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  • VIDEO | 2023 Flinders Islet Race Start

VIDEO | 2023 Flinders Islet Race Start

VIDEO | 2023 Flinders Islet Race Start

Aerial video of this morning’s start of the 2023 Flinders Islet Race. Video by Dale & Crosbie Lorimer for Bow Caddy Media.

A fleet of 30 boats assembled for Flinders Islet Race, the second in the 2023/2024 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore. As predicted, the weather conditions on Sydney Harbour, just off Point Piper, were partly cloudy, reading 5-6 knots on the start line. Maxi Andoo Comanche was the first out of the heads, with URM Group second and Highly Sprung third. They were followed by Smuggler, Koa and Sticky, with Antipodes, Tempo and Pretty Woman close behind. Mistral was the first two-handed boat out of the heads from group of five two-handed entries that also included; Blue Planet, Imalizard, Jupiter and Rum Rebellion.

Anthony Johnston’s Reichel Pugh 72 URM Group took Overall victory in the second race of the 2023/24 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, the 88nm Flinders Islet Race. On corrected time, URM Group had a margin of over 20 minutes over Peter Wrigley and Andrew Kearnan’s TP52 KOA. Richard Harris’ Cookson 50 Sticky was third. These three boats - URM, Koa and Sticky also claimed Overall Division 1 podium. After a slow start out the harbour, the three Division 1 boats made the most of the 7-10kt breeze which swung through the SE to NE during the afternoon, to make the race an upwind contest for the round trip to the island just off Wollongong.

Division 2 placegetters were Alex Seja and Felicty Nelson’s Sydney 36 Supernova, Sebastian Hultin’s Mumm 36 Georgia Express and the best placed of the two-handed entries, Chris O’Neil’s J/99 Blue Planet. For IRC Two-Handed, Blue Planet was followed by two other J/99s - Shane Connelly’s Rum Rebellion and Ian Smith’s Jupiter. In PHS, Geoff Hill’s Santa Cruz 72 Antipodes placed second to Sticky, with KOA in third.

There were two retirements from the race including Mistral, and Calibre 12. Line Honours was again won by John Winning Jr’s maxi Andoo Comanche, who powered home over the return in just over 9 hours to finish at 1901hrs for a comfortable victory over URM Group and Koa.