Weather a test for Summer Pennant

“WILLING” is the description of likely sailing conditions for today’s race four of the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant on the River Derwent, says Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania sailing manager Nick Hutton.

The forecast is for rain, chilly southerly winds of 15-20 knots and a maximum temperature for Hobart of 14C, but will feel like 8C or less on the water. The river is expected to be quite choppy too.

Today’s Pennant race starts and finishes off Castray Esplanade at 10am, with a wide choice of long courses within the Derwent, out into Storm Bay or into the Channel.

Hutton said the race officers, headed by Biddy Badenach, would assess the courses according to the prevailing and forecast conditions in the morning.

“It certainly looks like a willing day for sailing wherever they go, a real test of seamanship,” Hutton said.

The RYCT has asked skippers of the 52 yachts entered for the Summer Pennant race to fly a black ribbon from their backstay in memory of Elson Kiddle, who died last weekend.

Kiddle had been a longtime crew member of Don Calvert’s Intrigue, including as a crew member of the Castro 40 at the 1985 Admiral’s Cup in the UK.

Going into today’s fourth Summer Pennant race, Intrigue heads the pointscore in the AMS category of Division 1 and is second overall to Doctor Who (Rod Jackman) in the IRC and PHS handicap categories.

Doctor Who has won two of three races in both PHS and IRC, while Intrigue has had a 3-1-1 score in AMS.