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Farr 40 Australian Championship at Sydney - Day 1

by Sam Crichton
12-14 March 2010

Farr 40 Australian Championship start line

Transfusion approaching the bottom mark during the Farr 40 Australian Championship

Estate Master leads

The highly competitive Farr 40 class put everything on the table today when the fleet sailed four races on day one of the 2010 Farr 40 Australian Championship. Defending champion Guido Belgiorno Nettis and his team on Transfusion started the day out with a win in the first race.

Lisa and Martin Hill's Estate Master, who is in the lead after the four races, won the second and fourth race of the day. The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron race committee set the harbour course with Sydney's famous Taronga Zoo as a backdrop for the start line.

The fleet sailed a windward leeward course across the harbour to Point Piper in a breeze that fluctuated between East South East and South East and increasing in strength over the afternoon to reach 17 knots. The flat water harbour racing will be in contrast to the offshore swell that the fleet will race in for the next two days.

“We've had four really close races today and we only have the lead by one point so it will be tough competition tomorrow and Sunday. Both ourselves and Transfusion are travelling to the Dominican Republic next month for the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds and this event is a great opportunity for us in preparation”, said Hill after racing.

The strict one design class rules of the Farr 40's has developed very capable owner drivers who are “rock star” helmsmen in their own right. Being able to steer a Farr 40 while following the directions of the tactician produces extremely close one design racing and with every result counting towards the final point score every manoeuvre on the course needs to be perfect and the smallest mistake can be costly.

New Zealander Brett Neill, who is chartering a boat for this event, won race three of the series leading the fleet from start to finish. Neill and his White Cloud team finished third in the Australian Championship in 2009 are enjoying their return to class racing after some time away.

Racing continues tomorrow with the fleet heading offshore to race off Sydney's heads. The course the fleet will race on offshore will be the race course for the 2011 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship which the Australian fleet will host next year.

Results after Day 1:

1st Estate Master, Lisa & Martin Hill (MHYC) 7pts
2nd Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (MHYC) 8pts
3rd Easy Tiger II, Chris Way (RPAYC) 12pts
4th White Cloud, Brett Neill (RNZYC) 14pts
5th Edake, Jeff Carter (MHYC) 19pts

Related Articles:

Farr 40 class announces host club for 2011 worlds - 01 Sep 2010
The Farr 40 Class Association today announced that the 2011 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship will take place February 23-26 at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS), in Sydney, Australia.
Farr 40 Europeans set for Porto Rotondo, Sardinia - 11 Jun 2010
The Farr® 40 Class Association in conjunction with the Yacht Club Porto Rotondo announced that the 2010 Farr 40 European Championship is scheduled September 30 –October 3 on the enchanting island of Sardinia, Italy.
Rolex Farr 40 Worlds at Casa de Campo - Overall - 25 Apr 2010
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Rolex Farr 40 Worlds at Casa de Campo - Day 3 - 24 Apr 2010
Day three dawned with the prospect of some breeze and some proper racing for the first time in the 2010 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship. Even so, those watching got more than expected as the racing captivated from the start.
Rolex Farr 40 Worlds at Casa de Campo - Day 2 - 23 Apr 2010
Racing was canned today, halfway through the first race of the day. Disappointing for all involved – the race committee that had worked hard to get the course in place, the competing crews that had waited patiently for the wind to settle.