Grant takes Huon duel

TWO Sydney-Hobart division winning yachtsmen, Richard Grant and Ed Psaltis, have duelled on the Huon River to decide the winner of the 2019 Cock of the Huon yacht race off historic Shipwrights Point, with Grant scoring a narrow victory in Cromarty Magellan.

Sailed on Saturday in boisterous winds that ranged from 10 to 40 knots, the Cock of the Huon is part of the Derwent Sailing Squadron and Huon Yacht Club’s Ronald Young/ Huon Aquaculture Pipe Opener regatta, that started with a long night race from Hobart on Friday and ended with a short race from Port Huon to Gordon yesterday.

Cromarty Magellan, a Tasmanian-designed and built Knoop 39, won the Corinthian division of the 2016 SydneyHobart, and on Saturday placed first overall under PHS corrected time to decide the 2019 Cock of t he Huon by a narrow margin from the Sydney 36 Midnight Rambler, skippered by Psaltis.

Psaltis, a veteran of 39 Sydney-Hobarts, was Overall winner of the storm-swept 1979 Sydney-Hobart, skippering a previous boat also named Midnight Rambler.

Cromarty Magellan, from Bellerive Yacht Club, also won the AMS division of the Cock of the Huon Race from Friday night’s line and handicap winner Crusader, Scott Sharp’s Melges 32 from Huon Yacht Club.

In yesterday’s final race from Port Huon to Gordon, Crusader won both the IRC and AMS divisions and finished second to Barcoo (John Cole-Cook) in PHS.

This gave the Huon Yacht Club boat a clean sweep overall in the Pipe Opener.

On the River Derwent in Hobart, a moderate morning breeze of 10 knots yesterday finally enabled the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania to catch up on races for the Australian open match racing championship.

However, the fickle wind saw an incomplete final between Jordon Reece (CYCA) and David Chapman (RYCT/ ZRSYS) with the race committee declaring Reece the winner.