Yachts
p. 38 · Read in the full issue
Ian Menzies Re
ports from Darwin:
Francesca. This American yacht which has been cruising the Pacific for the past five years, has taken both line and hand icap honours in the cruising division of the 1986 Foster’s Darwin to Ambon international ocean yacht race.
Owned by Fred and Frances ca Denton of San Francisco and registered with the Sausalito Cruising Club of California, Francesca covered the 560 nautical mile course in 97.18 hours. She was second across the finish line only two hours behind the overall line honours winner, the classic offshore rac ing sloop, Evergreen, The Dentons, together with their two Darwin-based crew members, Roger Collins and Kim Wharton, are to be con gratulated on a remarkable effort. Throughout the race they constantly challenged the faster Evergreen and, at one stage had the lead on her.
Thirty knot winds and rough seas, however, favoured the heavier and lengthier Ever green so that she was able to draw away in the closing stages.
Francesca is a Sparkman and Stephens 11.27 metre fibre glass sloop built by the Tartan Marine Corporation and laun ched in 1978. Though fitted out as a cruising yacht with five metres of cruising parapherna lia on board and a circum navigation yet to go, she has proved that the S&S designs are indeed fast, long distance performers.
Celebrating its 10th year as Australia’s first and only in ternational offshore race, the ’86 Fosters Darwin to Ambon fielded a record fleet of 30 yachts. Of these 14 came from further afield than Fannie Bay, home of the Cruising Yacht Association of the Northern Territory (CYANT) and the Darwin Sailing Club.
Split into two divisions, rac ing and cruising, the 30 starters competed for over 15 valuable trophies and prizes. The 19 competitors in the cruising divi sion not only represented six of
the seven Australian states but also included an entry from Gibraltar as well as three from the United States.
Second and third placings in the cruising division went to Morando, a Swanson 32 from Melbourne owned by Robert and Michael Hossack and Sci mitar, a UFO owned by Peter and Ruth Read of the Gerald ton Yacht Club in Western Australia.
Morando competed in the 1969 and 1980 Sydney to Hobart races. Now converted to cruising and just beginning a world circumnavigation, she still knows how to show the fleet a clean pair of heels (or is it transom).
Though Bill Gibson’s Ever green from the Gove Yacht Club in the Northern Territory took out line honours overall, she was only able to score fifth
on handicap. For those with long memories, Evergreen is the former Even, line honours winner in the prestigious 1954 Sydney to Hobart. Now restor ed to her former glory by Bill Gibson, she revels in the chal lenge of long distance offshore racing.
First on handicap in the rac ing division was Charlie Wall’s Hope, a superbly maintained 1971 Ludders 10.0 metre from the Cheoy Lee shipyard in Hongkong. This is the fourth time that Hope has competed in the Ambon race and her third major win.
Other place-getters were the Formosan 46 Karana, owned by Hugh and Shirlie Rich ardson of Darwin (formerly Port Moresby) and another S&S, John McCormack’s 9.16 metre Stampede also of Darwin.
Virtually all of the entrants
will go on to cruise Indonesian waters for periods ranging from two weeks to three months.
Race entry qualifies competitors for an Indonesian cruising per mit at very reasonable cost.
Bulk processing through the Indonesian yachting fraternity considerably reduces the nor mal overheads.
Each year sees a steady growth in the popularity of the Fosters Darwin to Ambon, not only for the camaraderie a race of this nature engenders, but also for the access it gives to one of the last unspoiled and fascinating cruising grounds of the world.
Planning for the 1987 race is now underway. Yachtsmen in terested in competing in this unique race or merely in cruis ing Indonesian waters should contact “Yachtscene” GPO Box 1677, Darwin, NT 5794, Australia.
A cheery wave from Hugh Richardson (standing aft at the helm), skipper of the now Darwin-based Formosan 46 KARANA. Hugh and Shirlie Richardson will be fondly remembered by their many friends in P.N.G., where they spent almost twenty years. KARANA not only doubled as the radio relay vessel, but also went on to take out 2nd. on handicap in the Racing Division. lan Menzies photo.