Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race fleet home

7:55 AM Sun 21 Mar 2010 GMT

'The start of the Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race 2010. Peter Andrews - www.outimage.net ' Peter Andrews

Only three yachts remained at sea today in the Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race, and now all three have finished, bringing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia organised race to a close for another year.

Andrew Wenham's Peterson 44, SES Inch By Winch (CYCA/RSYS) finished shortly after 8.00am this morning taking 1day 20hrs 07min 44sec to complete the course, with Niven James' Simpson 11, Menace (LMYC), arriving at the Hunter River finish line at 9.21am.

The two crews were enjoying breakfast at the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club this morning, along with some Club officials who had spent the entire race on the finish vessel.

Finally, John Taylor and his resilient crew sailed Taylor's Cavalier 395, Allegro (RSYS), to the finish line shortly after 4.34pm. The NSW boat finished the 213 nautical mile race, which started on Sydney Harbour on Friday at midday, in 2 days 04hr 34min 52sec.

A slow upwind race sailed in light north-easterlies the entire way for the 25 yachts that originally started the race; it was a significant one, being the decider for the CYCA's prestigious Blue Water Pointscore and Tasman Performance Series.

Last night, the top three in Tasman Performance Series were thought to be Ed Psaltis/Bob Thomas' AFR Midnight Rambler, Steven Proud's Swish and Robin and Annette Hawthorn's Imagination. However, SES Inch by Winch has provisionally nudged Imagination out of third place by .3 of a point, due to average points given for the Cabbage Tree Island Race!

SES Inch by Winch also placed second overall in the PHS class behind The Stick (the former Broomstick) skippered by Rick Christian (CYCA), with Lisdillon, Desmond Fagan's Seaquest 36 (CYCA), third.

Under ORCi, Colin and Gladys Woods' Pretty Fly III won from Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin and Steven Proud's Swish, all CYCA members.

All winners will be awarded their trophies at the Audi Winter Series cocktail party on Thursday April 8 at the CYCA.

sydneynewcastle.cyca.com.au

by Di Pearson