yachts
pp. 59-60 · Read in the full issue
Lan G. Menzies
reports from Darwin ,
Australia:
• SCIROCCO. The New Zealand cruising yacht Scirocco won both line and handicap honors in the recent Darwin to Ambon Foster’s International Ocean Yacht Race.
Owned and crewed by Frank and Janet Hall, and their sons Greg and Michael, of Whangarei, New Zea land, Scirocco crossed the line only 52 minutes ahead of her race rival Evergreen.
A former 1954 Sydney-to- Hobart winner, Evergreen was pre viously named Even, and lan guished in Port Moresby for many years before being bought by her present owner, Bill Gibson. Now based in Gove in the Northern Territory, Bill has restored her to her former racing glory.
The other 24 competitors in the 530-nautical-mile race were not to cross the finishing line until about eight hours later.
Final results see table later in story.
Darwin Harbor has not seen the likes of the start that set the fleet on its way to Ambon. The 26 yachts, accompanied by a host of spectator craft, enjoyed a moderate breeze as they sailed down the harbor. After rounding the first mark off the Darwin Sailing Club, it was up spinnakers and away.
From then on the race was a constant battle between the lighter Scirocco (9.5 tonnes) and the traditional and heavier Evergreen (28 tonnes). Heavy weather fa vored Evergreen while lighter airs were definitely to Scirocco’s advan tage.
Favorable 20 to 25-knot winds in the first 24 hours saw a record run by the fleet around Cape Fourcroy, and then continued to push them on to the outer Indonesian island of Babar.
Scirocco and Evergreen, with only five miles separating them, were the first to close with the entrance to Ambon Harbor. They then sat virtually becalmed for almost 10 hours.
Evergreen, who ran aground during the final approaches, was later to be penalised one hour by the Protest Committee when she received enthusiastic “outside assistance” from local fishermen.
This penalty however, did not alter either the handicap or line placings.
The journey down the harbor to the port of Ambon itself, some 12 sheltered miles between high
mountains, is notorious for its con trary wind and weather conditions.
It has been known to take up to 24 hours.
With her lighter displacement in the calm conditions Scirocco was able to build up a narrow lead on Evergreen to take out the honors.
The Sydney yacht Pelagian, who won the Cruising Division colors, has had a highly successful ’B5 season. She was similarly placed in the Cairns to Port Moresby yacht race earlier this year.
With the increasing participation by cruising yachts, it is becoming fairly obvious that the Darwin to Ambon race will form an important leg in any cruising yacht’s passage across Australia’s “Top End”. Of the 24 yachts who finished, 21 would be rated as cruising yachts.
Three of these, even though fitted out for international cruising, com peted in the racing division.
In addition to the international yachts listed, other countries repre sented included the United King dom, France, and the Australian yacht Bungee under charter to an Indonesian crew. This crew in cluded representatives from both the Ambon business community and the Indonesian Navy.
Most of the cruising yachts com peting this year will go on to cruise Indonesian waters before making passage for either Singapore, Sri Lanka or Christmas Island. Entry in
Above left: The Warwick 42 Scirocco, built, owned and crewed by the Hall family of Whangarei, New Zealand, lies to anchor before the start of the Darwin to Ambon Foster’s International Ocean Yacht race. Scirocco went on to take out both Line and Handicap Honors in the race. Above: Frank and Janet Hall, with their younger son Greg, in the saloon of Scirocco. Their eldest son Michael was to join them later from the U.K., to assist crewing Scirocco. — lan Menzies photos.
the race does not guarantee an Indonesian cruising permit, but as race participants are granted a group permit, it sure helps.
Increased participation this year prompted the Indonesian authori ties to provide additional SAR sup port from its naval base at Halong.
An extra patrol boat and helicopter were allocated for this specific role.
Even better news is that senior officials from Jakarta, who attended the presentation of awards, indi cated that serious consideration is now being given to opening up
specified cruising routes through Indonesian waters.
The Cruising Yacht Association of the Northern Territory (CYANT), is to be congratulated on its di plomacy. They may have suc ceeded, after many years, in open ing up one of the world’s most interesting cruising grounds.
Cruising yachts who may wish to participate in the 1986 Darwin to Ambon Race, and would like fur ther information, should contact the author, C/o “Yachtscene”, GPO Box 1677, Darwin, NT, 5794, Australia.
Homeported in Gladstone, Queensland, Pelagian took out Hand icap Honors in the Cruising Division of the Darwin-Ambon race. lan Menzies photo.
A well fed crew is a happy crew - or so the saying goes. Janet Hall has few problems in keeping her family happy, from this superbly laid out galley on board their yacht Scirocco. - Ian Menzies photo.
Line Honors
Scirocco (New Zealand) 89:03 hours (ET) Evergreen (Gove, NT) 89:55 hours (ET) Exocet (Darwin) 97:31 hours (ET) Bungee (Gladstone, Qld) 100:55 hours (ET) Pelagian (Sydney) 101:56 hours (ET) Alma
(U.S.A.)
104:00 hours (ET) Ocean Onyx IV (New Zealand) 104:14 hours (ET) The race record of 84:00 hours elapsed time was set in 1982 and is held by the Darwin-based Crowther catamaran.
Whimbrall.
Handicap Honors
Racing Division Cruising Division Scirocco Pelagian Evergreen P enjoy Exocet Princess II Bungee Alma Ocean Onyx IV Beagle