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Race Record Falls in Flinders Islet Race as Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Unfolds

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  • 23 Sep, 2025 09:10:00 AM
Race Record Falls in Flinders Islet Race as Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Unfolds

Race Record Falls in Flinders Islet Race as Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Unfolds

The Flinders Islet Race may be one of the shorter races in the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, but at 88 nautical miles it still packs plenty of action.

On Saturday 20 September, the fleet charged out of Sydney Harbour, raced south along the NSW coast to round the rocky outcrop of Flinders Islet off Wollongong, before turning for a fast run back to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. The race once again delivered tight battles, quick downwind legs and as this year proved, record-breaking performances.

With 15–25kts of SW wind, the fleet was set for a high-speed, high-stakes second race of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore.

The Start & Race Conditions

The start of the race itself proved to be incredibly spectacular. Off the startline it was Rob Appleyard’s Moneypenny that stole the show as it reached behind the entire fleet towards the pin-end before bearing down and hoisting her kite, while the rest of the fleet watched her power away. The 69-footer was the first to leave Sydney Harbour, followed closely by URM Group and No Limit.

Reflecting on their great start, Moneypenny’s Skipper Rob Appleyard shared: “We always intended to go for the pin end, even if it meant being slightly late. The plan was that as soon as we crossed at the pin, we’d get the kite up and use boat speed to roll over the fleet. We knew the angle would be tight at the end of the run, but it still got us out of the Harbour first.

“URM Group overtook us around Coogee. The plan wasn’t to fight them, we let them roll over the top, sat in their wake for a while, and she managed to slip away.”

   

Race Record Shattered

Early in the race it became clear that the existing record of 8 hours, 4 minutes and 34 seconds was under serious threat.

In the end, URM Group shattered her own mark by 1 hour, 48 minutes and 50 seconds, finishing in 6 hours, 15 minutes and 44 seconds, with six other yachts also crossing the line inside the previous record.

IRC Podium

At the end of the race, Moneypenny claimed the top spot on IRC, finishing just four minutes ahead of URM Group on corrected time, with Smuggler in third.

Appleyard was thrilled with the result: “When we rounded the island, we were a few minutes behind on handicap, but we made up that time during the downwind leg. The boat really lit up, doing speeds up to 26 knots. We stayed a bit wider than URM Group and only closed in on the shore near South Head, reaching towards the Heads.

It’s a fantastic result for us and a great way to bounce back after not being able to finish the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. We plan to compete in all remaining Audi Centre Sydney BWPS races this year.”

Smuggler, the winner of last year’s Blue Water Pointscore and the 2025 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race backed up their victory in the season opening race with a third place in this Flinders Islet.

  

Seconds to Spare in IRC Division 2

In IRC Division 2, racing was incredibly close, with Joe de Kock’s Farr 40 KD1 taking the win, just 11 seconds ahead of Bacchanal, skippered by Ronald Epstein. Borderline was the first Double Hander to finish, claiming third place in Division 2.

KD1, Owner, Skipper Joe de Kock told us: “I am so happy with this result. I was really worried about our campaign working towards the Rolex Sydney Hobart, after we retired from the Gold Coast Yacht Race with a torn main.

“My navigator convinced me to race in the Flinders Islet Race, we hadn’t originally planned to compete, and I’m so glad we did. The focus was simply on finishing and not only did we finish, we delivered a fantastic result. I now feel much more relaxed about our Hobart campaign.

“Our IRC rating on this boat is very accurate, but reaching in breeze has always been a weak point, so winning our division was a real surprise.

“Downwind, we used our A5 for the first time. I’ve owned this boat for just over ten years, and I’ve never gone this fast or seen a wave come over the deck!

“We’ll definitely be back for the Tollgate Islands and Cabbage Tree Island races, as well as the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.”

Double Handers Chase Borderline

In the Double Handed Division, Borderline, Andy Offord’s Sun Fast 3300, claimed the top spot. Offord admitted that the windy reaching conditions suited his boat perfectly. “The boat absolutely loved it. In the first upwind stage, Min River really came at us, but once we got the J3 up and had a reef in the main, we started to pull away from the other double handers. It’s always a challenge to hold off Min River and the J/99 wolfpack.

“The J/99s smash us VMG running, so it was great to sail some hotter angles and get a win on the board.”

Next Up

As the Pointscore begins to take shape, competitors have just under a month to prepare for Race 3, the Tollgate Islands Race. This 258 nautical mile event delivered some incredible racing last year.  Steve McConaghy, tactician onboard Smuggler, even described it as “some of the most beautiful nighttime sailing I have ever done. It was like one long twilight race, full moon, followed by a stunning sunrise.”

 

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