Just a Minor Hickup for Audi Victoria Week Passage Race winner

12:51 PM Sat 23 Jan 2010 GMT

Peter Coleman's Hick 39 Just a Minor Hickup from Royal Brighton Yacht Club provisionally took out the Audi Victoria Week Passage Race honours in IRC Division 2, sailing a near perfect race, although the boat did finish slightly heavier than its start weight.

"The only hiccup was when the nuff nuffs forgot to close the front hatch and we finished up with 38 bucketfuls of salt water in the head (bathroom)," said Coleman this afternoon. "We couldn't work out why we had to keep moving the crew weight further aft."

Despite carrying the extra weight, Just a Minor Hickup managed to hold out the rest of its division, beating Peter Horn's King 40 Canute with former 18 foot skiff champion and Australian Sailing Team manager Rob Brown calling tactics.

Coleman is delighted with today's result in the opening race of Royal Geelong Yacht Club's Audi IRC Series, part of Audi Victoria Week which is celebrating its 166th year.

"When we saw the south-westerly forecast, we thought 'bring it on'. We started well and hung in to the left waiting for the big knock while many tacked off right. We are very pleased we knocked off 'Sorro' (Peter Sorensen, The Philosophers Club) and also that our first race is not our drop, which is unusual."

Rolex Sydney Hobart overall winner Two True, Andrew Saies' South Australian Beneteau First 40 finished third in division on corrected time with Brett Young at the helm.

Today's Passage Race Division 3 winner Surprise, sailed by a small crew of just five, has begun its tilt at consecutive Audi Victoria Week divisional wins in style. The pretty Danish BB10 is not known for its upwind performance but today they followed their race plan to a T and came up trumps.

"We had an absolute blinder," admitted owner David Ellis this afternoon. "We learnt a lot from last year's start, so elected to start at the port end, figuring the breeze would go left, which it did. It's not the best boat to do a 35 nautical mile upwind slog, but the boys stuck to the task. Our specialty is windward/leewards so a win in the Passage Race is a bonus."

Second in IRC division 3 was Harvey Milne's Archambault 31 Aroona and third was Jason Antill's Dufour 34 Even Finer, both from Sydney.

The 335 strong fleet set off from a long start line off Williamstown at 9.30am this morning and there were still boats yet to finish the 35 nautical mile race at 5pm this afternoon.

For the IRC divisions, windward/leeward racing is scheduled for the next three days, with the first race due to start at 1230hrs tomorrow.

The forecast for Sunday is for south to south-easterly 10-15 knots tending southerly up to 10 knots during the morning, then increasing to 10-20 knots at lunchtime, which will make for an action packed afternoon on Corio Bay.

Full Results: www.victoriaweek.com

by Lisa Ratcliff

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