The fleet enjoyed spectacular conditions, with sunshine and flat water, a solid 20 – 25 knot breeze, and the Harbour Bridge as a stunning backdrop. The first race kicked off at 12.00pm, with Lang Walker’s Kokomo (helmed by Ivan Wheen) leading the charge across the start line and towards the Western shore. The entire fleet followed with some close tacking duels up the left hand side of the course. After two laps of the Harbour, Transfusion managed to claw their way past Kokomo and win the race, with Estate Master placing third.

Race Two was an exact replica in similar circumstances – the fleet revelling in the superb sailing conditions upon a relatively quiet waterway, with the start line laid off Potts Point and a long beat straight up the Harbour. The Queenslanders aboard Lambourdini / Envy Scooters (Howard & David Lambourne) showed good form early on in the race, setting a cracking pace. Transfusion took their fourth bullet of the series, with Kokomo second and Estate Master third.

It was the final race of the series that really pushed everyone to their limits. Jeff Carter’s Edake (helmed by Mark Griffith) took a gamble up the Western shore, whilst the rest of the fleet split and went to the East. Tactician Evan Walker’s wager paid off, as Edake rounded the mark in first position and cleared the rest of the fleet approaching on starboard. A chaotic scene followed, as Transfusion dipped the top mark to perform a penalty turn, while the rest of the fleet barged around the mark, four abreast, amazingly with no collisions.

Thundering down-wind in the building breeze, boats were skating across the course and zigzagging to avoid the fleet of 18-foot skiffs that were making their way up the Harbour in the opposite direction. A big gust hit the fleet and caused Kokomo to do an involuntary gybe, with Forty (Sam Hill & Steve Barlow) planing alongside forced to make some fast manoeuvres, to narrowly avoid their stern. With less than ten boat-lengths separating the entire fleet from first to eighth place, the bottom gate was approaching fast.

Hooligan (Marcus Blackmore) made a clean rounding and was first to the top mark. Transfusion battled their way up the beat, recovering from last position after their penalty turn, to round in third place. This time it was Kokomo’s turn to do a penalty turn as they hit the mark during the final rounding. Hooligan extended their lead toward the finish, crossing the line first, followed by Estate Master and Transfusion.

Youngster Jack Cuthbert aboard Hooligan admitted that it was a thrill to cross the line first in the final race. Just 13 years old and weighing in at 35kgs, the super-flyweight is the youngest sailor in the fleet and barely heavier than the spinnakers he is in charge of retrieving and packing. He and fellow sailor Max Voss (member of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s Youth Development Squad) have both been incorporated to the largely professional Hooligan team, and were ecstatic after the excitement of the day.

Back on-shore, protests were heard and the final results tallied. Transfusion was declared the Farr 40 Australian Champion for 2012, with Kokomo placing second overall and Estate Master third. Easy Tiger (Chris Way) was awarded the Corinthian trophy, with special prizes presented to the newcomers to the fleet, Forty and Lambourdini / Envy Scooters.

“It is nice to get the title back from our friends the Italians (Nerone) who won the Nationals last year” stated Belgiorno-Nettis. “Nathan (Outteridge) did a wonderful job doing tactics for us, and we had good mojo on the boat. It really is a great fleet to sail in, the camaraderie is just excellent, and I have a fantastic crew. It is nice to have Goobs (Iain Jensen) back on the boat again – along with Nathan, we have a really great team.”

Outteridge and Jensen are the current 49er World Champions – Outteridge also the current Moth World Champion, and a recent nominee for ISAF World Sailor of the Year. “Going in to the last race, we knew that we would be able to win if we just kept Kokomo close to us.” Outteridge commented. “We kept trying to bump Kokomo to the right of the course, and ended up involved in a marginal incident with them and Estate Master, so we decided to do the penalty turns. Some other boats ended up in protests today and we didn’t want to finish the day in the (protest) room. Then we were in last position, so it was a tough climb back to third position from there. Luckily we like a challenge.”

Outteridge will soon head to Naples for his position with Team Korea as helmsman for their America’s Cup program. Meanwhile, the rest of the Transfusion team will be preparing for their next Farr 40 event in July, when they tour to Newport to contest the North American Championship, followed by the Rolex World Championship in Chicago.

Full results and reports from the 2012 Australian Farr 40 Championship: click here.

