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At the turning mark: the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Battle

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  • 04 Dec, 2024 05:45:00 PM
At the turning mark: the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Battle

At the turning mark: the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Battle

The Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore is where legends are made and dreams are chased, with six exciting races, that push both boats and crews to their limits

It kicks off with the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race (NSGCYR), a 384-nautical mile sprint up the coast and winds up to the iconic Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, a gruelling 628-nautical mile battle that has become an Aussie sporting institution.

Across these six races, boats accrue points, the better you place the lower your score for that race. Each race is crucial for overall glory – especially the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, where success can make or break a campaign.

And it’s not just bragging rights at stake, there’s plenty of silverware to be won, including the coveted Jack Halliday Perpetual Trophy for the IRC winner and the Malcolm Halliday Perpetual trophy which is awarded to the overall PHS winner.

From short, sharp dashes like the Flinders Islet Race to the epic longer races like the Cabbage Tree Island and Rolex Sydney Hobart, this series has something for everyone. But don’t let the distances fool you – each race brings its own unique set of challenges.

One minute you’re gliding down the coast with everything going according to plan, the next, you’re battling unexpected conditions or you’ve have sailed into a wind hole and see your competition sail off into the distance. It’s this unpredictability that makes the Blue Water Pointscore such a thrill.

  

URM Group in the Flinders Island Race                        Calibre 12 in the Flinders Island Race.

For decades, this series has tested the best in the business. Legends like Syd Fischer, with a record nine Blue Water Championships under his belt, have set the bar high, but every season, since its inception in 1957, brings new contenders eager to etch their names into CYCA history.

Let’s look at what’s what and who’s who in this year’s Pointscore at the turning mark.

Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race
Race 1 of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast, brought together a fleet of 48 boats, from cutting edge mini-maxis to smaller, double handed yachts and everything in between. After a few years of light, variable conditions, the weather proved far more challenging this running, making for an exciting race north.

The start was particularly light, but as night fell on day one, stronger winds rolled in, testing both endurance and strategy across the fleet.

URM Group led the charge, taking Line Honours with a time of 1 day, 7 hours and 14 minutes. However, the real excitement came from the battle between Voltstar Yeah Baby, Mistral and Tempo, with a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse unfolding between the three yachts. In the end, it was twin brothers Louis and Marc Ryckmans aboard Voltstar Yeah Baby who clinched the Peter Rysdyk Memorial Trophy for their stellar performance on IRC.

Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea on Mistral finished second overall and dominated the Double Handed division, setting a great standard for this growing offshore racing format.

A few yachts had to retire from the race, XS Moment was the first due to electrical damage, She’s The Culprit dismasted and Intiy because of a damaged mainsail.

Flinders Islet

Race 2 of the 2024 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, the Flinders Islet Race, saw 33 yachts battle light and tricky winds on the 88 nautical mile course from Sydney to Wollongong and back.

Despite clear skies, a fickle 4-6 knot WNW breeze made for a challenging start, especially for some of the older, heavier boats. TP52s Smuggler and KOA broke ahead early, with Smuggler outpacing the fleet as the first to clear South Head.

As the breeze settled, the larger yachts dominated, with Anthony and David Johnston’s URM Group rounding Flinders Islet first, closely followed by Whisper and Smuggler. In the IRC Overall standings, Smuggler and KOA led the pack, while Whisper and URM Group took third and fourth. Jules Hall’s Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth shone in the Double Handed IRC division, proving that the double handed teams can hold their own against fully-crewed boats. With the second race in the bag, the competition was heating up and with Smuggler securing its first ever ACSBWPS victory, the team climbed into the top spot in the Pointscore.

Jupiter in the 2024 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.

Tollgate Islands Race

The 2024/2025 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore’s Tollgate Islands Race, held on Friday 18 October, saw 26 competitors ranging from 32 to 100 feet set off on a 260-nautical-mile course.

Despite lighter-than-expected winds of 10-12 knots from the north/northeast, the front runners, led by the 100-foot Master Lock Comanche, quickly gained traction, followed closely by URM Group, Whisper and Smuggler. XS Moment, the first yacht under 50 feet out the heads followed closely, with the rest of the fleet in pursuit.

A storm cell passed through early in the race, bringing rain, thunder and winds up to 30 knots before conditions settled into a lighter northerly breeze. Master Lock Comanche, skippered by Matt Allen and James Mayo, led the fleet throughout, taking Line Honours, IRC and PHS victories after 18 hours, 45 minutes. Whisper and Smuggler completed the top three in IRC.

In the Double Handed fleet, Chris O’Neill’s Blue Planet triumphed in both IRC and PHS Double Handed, also securing IRC Corinthian honours. O’Neill was pleased with his performance, especially against the pros. “Doing well in the Corinthian division is very satisfying. While the double handed results are great, the fleet is quite mixed. My preference is for the IRC Corinthian division because I get to compete against both double handers and fully crewed boats – but all Corinthian sailors.”

