Vertigo wins Bass Strait race

Tim Olding’s Summit 35 Vertigo has won the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV) 55 nautical mile West Offshore Products Coastal Sprint Race.

26 April 2022

Sailing under beautiful sunshine with 10 knots of south-easterly breeze, 11 yachts competed in the Bass Strait race, which started off Queenscliff just before dawn on 23 April.

John Chipp’s Dehler 46, Hot Chipps took line honours in 7 hours 37 minutes and 17 seconds, crossing the line ahead of Vertigo and Peter Davison’s Archambault 40 RC Arcadia.

Leading into the final race of the series, Vertigo is now second in the overall ORCV Coastal Championship, behind Jeff Sloan’s Archambault A35 Archie. The popular 52 nautical mile Apollo Bay race will take place on 14 May.

“We had a really good upwind leg, having taken a gamble to head left and inshore to maintain boat speed,” said Olding.

“We led the fleet at the bottom mark but couldn’t hold Hot Chipps on the 2nd downwind leg, with an extra eleven feet of water line, they just took off.

Vertigo. Pic: Dave Hewison

Tim Olding's Vertigo took first place in the 55-nautical-mile race. (Credit: Vertigo Crew.)

Garry McCarten and a crewmate onboard Skullduggery. (Credit: David Schuller.)

“I share the helm now with my daughter Clare. We really like the Coastal Sprint format as it’s great for building crew confidence and identifying sea sickness and how crew operate before embarking on a longer ocean race,” he continued.

“In preparing for the upcoming 50th Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster, these coastal races in Bass Strait are great training for us. Racing in Bass Strait is sometimes challenging, but always a lot of fun.”

There was also good news for the growing Victorian ocean sailing fleet, with Garry McCarten’s Jeanneau 44 DS Skullduggery joining the race.

“These races really do extend the fun, and provide a great experience for our cruising type boat outside the bay,” commented McCarten.

“We used the Code 0 in the first leg and were really happy with how that worked making good ground on the leading yachts. We’re not always competitive against the pure racing boats, but we really do enjoy the experience of ocean sailing.”

orcv.org

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