Offshore tune-up attracts big fleet

TODAY’S Combined Clubs summer pennant long race will be the last workout for Hobart offshore racing yachts contesting next month’s Sydney Hobart and Launceston to Hobart ocean races.

The Cookson 50 Oskana will contest the Sydney Hobart and 11 other yachts are entered in the Launceston to Hobart. Another yacht, Philosopher, is tuning up for the Australian Yachting Championships in Melbourne in January.

The Combined Club pennant series has now attracted 56 entries, the biggest summer racing fleet in Hobart in years.

The fleet includes the line and handicap winners of last weekend’s 70th Maria Island Race: Mike Pritchard’s Cookson 50 Oskana (line honours), David Alpin’s MBD 36 Whistler ( AMS and IRC category winner) and Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 36cr Philosopher (PHS category winner).

In addition to Whistler, L2H entries in the Combined Clubs pennant long day race are: B & G Advantage, The Fork in the Road, As Good as it Gets, Tilt, Twitch, Wings Three, Frontline and Mako.

Today’s race is the fourth in the Combined Clubs summer pennant with Doctor Who (Rod Jackman) leading in the Group 1 (PHS category) with 5 points. In second place is Filepro (Tim Gadsby) on 15 points. Third, on 16 points, is Michael and Michelle Denney’s Wild West.

Doctor Who also heads the IRC category with 5 points, with Don Calvert’s Intrigue on 13 points, Shaun Tiedemann’s Philosopher and Michael and Michelle Denney’s Wild West equal third on 16 points.

In Group 1 ( AMS scoring) Wild West has a one-point lead from Intrigue. Philosopher is on 14 points, sharing third place with Zephyr (Ian Johnston) and B & G Advantage (Jeff Cordell).

In Group 2, the syndicate owned Twitch and Juana (Jock Young) are equal first under PHS scoring on 8 points. Pirate’s Pride (Peter Masterton) and Wings Three (Peter Haros) are both on 11 points.

Wings Three heads the AMS scoring for Group 2 with four point from two wins and a second. Jiyuu (Peter Davis) is on 6 points, and 42 South (Mark Ballard) on 8. DSS Commodore (Steve Chau) has scored three consecutive wins in Group 3 (AMS scoring) for 3 points, Silicon Ship (Gordon Clark and David Wyatt) is on 8 and Footloose (Stewart Geeves) on 16. In Group 3 (PHS) Frank Chatterton’s Kamehameha has 7 points, Wildfire (Malcolm Robinson) is on 12 and Young Lion on 15.

Group 4 yachts race only under PHS scoring. Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock) is on 6 points, Camlet Way (Stephen Mannering) 9 and Free N Easty (Rob Jones) 12.