Classic veteran’s upset in Flinders Islet Race

• NEWS
• 24 Oct, 2005 06:34:00 AM

Classic veteran’s upset in Flinders Islet Race

Stormy Petrel, the oldest yacht so far entered for the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, caused a major upset by winning the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Bluewater Championship race to Flinders Island and return over the weekend.

Stormy Petrel, the oldest yacht so far entered for the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, caused a major upset by winning the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Bluewater Championship race to Flinders Island and return over the weekend.

The 35-year-old classic wooden yacht outsailed a fleet of modern ocean racing boats to win first place on IRC corrected time after taking just over 24 hours to sail the 92 nautical mile course to Flinders Islet, off Port Kembla, and return. 

The race started at 8pm on Friday; Stormy Petrel finished at 8:19pm Saturday. The race was sailed in very light winds overnight, not freshening until Saturday afternoon, with line honours winner Ragamuffin (Syd Fischer) taking 18 hours 35 minutes 58 seconds to sail the course – 10 hours outside the race record of 8 hours 47 minutes 52 seconds.

Ragamuffin, a Farr 50, sailed an excellent light weather race to take line honours from the Volvo 60 Seriously Ten

Stormy Petrel, the lowest rating boat in the fleet, won the Bluewater Championship IRC division from Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin and David Mason’s Prime Time and also took out the Tasman Series (PHS) division from Ragamuffin and Pretty Fly II (Colin & Gladys Woods).

Ironically, it was Syd Fischer who skippered Stormy Petrel to her greatest victory, winning the One Ton Cup world championship in New Zealand in 1971.

Designed by the famous New York naval architects Sparkman & Stephens to then popular One Ton level-rating rule, the 36-foot Stormy Petrel was launched in 1970 for Charles Curran who chartered the boat to Fischer for the 1971 One Ton Cup. 

Current owner Kevin O’Shea has steadily restored Stormy Petrel and also lifted her racing performance to a degree that obviously makes her competitive once more for ocean racing.

· Stormy Petrel is one of 32 Applications to Enter the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race so far received by the CYCA, with the deadline for nominations Friday week, 4 November.