Ian Smith’s Jupiter finished second in the Double Handed division after a tough race, which included a broken halyard and as a result, a torn A5 heavyweather spinnaker.

With several crews noting the intense nature of the race as well as the beautiful moments under full moonlight, it was one of the best editions of the Audi Centre Sydney BWPS Tollgate Islands Races to
date.

The race saw a few retirements, Philosopher retired due to gear failure, Navy One because of rig damage, Millennium Falcon due to time constraints and Maritimo Katwinchar (DH) retired due to electrical issues.

Bird Island Race

The Bird Island Race, the fourth event in the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore (ACSBWPS), featured 43 yachts, including three international entries: Antipodes (Hong Kong), Bacchanal (USA), and Caro (NZ). While this is the shortest race in the Pointscore it offered plenty of excitement to the fleet and spectators alike.

Under overcast skies and a steady 15-knot northeasterly breeze, the fleet got underway after two general recalls. With a black flag flying the fleet approached the line more conservatively. Master Lock Comanche lead out of Sydney Heads only to retire later in the race due to mainsail damage.

With a building breeze, up to 30 knots from the nor’east, the fleet would soon be speeding back to the Harbour after beating up the coast. URM Group proved to be the fastest around the track and claimed Line Honours, finishing in 7 hours, 6 minutes and 33 seconds.

A competitive fleet vied for Overall Honours, with standout performances from Whisper, Caro, Smuggler, Bacchanal, and leading Double Handed entries Borderline, Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth, and Min River. Ultimately, it was Caro that capitalised on the conditions to claim victory on handicap, with URM Group and Smuggler finishing second and third in the IRC division.

In the PHS Division, it was Ragtime that landed itself on the top spot, followed by Bacchanal, Ron Epstein’s newly launched JPK11.80, and Caro. Leading the double handed fleet, another yacht that relished the fast conditions was Andy Offord’s Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Borderline. Offord, owner and co-skipper, eventually taking both Double Handed IRC and Double Handed PHS honours.

Offord lauded their performance: “We had an A4 up for about two hours coming out of the island and then we changed to an A5, a bit more conservative as that one works on a fractional halyard. Our strategy was to keep soaking into the coast before gybing into the Heads and back to the finish line. We topped out at 20.7 knots, but we needed the speed to create a gap between us and the J/99s. Back at the island they would have had us on corrected time, but we managed to create a gap in the end.”

40 of 43 starters finished, with retirements from Master Lock Comanche (mainsail damage), Cinquante (rigging issues) and Sailor Moon (rudder damage).

  

Mondo and Calibre 12 at the Tollgate Islands start.         Whisper on the return leg from Bird Island.

The

Smuggler at the start of the Bird Island Race.   Image: CYCA | Ashley Dart

Current Pointscore standings at the halfway mark

Performing well in a Pointscore comes down to one thing – consistency, and one team in particular has truly embraced that principle.

Smuggler, Sebastian Bohm’s Judel Vrolijk TP52, has secured a spot on the podium in every race of the season so far. With a second place in the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, a first in the Flinders Islet Race, and third places in the Tollgate Islands Race and Bird Island Race, Smuggler has amassed a total of 8 points. In this system, where the winner receives one point, second place gets two, third place three, and so on, Smuggler has excelled at maintaining consistent results.

This success is the product of years of hard work by the team to optimise and streamline their approach. Close behind in the Pointscore standings is Whisper, which finished fourth in the NSGCYR, third in the Flinders Islet Race, second in the Tollgate Islands Race, and fourth in the Bird Island Race. David Griffith’s Judel Vrolijk 62-footer is built for fast reaching and downwind sailing, and it has proven its capability in these conditions. The team has 12 points over the first three races and the top spot is within reach.

Rounding out the podium is URM Group, which earned its first podium Pointscore finish in the Bird Island Race claiming second place, has earned fifth, fourth, and fourth place finishes. With a total of 14 points the team will be looking to secure a solid result in the Cabbage Tree Island Race. Note: Race results don’t always reflect the Pointscore standings. Some yachts may place on the podium in individual races but may not have entered the Pointscore or only participated in specific races. Their results will not be counted in the Pointscore standings.

RC top 5 standings

  1. Smuggler (JV TP52) – Sebastian Bohm
  2. Whisper (JV 62) – David Griffith
  3. URM Group (RP72) – Anthony and David Johnston
  4. KOA (TP52) – Andrew Kearnan
  5. Calibre 12 (Cookson 12) – Richard Williams

PHS Standings top 5

  1. Smuggler (JV TP52) – Sebastian Bohm
  2. Whisper (JV 62) – David Griffith
  3. Antipodes (Santa Cruz 72) – Geoff Hill
  4. Blue Planet (DH) (J/99) – Chris O’Neill
  5. KOA (TP52) – Andrew Kearnan

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