Austral Yachts

The Boat

The Farr 42 built by Austral Yachts in South Australia called Evolution Racing, chartered by Ray Roberts for the regatta, wins first place in IRC Passage Division 1 of the Hamilton Island Race Week 2010.

Upwind sails were Evolution made at their Mona Vale Sydney loft.

Downwind sails were Quantum.

The Crew

Ray Roberts Skipper, Richard Hudson Navigator, Jamie McPhail Tactics, Dave Morris Main, Tim Davis Trim, Toby Munns Tail, Garry Adshead Pit, Dale Johnson Mast, Disco Mid Bow, Andy Hudson Bow, Adam Brown Float/Grind

The Results

First in IRC Passage Division 1.

Race 1 = Position 2
Race 2 = Position 1
Race 3 = Position 1
Race 4 = Position 2
Race 5 = Position 3
Race 6 = Position 1
Race 7 = Position 5

Race 7 was the discard.
The results after race 6 meant that it was not necessary to start in the race 7.
Total points 10, Charisma the 2nd placed boat had 19 points.

Summary of each race

Race 1: Molle Island race 24nm. 8-12kts E/SE Evolution Racing 2nd by 1 second.

Race 2: Island race around Pine Island 22nm. 8-12kts E/SE. Evolution Racing 1st.

Race 3: Scheduled Long race was cancelled due to light wind and replaced by a 14nm Island race around Anne Island. Less than 10kts all day. Evolution racing 1st and also Line Honours.

Race 4: Island race Around Sidney Island 18nm. NE/SE 6-19kts.Evolution racing 2nd.

Race 5: Island race around Sidney Island and Pine Island 24nm. 16-24 kts E/SE. Evolution racing 3rd.

Race 6: Island Race around Sidney Island and Pine Island 22nm. 12-18kts E/SE. Evolution racing 1st.

Race 7: Lindeman Island race 23.5 nm. 13-18kts SE. Evolution racing 5th.

Michael Keough, Austral Yachts Managing Director

Competing on the local stage, the yacht has certainly proved her metal in the Adelaide to Lincoln (third across the line), the Sydney Hobart and Skandia Geelong Race Week.

The Farr design office was very keen to be involved in this project and set about researching the rule and coming up with a design that met my objectives of performance and reasonable accommodation for the return trip cruises after ocean races and major regattas. 

Since launching the yacht in October 2006, we have done the races from Melbourne to Stanley and Sydney to Hobart as well as the Lipton regatta, sail south week, Docklands invitational and Skandia Geelong week. I am extremely happy with the performance of the yacht, and we are on a steep learning curve with many of the crew who have not sailed on such a powerful stiff yacht(last boat was a Super 30). 

In lighter breeze (5kn - 12kn) where the crew work is less critical, the performance has been up there with the 45ft - 50 ft yachts and certainly ahead on handicap. In the heavier winds we need to develop the skill base of the crew to get consistent results.

David Eickmeyer, head of Quantum Sails in Melbourne has also spent a bit of time on board the new Farr 42. “I have sailed on many IRC boats over the last few years and no 40 odd foot boat has impressed me more than the new Farr 42 built by Austral yachts.

The boat has it all for a racer /cruiser, great rating, great speed around the track, and an interior that will cater for families.

With the direction of the new IRC 40+ footers being flat, with massive rigs and great amounts of lead under the water, they make for a very fast and powerful boat for the more skilful crews to fang around the race track.

"The Farr 42 stands out as a great production racer that will cater for those that have racing in their blood and wives that like cruising. Sailed well this boat will be a stand out performer for a production racer /cruiser in the IRC class."

Regatta Chairman Tim Goodbody's reminder that 'Volvo Dun Laoghaire is a fun regatta, not a championship' did little to stem the fierce competition for the coveted Volvo prizes in 29 classes as the last race of the event concluded in the lightest winds of the series.

Three national championship titles were decided as part of the regatta programme for more than 3,000 sailors. Joker II (John Maybury) took the 11-boat J109 Irish title after a series long fight with Pat Kelly's Storm from Rush and a Clyde Cruising Club entry, Leaky Roof 2, (Alan Harper) won the Sigma 33 championships. TheBeneteau 21 title went to Séamus Storan's Capilano of the Royal Irish Yacht Club in a 13-boat fleet.

The biennial regatta is being hailed an enormous success both afloat and ashore for a combined fleet of 415 boats, the biggest on the Irish Sea. Over 250 races on five different courses were staged in a range of light to very heavy conditions since racing began last Thursday.

Although 180 visiting boats, made up nearly half the fleet, yachts from outside the bay area took away only seven trophies. The bulk of the silverware – 17 titles – have stayed on Dun Laoghaire's waterfront.

Trophies were awarded in each of the 29 competing classes plus several premier awards at a special National Yacht Club ceremony this afternoon bringing the curtain down on one of the most successful stagings of Ireland's biggest sailing event.

The IRC Coastal fleet start race four this morning under race officer David Lovegrove from Howth

In a summer of achievements for George Sisk, the Boat of the Week award follows his IRC National Championship victory in Kinsale last month. The premier award for top visiting boat went to Harper's Leaky Roof 2. The best IRC yacht award went to Paul Colton's quarter tonner Cri-Cri from the Royal Irish. The best one design keelboat award went to the Ruffian 23 Diane II skippered by Chris Helme of the Royal St. George YC.

Scotland's Clyde Cruising Club took a win in the Sigma 33 class and very nearly in the Beneteau 21 class. Howth Yacht Club took wins in IRC three, the Howth 17s, J24s (including the class Leinster Championship title) and the Water Wags but outside of that there was only single wins for Belfast Lough in the RS Elite. Cullaun Sailing Club in County Clare won the Wayfarers.

In Dun Laoghaire, The Royal Irish topped the leaderboard with eight wins across IRC and one design including: IRC One, IRC Four, J109, White Sails Two, Dragon, Beneteau 21 and Mermaid. Royal St. George YC yachts won in seven classes of one designs from Beneteau 31.7 keelboats to GP14 dinghies.The National Yacht

Club had five victories; White Sails one, Flying Fifteen, SB20, Shipman and Moth.

In the IRC divisions although Royal Cork's Jump Juice, Howth's Dux and the Royal Irish's Cri–Cri held their leads in Divisions zero, three and four respectively today's final race brought changes to the leaderboard in both IRC one and two. South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club in Wales looked sure of IRC Two with a fine

performance by The J97 Injenious (Mike and Graham Crompton & Hallworth) until a last race comeback by Howth's modified Half–Tonner Harmony.

In the one designs there were plaudits for many consistent performers including John Masterson's National Yacht Club based Shipman 28, Curraglas. Winners of the GP14 series, Gerard Owens and Melanie Morris were eight points clear at the top with six results from eight in the top three. Likewsie in the Squib keelboats, Vincent Delany took the overall prize with six race wins from nine starts.