Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Steve Chau today sailed his Young 88 Young Lion to victory in the final race of Division 3 IRC of the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant, scoring an outstanding eighth win out of nine races over the season.

Young Lion also won the Division 3 AMS pennant, finishing second in the final race, but with five wins over the season.

The final pennant race of the summer was sailed in a chilly and gusty westerly breeze of up to 19 knots, with the downwind run proving difficult for some crews, include The Fork in the Road which shredded a spinnaker. Oskana (Mike Pritchard) won line honours but finished well down the results sheet on corrected time.

The evergreen Young 88 designs in Division 3 have dominated results over the summer with Stewart Geeves’ Footloose taking out the PHS pennant from Serica (Charles Peacock) and Trouble (Mark Millhouse).

Runner-up to Young Lion in the AMS pointscore was another Young 88, Young One (Nathan Mills and Jay Nibbs), with Footloose taking third. In IRC, Young Lion won from Footloose and Moonshadow.

Young Lion joined the veteran Division 1 yacht Doctor Who (Rod Jackman) and Division 2’s Wings Three (Peter Haros) in winning two handicap pennants for the 2018-19 summer season which attracted 53 entries, including a record 28 yachts with IRC ratings.

“We were looking over a shoulder all the time for Don Calvert in Intrigue,” commented Doctor Who tactician Phil Jackman, with the Davidson 52 enjoying the fresh westerly breeze to finish fourth in fleet, Intrigue eighth.

As a tribute to owner Roger Jackman before the final summer pennant race, the crew of Doctor Who pulled up off his Sandy Bay waterside home to hoist the mainsail. It proved a good luck move with the big boat sailed a fine race, finishing fourth on line, third in IRC and fifth on PHs.

Roger Jackman has retired from yacht racing, handing over Doctor Who to son Rod to campaign over the past three summers.

Back at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania the Jackmans, father and son, joined rival Don Calvert to celebrate taking out the three Division 1 handicap categories, Doctor Who with IRC and PHS, Calvert’s Intrigue winning the AMS pennant.

On corrected times in the final race, just 31 seconds separated the two contenders for IRC honours, with Intrigue placing second and Doctor Who third in the Division 1 IRC category race yesterday, won by Crusader (Scott Sharp).

It wasn’t enough, however and Doctor Who won both the IRC and PHS handicap category pennants from Intrigue and Heatwave (Matthew Keal).

However, Intrigue’s second to Jeff Cordell’s Mumm 36, B&G Advantage in the AMS category, was sufficient to give the Castro 40 that summer pennant from B&G Advantage and Heatwave.

Today’s top performer in Division 1 was the Melges 32, Crusader, skippered by Scott Sharp, winning both PHS and IRC categories.

In Division 2, Peter Haros’ Wings Three, a Northshore 38, clinched both the AMS and IRC pennants with a last race win, with the PHS pennant going to another Northshore 38, Ian Stewart’s Southern Swordfish.

In the AMS category, Wings Three won from Southern Swordfish and Illusion (David Brett) while in IRC, Wings Three won from Rumbeat (Justin Barr) and Natelle Two (Glenn Roper).

In Division 4, just half a point separated Astrolabe (Peter Bosworth) and Camlet Way (Stephen Mannering) for the summer pennant after Camlet Way won the final race with Astrolabe eighth on handicap.

Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Leigh Edwards, Peter Watson