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Crews celebrate a successful ACSBWPS Cabbage Tree Island Race

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  • 08 Dec, 2025 09:45:00 AM
Crews celebrate a successful ACSBWPS Cabbage Tree Island Race

Crews celebrate a successful ACSBWPS Cabbage Tree Island Race

Almost a year after claiming Overall victory in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Celestial V70 has put the fleet on notice, winning the 2025 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore (ACSBWPS) Cabbage Tree Island Race Overall.

Celestial V70 crew do it again 

From the moment they crossed the start line of the 172 nautical mile race at 1700 hours (and 1705 hours for start two) on Friday 5 December, CYCA Commodore Sam Haynes and his Celestial V70 crew were laser-focused on the Overall win. 

On the work to Cabbage Tree Island, Celestial V70 sailed in a steady 18-22 knots from the northeast. 

 

Celestial V70 leaving Sydney heads.    Image: CYCA/Andrea Francolini

Throughout the race, the Volvo 70 remained in close pursuit of the fleet’s three 100-footers: Matt Allen and James Mayo’s Master Lock Comanche, Christian Beck’s LawConnect and Seng Huang Lee’s SHK Scallywag 100. 

Key to Celestial V70’s performance was navigator Alex Nolan, tactician Rob Greenhalgh, and skipper Haynes. A perfectly timed tack offshore allowed Celestial V70 to lay Cabbage Tree Island (north of Port Stephens), which they rounded at 0300 hours on Saturday 6 December. From such a perfect execution, you’d never guess the Celestial V70 crew’s last offshore race together was the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart. 

“That was a big gain, being able to get around that point [at Port Stephens] and then lay the island,” Haynes said. 

The leg home saw Celestial V70 enjoy fast reaching conditions almost the entire way back to Sydney Heads, hitting boat speeds of 16–19 knots. 

“We weren’t really ripping [along] by any stretch, but it was fast,” Haynes said. “We were sailing VMG [velocity made good] and doing well with it.” 

Happy days on board Celestial V70 - Jack Macartney pic.

As Celestial V70 neared the finish line, so did the wind. Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet stormed down the coast in a building nor’easter, which continued throughout the day. The Celestial V70 crew chased down any wind they could find in the harbour, so as not to lose precious seconds on the scoreboard. 

The crew’s efforts paid off: Celestial V70 claimed Overall honours less than an hour ahead of the USA entry Bacchanal, Ronald Epstein’s JPK 11.80. Bacchanal edged out three-time Sydney Hobart winner Love & War (Simon Kurts’ S&S 47) for second place by one minute and 22 seconds on corrected time. 

Master Lock Comanche and SHK Scallywag 100 working out of the harbour.    Image: CYCA/Andrea Francolini

Celestial V70 was also the fourth boat to cross the line. Line Honours went to Master Lock Comanche, with LawConnect in second and SHK Scallywag 100 in third. 

After such a successful race, Haynes and his crew are optimistic about their prospects in the Rolex Sydney Hobart. 

“People said to me, ‘I didn’t think you’d go so well in a windward/leeward type race’,” Haynes said. “But as it turns out, we’re strong in these conditions.” 

Bacchanal crew on track to close 'unfinished business'

Ron Epstein and his crew on board Bacchanal were also pleased with their race result. Epstein’s JPK 11.80 placed second on IRC Overall and first on IRC Division 2. This result bumps Bacchanal into second place on the ACSBWPS Overall standings behind Anthony and David Johnston’s Reichel Pugh Maxi 72 URM Group. In third, one-point behind Bacchanal, sits Rob Appleyard’s Reichel Pugh 69 Moneypenny. 

Bacchanal competing in the ACSBWPS Bird Island Race in November - Ashley Dart/CYCA pic.

Epstein, who commutes to Sydney from California for each Blue Water race, was especially chuffed with the result, given that they were placed 37th Overall when they rounded Cabbage Tree Island. This information was relayed by his wife, who followed the live tracker back home in California. 

“What differentiated the race for us was coming back [from Cabbage Tree Island] and the wind started to pick back up,” Epstein said.  

Epstein expressed pride in his crew’s achievements.  

“We’ve worked really hard on Bacchanal to develop our crew and to push the boat to the point where we have a solid crew who understand how to push the boat to its full performance level.  

“And you could see that in the race on the weekend.” 

Epstein was impressed by the competitiveness and close proximity of the 71-strong fleet, especially as large groups of yachts rounded the halfway point (Cabbage Tree Island) almost simultaneously. 

“We were right up there with some of the local legends and perennial successful boats here on the Sydney coast [including Love & War and Min River],” Epstein said. “We feel very fortunate to be counted amongst them.” 

Min River has had a stellar season so far - Andrea Francolini/CYCA pic.

He was also thrilled with the stronger reaching conditions on day two, which helped Bacchanal climb the standings. 

“The wind gods giveth and the wind gods taketh,” Epstein said. “In this race, it’s one of those rare circumstances where the wind gods gave us a little extra push to give us the chance to be on the podium.” 

Epstein has his fingers and toes crossed that the wind gods will repeat this kindness in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart. 

After Bacchanal was launched in October 2024, Epstein had only planned to compete in one Rolex Sydney Hobart before taking the boat back to California. But after the disappointment of retiring from last year’s race due to a broken boom, he decided to give it one more crack. 

The crew’s new mantra ‘#unfinishedbusiness’ is printed on the back of their shirts. It’s a warning to the rest of the fleet that they’re not messing around. 

“It reminds us that we really, really want to finish the Hobart this year,” Epstein said. 

Toucan bounce back after disappointing Bird Island Race 

After spinnaker troubles in strong winds cost Toucan first place on Double-Handed IRC in the ACSBWPS Bird Island Race in November, Edward Curry-Hyde and co-skipper Lincoln Dews came into the ACSBWPS Cabbage Tree Island Race determined to make amends. 

All smiles on board Toucan in last month's ACSBWPS Bird Island Race - Ashley Dart/CYCA pic.

And they delivered. Their Sun Fast 3300 secured podium finishes in four divisions — first in Double-Handed IRC and PHS, third in PHS Overall, and third in PHS Division 2. Toucan now holds second place ahead of Paul Beath’s J99 Verite in third on the ACSBWPS Double Handed standings. Jiang Lin’s JPK 10.30 Min River leads, while Ian Smith’s J99 Jupiter is in fourth on equal points with Rob Frayne’s J99 The Gaffer in fifth. 

First time’s the charm 

Grace Shipway was on board three-time Sydney Hobart winner Love & War, competing in her first Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore race. 

Although she has sailed since the age of five, this was the 28-year-old’s first offshore race. As a crew member on Love & War, Shipway has followed in the footsteps of her father, Peter who, across 31 Sydney Hobarts, achieved two Overall wins on board Love & War (1974 and 1978). 

Love & War chasing down Min River & Le Tiroflan.    Image: CYCA/Andrea Francolini

A highly experienced crew, including Michael Heenan (25 Sydney Hobarts), Patrick Broughton and Phil Kurts, supported Shipway. It proved to be a successful race for Love & War, which narrowly missed out on second Overall to Bacchanal. The yacht finished runner-up to Bacchanal in IRC Division 2. 

“The Cabbage Tree Island Race was an incredible introduction to offshore sailing,” Grace said. “This was my first proper ocean race, so it was both nerve-racking and incredibly exciting. I’m grateful to Simon Kurts [owner] and everyone on board for guiding me through my first offshore race and making it such a memorable experience.  

“I’m already looking forward to the next challenge—heading down to Hobart.” 

 

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