By Erin McKnight

The Race Committee was faced with a tough task to lay the course just East of Taylor Bay in the squally conditions. The start of Race One was postponed just seconds before the start due to a wind shift. After re-laying the start line, the fleet were sent off to a cracking start, with Easy Tiger (Chris Way) shooting off the pin end of the line with good speed.

Easy Tiger charged up the western shore whilst some of the fleet split and took the eastern shore. Transfusion (Guido Belgiorno-Nettis) found themselves sandwiched between the two blue boats, Kokomo (Ivan Wheen) and Hooligan (Marcus Blackmore), and was shortly after spat out and forced to tack towards the eastern shore. As the fleet converged at the top mark, Easy Tiger were ahead by a few lengths, however in the midst of a frantic headsail drop, their bowman found himself dragging along in the water, clipped to the kicker. After a swift recovery Tiger managed to retain their lead, with Kokomo hot on their heels.

Guided by tactician Colin Beashel, Kokomo challenged Easy Tiger to a tacking duel up the second beat, managing to edge in front and steal first place ahead of Tiger. In third place were the Queenslanders aboard Lambourdini / Envy Scooters (Howard and David Lambourne), showing that they would not be considered push-overs in the Sydney-dominated fleet. It was precision racing with the majority of the fleet finishing less than one minute after the leader.

Forty (Sam Hill & Steve Barlow) got away to a great start in Race Two, leading the fleet off the line. By the top mark Transfusion clearly dominated with a ten boat-length lead, and the breeze strengthened during the downwind run, gusting to 26 knots. The fleet revelled in the flat water, with Lambourdini / Envy Scooters and Easy Tiger chasing the current World Champion towards the gate. The bottom mark rounding proved to be testing for at least three boats who struggled to retrieve their spinnakers in time, with big gains made by those who were able to complete a tidy mark rounding. Estate Master (Martin & Lisa Hill) took advantage of the chaos at the gate and fought their way up the fleet, finishing in second place behind Transfusion.

The prevailing wind shifted to the nor-east for the third race of the day, with the top mark laid on the western shore, and then a course change for the second beat towards the eastern shore. “There were a lot of lifts and knocks, especially in the third race.” Belgiorno-Nettis commented. “That’s what I love about Harbour racing – it is very challenging tactically. Chris Way (Easy Tiger) was ahead and made some good gains, but we managed to get in front of them during the second lap and found it was a case of the rich getting richer.” Transfusion claimed their second bullet of the day, with Easy Tiger consistently at the front of the fleet and finishing in second place, followed by Hooligan.

Transfusion won Boat of the Day on a total of six points, ahead of Easy Tiger (seven points) and Kokomo (nine points). Back at the dock, owner Belgiorno-Nettis was very complimentary of his tactician Nathan Outteridge, a new addition to the team. “This is a tremendous fleet, and considering this is their first One Design regatta, the Queenslanders (Lambourdini / Envy Scooters) are surprisingly quick. It is great to see that Farr 40s in different parts of Australia are all sailing their boats hard.”

The final three races of the series are scheduled to start at 12.00 tomorrow, with a nor-easterly forecast. With one protest pending, current placings are as follows:
Transfusion (Guido Belgiorno-Nettis) 6 points
Easy Tiger (Chris Way / Ian Burns) 7 points
Kokomo (Ivan Wheen) 9 points
Hooligan (Marcus Blackmore) 13 points
Estate Master (Martin & Lisa Hill) 15 points
Edake (Mark Griffith) 18 points
Lambourdini / Envy Scooters (David & Howard Lambourne) 19 points
Forty (Sam Hill & Steven Barlow) 21 points

Results and event information

By Erin McKnight

With the likes of Marcus Blackmore (Chairman, Blackmores Ltd), Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (Joint Managing Director, Transfield Holdings), and automotive baron Neville Crichton (Governing Director, ATECO Automotive), the racing is sure to be strategic and technically demanding for all crews under their command. The driving force behind the Farr 40 class in Australia is Martin Hill, Founder and CEO of property software giant Estate Master. Hill is the current Class President, and helmsman aboard his yacht Estate Master, which he co-owns with wife and crew-member Lisa Hill. The duo are a force to be reckoned with – both on the race course and in the Boardroom.

