Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron 87-year-old notches up another victory

8:02 AM Sat 25 Jul 2009 GMT

'RSYS Start of first races in Winter Series 2009 - Division 2 start - Kerstin II sail 588, Kupu Gila and Aurelia II racing in the RSYS Winter Series. Photo: John Jeremy'

87-year-old notches up yet another victory with Kerstin II

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron member John Goldie has been racing aboard his yacht Kerstin II almost every week without fail for the past 25 years, winning countless races and season pointscores.

At the fine old age of 87, he notched up yet another victory today when Kerstin II came from behind to win Division 2 of the RSYS Winter Series on Sydney Harbour by just one point.

In another remarkably close finish to the Winter Series, Ian MacDiarmid's Hell Razor and Jonathan & Mary Threlfall's Sunfast 36 Campeador finished equal on points in Division 1, first place overall going to Hell Razor on a countback.

John Goldie has owned Kerstin II, a Halvorsen-built Hood 25, since her launching, but ten years ago he was joined in partnership by Ken Chase and John Bowman. Kerstin II is probably the most consistent small racing yacht on Sydney Harbour, adding her Winter Series Division 2 win to her Division 4 Main Series victory last summer.

'Kerstin II contests the Squadron summer and winter series and the summer twilights, and the Wednesday afternoon races, and has not missed a race in any of those over the past five seasons or more,' said Ken, who helmed the boat to victory in the Winter Series.

'Nor has John Goldie, although these days he comes along more for the ambience..and tonight he will be going up to collect the trophy on behalf of the crew,' Ken added. The winning crew, in addition to John Goldie and Ken Chase, comprised John Bowman, Richard Allsop, Richard Waite and Robert Peutherer.

Consistency was the key to Kerstin II's success, her only win of the Winter Series being in today's tenth and last heat. Her worst result was an eighth in heat two, but she still had to gain three points today to take out the series by just one point from John Anstey's Jarkan 10 Gupa Gila.

Kerstin II finished with 20 points, Kupa Gila 21 points, with Tom Cehak's Therapy third overall on 25 points. 'The overall win came as a surprise.we were getting seconds and thirds but not first places until today,' Ken Chase added.

RSYS Start of first races in Winter Series 2009 - Hell Razer
Photo: John Jeremy -

In Division 1, Hell Razor, a new F6 Razor, took out her first pointscore without sailing in the final race, using today's race along with her first two outings at the start of the Winter Series as her three discard races. Both she and Campeador finished with 25 points requiring a countback in which both boats had had one win each but Hell Razor scoring three seconds to Campeador's one second. Third overall on 28 points was Arcturus II (Peter Davenport).

Hell Razor also won the Division 1 IRC points, finishing with 12 points while today's winner Allegro (John Taylor) ended with 13 points and Euphoria (Anthony Coleman) on 16 points.

In the Non-spinnnaker Division, Gary Connery's Enigma had a more comfortable Winter Series win, finishing with 15 points, which included four first places, three points clear of Azzurra (Michael Baston) on 18 points and Crackajack (Chris Harper & Dennis Galvin) on 20 points.

CAPTIONS:

Kerstin II (sail number 588) racing in the RSYS Winter Series. Photo: John Jeremy

Owner/skipper Ian MacDiarmid aboard Hell Razor in the RSYS Winter Series. Photo: John Jeremy

by Peter Campbell www.sail-world.com