Skandia first home after delayed start for Rolex Trophy Series in Sydney

• NEWS
• 13 Dec, 2003 01:48:00 PM

Skandia first home after delayed start for Rolex Trophy Series in Sydney

Race start delayed by an hour and a half as crews drift around in the searing heat off Sydney Heads.

The super maxi Skandia, with owner/skipper Grant Wharington at the helm, has taken line honours in the opening race of the inaugural Rolex Trophy Series off Sydney Heads, lack of wind delaying the start for an hour and a half.

Instead of 11am, the combined fleet in the IMS/IRC divisions finally started at 12.30pm, with Skandia virtually leading from start to finish, although strongly challenged by Matt Allen’s Farr 52, Ichi Ban.

In the light 5-8 knot east-north-easterly seabreeze and hot weather, Ichi Ban kept within a few boat lengths of the 98-footer, although Skandia pulled away on the last downwind spinnaker run to finish about 4 minutes ahead. 

A report from on board the media boat Protector, said both Skandia and Ichi Ban got excellent starts, with Matt Allen and his tactician Roger Hickman picking good wind shifts to keep close to the super maxi.

”Ichi Ban has certainly sailed impressively, not only keeping close to Skandia in the light breeze, but also beating the 79-footer Brindabella around the track,” Protector’s skipper Rob Sterling said.

His prediction proved spot on – with Ichi Ban placed first on corrected time in both the IMS and IRC divisions.

In IMS, Ichi Ban won from Syd Fischer’s Farr 50 Ragamuffin and the 1999 Sydney Hobart winner Bounder,  skippered by Chris Little, Commodore of the Royal Ocean Club in England, sailing his first race in Australian waters.

Under IRC handicap, Ichi Ban took first place from Ragamuffin and Skandia, with Bounder placing fourth.