12:37 AM Sat 19 Sep 2009 GMT
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'Auch, David Bean's Beneteau 44.7 is one of the big fleet contesting tonight's Pipe Opener Series run by Derwent Sailing Squadron and the Huon Yacht Club'
Peter Campbell ©
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Hobart yachtsman Mark Ballard's latest yacht named 42 South has led the fleet home in her first overnight race in Tasmanian waters, last night's first race in the Derwent Sailing Squadron/Huon Yacht Club's Pipe Opener Series.
The Stomp 40 won a close fought duel for line honours with David Bean's Beneteau 44.7 Auch, but with the race shortened at Gordon to 22 nautical miles because of the light winds, neither could match their lower-handicapped rivals on corrected time.
Both 42 South and Auch are expected to represent Tasmania in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
The Pipe Opener Series, sponsored Sargisons Jewellers, Kemandie Hotel and Port Huon Marina, is the first event in the 2009-2010 sailing season in southern Tasmania, with 49 boats setting sail from Hobart's Castray Esplanade last evening.
Sailing a course from Hobart down the River Derwent and the d'Entrecasteaux Channel, 42 South crossed the finish line at 03:17 hours this morning, just five minutes ahead of Auch with an elapsed time of 7 hours 17 minutes. Third boat to finish was Tas Marine Constructions, Rob Gourlay's Thompson 9, at 03:44. The last boat to finish crossed at 07:07, taking 11 hours 37 minutes to complete the course.
Lower rating boats dominated handicap results with Wings Three, Peter Haros' Northshore 38 from the Derwent Sailing Squadron, winning Division 1 from Mojo Rising, Nicholas Cole's cruising Beneteau 44.7, from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. Another DSS boat, Mike Rowley's Planet X, took third place.
Division 2 saw Matt Westland's Shadowfax from Bellerive Yacht Club finish first across the line but beaten on corrected time by second finisher Jigsaw, skippered by Neil Snare from the RYCT. Third place went to Miss Conduct (Brian Fleming, BYC).
Division 3 was led home by Footloose (Steward Geeves) but on corrected time the winner was Stewart Geeves' Footloose from the RYCT, second going to Kaiulani (Malcolm Cooper, DSS) and the Kettering Yacht Club entry Intrepid IV (Graham Stevenson).
The Pipe Opener Series continues today with the Cock of the Huon, a pursuit race on the Huon River, starting and finishing off the Huon Yacht Club with the prizegiving dinner at the Kermandie Hotel this evening.
by Peter Campbell
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