(M2S as part of the MMOC)

Eight Bells.

And all is well - especially if you are on 'Goldfinger'!!!

It's a flat sea out there, with 16knots of breeze from around 195 degrees and a sea of less than half a metre. Nice. Better than nice actually, which is a classic for the crews that are sticking their heads out into it for the first time.

In the race for Line Honours, 'Calm' has moved to about 16 nautical miles ahead of 'Goldfinger' then just astern of them is 'Audi Centre Melbourne'. So the former has indeed been working hard to take second position from third place in the last Sked... 'Calm' now has around 15 miles to get to the line, here in Stanley.

'Goldfinger' has had a great time of it, which should make Andy Keep smile... (no doubt Peter Blake already is) Bet they wish they had the kind of breeze pictured here.

The fleet indeed appears to have found some breeze - finally. 'Ninety Seven' is some seven hours ahead of where she was placed for finishing, based on the previous radio sked. This is good news for everyone, from catering to prize ceremony and us, who have been waiting in the now very cold van.

'Wicked' now leads AMS from 'Extasea' and 'Godzilla' - IRC is all about waterline length and reflects Line Honours perfectly. Now in performance, 'Matangi' leads, from 'Pretty Woman' and 'Myuna', so those skippers could be the first to get the coveted new 'Yellow Ribband', which is for the sensational McConaghy Carbon Fibre Performance Wheel at the end of the season.

As a result of all these movements, 'Calm' now looks to be arriving at 03:10hrs, 'Goldfinger' at 05:45, 'Audi Centre Melbourne' at 06:04 and then 'Shogun' at just before Seven on Sunday morning. Last boat is now slated for 20;00hrs on Sunday Evening and that is 'Hummingbird' from DSS. In the middle of the fleet, it is now quite bunched up, so you never know from whence the ultimate winners will come.

'Matangi' are seasoned campaigners, so it is good to see the TYC crew doing well.

'Wicked' has had a pretty good outing with all this...

By John Curnow

McConaghy Melbourne Offshore Championship

(M2S as part of the MMOC)

Ask the Leylands.

"We're here because...", as they used to say. There are no yachts here in Stanley as yet and the very calm conditions that have beset Bass Strait are ensuring it is going to be a little longer yet...

This is the finish line at Stanley - not that anyone has crossed it yet - or likely to soon...

In the race for Line Honours, 'Calm' remains about five nautical miles ahead of 'Audi Centre Melbourne' and then 'Goldfinger', the latter two are probably within water bombing range of each other. 'Shogun', 'XLR8' and 'Extasea' are a further four miles and more back from them in said order.

'Calm' in very slight winds like today, but a bit more sunshine perhaps than what they have seen with the fog today...

In AMS it is 'Extasea' from 'Wicked' then 'Godzilla' and 'Alien'.

IRC has 'Calm' leading 'The Finger' who had a good six hours between skeds and then 'Audi Centre Melbourne'.

For the PHS class we have 'Audi Centre Melbourne' ahead of 'Matangi',  'Extasea' and 'Wicked'.

Neville 'Nifty' Rose aboard 'Ninety Seven' tells us there is 11knots from the South East (i.e. directly from Stanley) with sea fog cleared for now, but it is overcast. The back of the fleet has caught up somewhat, but there remains 40nm from first to last!

Currently the 05:00ETA for 'Calm' looks valid and from then on it will be every hour, on the hour until Sunday at 23:00hrs.

Fishing boat tied to the big quay for the deep draft boats to raft up to - once they get here that is...

Nary a sailing boat in sight in the delightful harbour - plenty of fishing boats though...

By John Curnow