Neville Crichton is well-known to have a strong competitive streak combined with a need for speed. Having a passion for motor racing, Crichton has evolved from being a professional race car driver to his current position as Governing Director of ATECO Automotive, importers of car brands including Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat, Maserati and Ferrari. His on-water accomplishments speak for themselves, twice steering his yacht Alfa Romeo to line-honours victory in the Sydney – Hobart Yacht Race, as well as a long list of International and National achievements. Crichton narrowly missed out on the Farr 40 World Championship title in 2005, placing second overall. This year he will return to the helm of a Farr 40 aboard Kokomo, standing in for owner Lang Walker (Executive Chairman of Walker Corporation Pty Ltd).

Marcus Blackmore has no hesitation in calling a spade a spade, a quality which may have contributed to the naming of his yacht “Hooligan”. Nevertheless, a little audacity is no doubt obligatory when running a large publicly-listed company such as Blackmores – and similarly, when in charge of a racing yacht. Market-leaders in health supplements and vitamins, Blackmores employs over 400 staff. Blackmore deems running a large corporation to be no different from the management on board his racing yachts.

“It is all about the team.” Marcus comments. “Our business success can be attributed to three principles: people, product and passion. At Blackmores, our people are our best asset – and on my yacht I have the best crew. The guy at the back of the boat only contributes a small part towards the overall regatta performance. Next, we need to have the right product. Blackmores would not be a successful company if we were not selling the right product for the market – and on the water we also need to have the right boat. I’m making a guest appearance for this regatta thanks to the generosity of Lang Walker, who has lent me his second boat, and is a great supporter of Farr 40 racing.”

“The third principle is passion. You need to have passionate people, a team who has an absolute passion for what they are doing. The camaraderie is one of the things I love most about Farr 40 One Design racing. Put all three principles together and you have a winning formula.” With that strategy, the Hooligan team may just have the winning formula for the regatta this weekend.

Meanwhile, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis is no stranger to the pointy-end of a tough fleet, being the current Farr 40 World Champion and known as ‘the boat to beat’ for this event. From his position as Joint Managing Director of Transfield Holdings, he admits that there are definite time-constraints when juggling the demands of his business, with the preparation required before a major sailing regatta. His impressive juggling act also entails his appointments as Chairman for the Novatec Solar Shareholders’ Committee, Chairman of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Trustee of the Art Gallery of NSW and Director of the Transfield Foundation. He and his sailing team will use the Australian Championship as a pre-cursor to the Farr 40 World Championship being staged later this year in Chicago, where he will defend his World Championship title.

Other A-list contenders for the event include Chris Way (CEO / Managing Director of Bridgeport Energy), Sam Hill (leading commercial property expert at John Hill & Co) and Howard and David Lambourne (founders of Skreenkraft Graphics). Most crews have integrated a few top-level professionals to their team, including tacticians and trimmers from various classes at Olympic and International level.

Six short and sharp races are scheduled to be held inside Sydney Harbour on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th March. The event will be hosted by Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron; hosts of the hugely successful 2011 Australian and World Farr 40 Championships, which were the pinnacle events of the International sailing calendar last year. Eight boats from around Australia have entered the series to contest the 2012 Championship title.

The first race of the regatta kicks off at 12pm on Saturday, with an intense schedule of racing over two days. As is the nature of Farr 40 One Design racing, the racing will be incredibly close, and every manoeuvre will need to be closely considered. The course area will be set inside Sydney Harbour to ensure spectators can get a great view of the action.

Event information

By Erin McKnight

Enigma, Easy Tiger, Le Renard Competing in 2011 Nationals - Rolex/Kurt Arrigo

Six short and sharp races are scheduled to be held inside Sydney Harbour on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th March, with the event hosted by Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. The Squadron hosted the hugely successful 2011 Australian and World Farr 40 Championships, which were the pinnacle events of the International sailing calendar last year. Principle Race Officer Rob Ridley is fresh from officiating at the Etchells World Championship which concluded over the weekend, also hosted by RSYS. The Squadron is a world-class venue with superior experience in hosting this style of event.

The impressive line-up of entries includes current Farr 40 World Champion Guido Belgiorno-Nettis and his Transfusion crew, as well as former Shockwave owner, Neville Crichton, helming Lang Walker’s Kokomo. Marcus Blackmore (Hooligan) will make a re-appearance in the class, after placing a creditable seventh overall in last year’s World Championship, which his team have followed up with a long list of successes in his TP52. Estate Master (Martin and Lisa Hill) who placed fifth in last year’s Worlds, intend to use this regatta as a pre-cursor to the Farr 40 World Championship being staged later this year in Chicago.

