Race Results 15 March 2025
Opens with a Vale for Bill Hughes, SFS Life Member and former Board member. The race report covers Autumn Series Heat 4 and the Matthew Flinders Cup on 15 March 2025, sailed in a 10 to 15 knot nor'easter. Australia, skippered by Marshall Flanagan after starting almost three minutes late, beat Tangalooma by one second, with Top Weight third and Yendys recording fastest time.
SFS Life Member and former SFS Board Member left our shores today
The real Bill Hughes. This photo taken by his SFS mates, Al (Robbo) Robertson and Leigh (Thommo) Thompson.
AUSTRALIA BY A WHISKER
Australia skipper, Marshall Flanagan and crew, being presented with the Matthew Flinders trophy by SFS President Rusty Debney. Photo with thanks to Barley Stewart.
Who says that starting late in a pursuit race is a bad thing? Perhaps it was the need for extra effort, or perhaps it got the competitive juices going? Maybe it was that they finally found the right amount of rake in the mast? Whatever it was, Australia (Marshall Flanagan), being almost 3 minutes late at the start, overcame all odds to beat Tangalooma by just one second to pick up the Matthew Flinders Cup for 2025.
These photos provided by SFS volunteer Tomoko Suga
For most of the final run between the Islands, it was a very close tussle with Tangalooma (Neville Turbit) that never ceases to surprise with its speed off a wind in lighter breezes. It really was a photo finish.
In just less than 10 knots of breeze, Mistake got away well to lead the fleet all the way to the top mark and then back down to Shark Island. Tangalooma had missed her start with a bit of a kerfuffle in the final tack before the start but had recovered to round the gybe mark only a minute …
It is worth noting at this point that while all skiffs carried peakhead kites down from Beashel, only Yendys opted to gybe their spinnaker with the result that those who did not, gave away minutes to the back marker. While the breeze had increased to 12-14 knots, these were conditions where gybes can be safely made — and we would like to see this happen more often in the future, perhaps after a bit of training organised by the Sailing Committee.
By the Chowder mark, Australia and Tangalooma were neck and neck. Neither carried a kite across the Shark Island. Nor did Top Weight, a minute and a half back. Yendys had looked like half a chance, but a lost jib in the water in their gybe stopped them in their tracks. At least, the Bavarian Prince Louis, guest crew on Yendys and out here as part of the Black Knight team for the JJs, was able to enjoy one of the lesser liked thrills of sailing traditional 18 footers.
Photos with thanks to SFS volunteer Tomoko Suga
But then to the finish and a one second victory to Australia over Tangalooma. Top Weight made the podium in third place with Yendys, Aberdare and Mistake bringing up the rear. (Alruth, incidentally, stayed ashore when her skipper, Alan Robertson, was called away to spend precious final minutes with his mate, Bill Hughes).
Finally, a word of thanks to Coral Taylor for her work in reminding us of the importance of Matthew Flinders (and his cat, Trim) in the history of Australia (or NSW as it was then). Flinders was born on 16 March 1774 and the Matthew Flinders Cup is sailed annually by SFS to commemorate his exploits.
Marshall Flanagan was presented with the Cup as we joined in the celebrations on a lovely Sydney Autumn evening.
As the saying goes, where else would you want to be than on Sydney Harbour on a day like this.
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This text was read from the scanned original below by optical character recognition. It has not yet been checked by a person, so it may carry mistakes, and any results tables in the original are not reproduced here. The scan is the authority.