FARR 40s LOOKING TO YOUNG DINGHY SAILORS FOR FUTURE CREW

Craig Clifford and Claire Cunningham with the young crew aboard POW

Hobart’s Farr 40 owners, on a wave of interstate success, are already looking ahead, somewhat far ahead in some cases, for new crew to sail their elite, high performance one-design yachts.

The Farr 40 owners variously race out of the Bellerive Yacht Club, Derwent Sailing Squadron and the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, but they see the potential for future crew among the many talented young dinghy sailors at Sandy Bay Sailing Club.

The off-the-beach club on Nutgrove Beach this past season has conducted the Australian and World championships for the two-handed International Cadet class and the National championships for the International Optimist single-handed class. Young Sandy Bay club members also race 420s and Lasers.

In a fine gesture towards youth sailing and the potential of young Tasmanian sailors, all five Farr 40s owners added a ‘mini-crew’ to their normal crew for the RYCT/DSS Twilights on Thurday evening. In total, 45 young sailors joined the adult crews aboard the Farr 40s.

Later the owners shouted the youngsters a barbeque and soft drinks back on the waterfront lawn of the Derwent Sailing Club, which organised the event.

Wayne Banks-Smith and crew on War Games

“They are the potential crews and perhaps, ultimately, the skippers of Hobart’s top racing yachts and, we hope, specifically, the Farr 40s,” Tasmanian Farr 40 Owners Association Wayne Banks-Smith said after taking a ‘mini-crew’ aboard War Games.

War Games was joined by the other Farr 40s that race on the River Derwent, Craig Clifford’s POW, Hughie Lewis’ Tilford Auto Group, Lloyd Clark and Andrew Hunn’s Voodoo Chile and Stephen Boyes’ Wired.

“Not only is this a reward for their own performances over the past season, but it gives them a wonderful experience in sailing on a big, high performance racing yacht,” Banks-Smith added.

“In fact, it was an exhilarating evening for them as War Games finished first in fleet and won Division 1 on handicap.

“For my crew, it was a great pleasure to have such enthusiastic young sailors aboard for the race.”

The Farr 40 class is expecting a boost in interest next season with further interstate regattas being planned for Hobart following the inaugural Tasmanian championship last January and the fine performances of Voodoo Chile at the recent NSW and Australian championships in Sydney.

Today will see the final Combined Clubs Long Race of the summer season with a fleet of up to 50 boats expected to start in a 30-40 nautical mile race, conducted by Bellerive Yacht Club.

From Peter Campbell – 0419 385 028