Newcomers to the class Sam Hill and Steve Barlow aboard Forty (previously Panther) are looking forward to the event, with Sam commenting “We are genuinely excited about our first Farr 40 regatta. Young Will Ryan is our tactician and he should do really well. We also have on board Mark Langford who competed in the Etchells Worlds last week, so we have a very strong young team. There are just so many variables, we will have to wait and see what happens.”

Interstate contenders Howard and David Lambourne will be bringing their Farr 40 Lambourdini / Envy Scooters down from Brisbane to mix it up with the NSW fleet, whilst Enigma (David Gotze / Michael Cranitch) incorporate some Victorian sailors into their team. Northerner Chris Way and his Pittwater-based team aboard Easy Tiger have been regular contenders in the Farr 40 circuit for many years, and hope to claim the Championship trophy for 2012.

Most crews have integrated top-level professionals to their team, including tacticians and trimmers from various classes at Olympic and International level. Several sailors in the fleet will come straight from competing in the Etchells World Championship, fresh from sailing in a highly competitive environment and still at the top of their game. As is the nature of Farr 40 One Design racing, the racing will be incredibly close, and every manoeuvre will need to be closely considered.

The first race of the regatta kicks off at 12pm on Saturday, with an intense schedule of racing over two days. The course area will be set inside Sydney Harbour to ensure spectators can get a great view of the action.

List of Entries:
Easy Tiger (Chris Way)
Enigma (David Gotze & Michael Cranitch)
Estate Master (Martin & Lisa Hill)
Forty (Sam Hill)
Hooligan (Marcus Blackmore)
Kokomo (Lang Walker)
Lambourdini / Envy Scooters (Howard Lambourne)
Transfusion (Guido Belgiorno-Nettis)

Event information

Estate Master competes in SSORC (hosted by MHYC). Picture by Craig Greenhill/SALTWATERIMAGES

Middle Harbour Yacht Club are willing to host a separate Farr 40 division if there are a minimum of 6 Farr 40 entries. If fewer than six have entered by close of entries (24 February), competing Farr 40s may join either the PHS or IRC division.

Regatta information:
Farr 40 regatta website
Notice of Race
Online Entry

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron - hosts of the 2012 Championship | Photo Rolex / Kurt Arrigo

The 2012 Farr 40 Australian Championship will be held on 3 and 4 March 2012, on the waters of Sydney Harbour. The event is set to attract a world-class line up, with competitors representing both interstate and local yacht clubs hoping to claim victory in this prestigious yachting event. The Notice of Race has been released and entries are now open.

The regatta will be hosted by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron – hosts of the hugely successful 2011 Australian and World Championships, which were well attended and the pinnacle events of the International sailing calendar last year. Rob Ridley (IRO) will be the Principle Race Officer for the 2012 Australian Championship, bringing a wealth of experience in leading the race management team.

Interest has been shown by many top contenders of the Farr 40 circuit, including current F40 World Champion Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (Transfusion) and former F40 World Champion Neville Crichton who will be steering Kokomo on behalf of Lang Walker. Queenslanders Howard and David Lambourne plan to bring their Queensland based Farr 40 Lambourdini to compete against various other interstate Farr 40 enthusiasts all scrambling to charter yachts for the event.

The Notice of Race is now available, and entries are due by Friday 3 February 2012. Further information can be found on the event website.

Farr 40 fleet on the start line 2011 Farr 40 Australian Championship | Andrea Francolini

The Farr 40 Australian Championships will be held on 3 – 4 March 2012, hosted by Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. The regatta has been moved forward by two weeks (due to an event clash) and will now be held on the first weekend in March 2012. The Nationals will be a two day event on Sydney Harbour – entries will be open in January.

There will not be a Farr 40 Australian Circuit pointscore to culminate results for all regattas held this season. The major trophy for the season will be awarded to the winner of the Australian Championship.

Transfusion began the day ahead on overall points, and dominated the first race with a clear start to lead the fleet around the track. However at the bottom mark rounding, Kokomo and Estate Master approached on starboard and with a series of quick gybes in the softening breeze, made fast gains on the leader. After some tight manoeuvres Transfusion came away cleanly, whilst Estate Master and Kokomo had a close tousle for second place. Kokomo picked a shift on the right of the course to steal second place from Estate Master before the finish line.

