Category Archives: Race reports

Huckleberry Wins 71st Bunbury & Return Ocean Race

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S&S 34 Huckleberry skippered by Phil Somerville Ryan has won the 71st Bunbury & Return Ocean Race off the coast of Western Australia against a field of 10 other yachts.

Huckleberry entered in Division 2 for the 170Nm race and took first in both YAH and IRC handicaps in that division. She also won the overall race and the Siska Cup for this result. She was the only S&S 34 in the race and was pitted against many faster and highly skilled yachts including a TP42, Dirty Deeds, which took line honours. In the light conditions good tactical decisions by Phil made all the difference.

Results can be viewed here http://sportspage.com.au/yacht_clubs/offshore/offshore/Result_20190222.htm

Congratulations Phil, crew & Huckleberry!!!

Huckleberry rounding the last mark in the 71st Bunbury and Return Ocean Race.

From left – Ray, Jed, Phil, Bill & Cameron enjoy a well deserved rum post race

 

 

Komatsu Azzurro named 2018 S&S Association Global Regatta Winner

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The S&S Association based in the UK has named Komatsu Azzurro, skippered by Shane Kearns as winner of the 2018 Global Regatta.

The Global Regatta is a racing competition between the regions of the S&S Association. The prize, the challenge Cup is awarded at the AGM to the yacht that in the preceding year, secured a class or overall win by the greatest margin relative to the next placed yacht, in either an offshore or around the cans race.

Komatsu Azzurro won the regatta based its performance in the 2018 Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.

Congratulations Shane!

Details can be found at http://www.sparkmanstephensuk.info/page100.html

 

Melbourne to Osaka – Morning Star Second Across the Line

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After 39 days 15 hours 23 minutes and 56 seconds, SS34 Morning Star was second across the finish line in the Melbourne Osaka Cup double handed race on 24 April. Skippered by Jo Breen, 27 and Peter Brooks, 39, both from Tasmania, Morning Star led the staggered start 5,500 nautical mile race until just 250 nautical miles from the finish when the 62ft Judel-Vrolijk 62, Chinese Whisper, passed her on the way to breaking the race record in 21days 12hours 41minutes and 13seconds.

Jo & Peter’s efforts in maintaining their lead right up to the very end has been a testament to their great sailing ability and a very well set up yacht. They have done a fantastic job averaging 5.6 knots and reaching a top speed of 11 knots during the race.

Morning Star was built in 1984 by Swarbricks and was purchased by Jo in 2016. She is a mark 2 hull and has undergone a complete refit including having a new keel stepped tall rig fitted and changing the wheel steering to a tiller. Careful sail selection has given her an IRC rating of 0.913.

Many of us have been following Morning Star’s progress on the Blue Water Tracks website where progress of all the yachts in the race can be viewed. The race still continues with a large part of the fleet having been delayed by tropical cyclone Iris off Australia’s Queensland coast early in April. A link to the tracker can be found below.

https://race.bluewatertracks.com/2018-osaka-race

The Melbourne to Osaka website is http://melbourneosaka.com/en/home/

Geraldton race 2014 S&S 34 second overall, race report here

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The tale of 2 races…. The 2014 Geraldton and return race was  a beautiful brisk 220nm downwind sail to Geraldton, followed a few days later by a brutal 2 day slug into gale force headwinds and heavy seas that turned into a war of attrition that saw many casualties.  Blondie was the sole S&S 34 entered and the lowest rated boat on IRC. She won Div 2 in all categories there and back, and was 3rd outright in both races on IRC with a second overall on IRC for the combined race, ahead of many much larger, high tech offshore racers.  A 4th over the line on the return race showed that when the conditions get tough an S&S 34 is a match for any yacht.  There were many yachts up to 50′ behind when the S&S 34 crossed the line in Fremantle.  To find out what it was like, please click on the link below:

2014 Geraldton race report