The second race was sailed in a more disturbed air, with dark thunderstorms brewing to the south. Principle Race Officer Denis Thompson managed to get the fleet away to a clear start, hoping to finish the race before the pending southerly buster. Again, the three boats were closely matched, having to dip transoms and jostle for position. Estate Master looked strong during the first beat, until the breeze shifted and gave Kokomo the advantage. Kokomo surged into the lead to win the race, crossing the finish line just as the weather turned and racing was abandoned for the day. Their win in the second race of the day meant that Kokomo was awarded Boat of the Day for the second time this regatta – however Transfusion managed to hold onto their overall regatta lead to win the Rolex Trophy for 2011.

The event was sailed in predominantly 7-9 knots of breeze, which meant long days on the water outside Sydney Heads. “It was tiring out there and I have definitely slept well the last couple of nights” said Estate Master’s owner, Lisa Hill. Meanwhile, there will be no rest for Transfusion’s Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, who jumped straight off his Farr 40 and onto maxi yacht Wild Oats, to head out for some night-time training.

Belgiorno-Nettis will be competing in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race aboard Wild Oats, and is committed to a vigorous training regime during the lead-up to the Boxing Day start. Apart from aiming to win the Sydney Hobart Race, Belgiorno-Nettis plans to head to Chicago in September 2012 to defend his Farr 40 World Championship title. “We are also hoping to do the North American Farr 40 Championship in Newport as a warm-up before the Worlds” said Belgiorno-Nettis ”…. I just need to convince my wife!”

The Australian Farr 40 Circuit continues in March 2012. Full results of the Rolex Trophy One Design Series are available here.

Kokomo started the day in good form, striking a win in the light conditions. Tactician Adrian Stead commented “it was very lumpy with only 6 – 9 knots of breeze, but we made a good improvement on our performance from yesterday. The win put us in a good frame of mind and we just kept going from there”.

The second race of the day saw Transfusion take command of the fleet with a big lead. However a shift in the breeze meant that Estate Master and Kokomo slipped past, with Estate Master winning the race and clinching the overall regatta lead. Estate Master and Transfusion were now tied for first place overall at the conclusion of race five, with Kokomo hot on their heels.

“We were strongly in command in the second race today” said Transfusion’s Guido Belgiorno-Nettis. “We just gave it away in the last leg, we didn’t cover Estate Master and they got a big lift and won the race. It was tough racing – not just the fact that those guys are good, but the light conditions are very tough.”

Another win for Kokomo in the third race secured them the Boat of the Day title, and brought the fleet even closer on overall points. After six races, each boat has won two races each, meaning that there will be a lot of pressure on all crews tomorrow. Transfusion are just managing to hang on to first place overall “by the skin of our teeth” with 11 points, ahead of Estate Master on 12 points and Kokomo on 13 points. Three races are scheduled tomorrow to complete the nine race series.

Series results to date are available here.

With Easterly breezes of 8 – 11 knots, the Farr 40 fleet made solid use of their light air sails. “It was a difficult day out there today, very shifty in the first race with the breeze swinging around, but it settled down a little later in the day” said Adrian Stead, tactician aboard Lang Walker’s Kokomo. Stead brings a wealth of experience to the Kokomo crew, sailing regularly with the team in overseas Farr 40 events, and having flown from Southampton in the UK specifically to compete in this regatta.

A handful of International talent is scattered throughout the Farr 40 fleet, with Estate Master (Martin and Lisa Hill) also flying in a tactician from overseas. Cameron Appleton (NZ) will be calling tactics aboard Estate Master for the remainder of the regatta; stepping into the shoes of Grant Simmer (of Americas Cup fame) who called the shots today.

However despite the International competition, local knowledge aboard Guido Belgiorno-Nettis’ Transfusion reigned supreme today, with Transfusion being awarded Boat Of The Day. Two bullets in the second and third races propelled the current Farr 40 World Champion into first position overall, and showed they are the boat to beat for the series.

Estate Master sits in second place, with Kokomo third; tactician Stead commenting “We need to be a bit more ….precise tomorrow.” A further six races are scheduled over the weekend, with a similar weather forecast boding across the next two days.

In the Sydney 38 fleet, Mark Griffith’s Old School leads ahead of Zen and Calibre. Series results to date for the Farr 40 and Sydney 38 fleets are available here.