Shogun V has triumphed in the first day of IRC A racing at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week to lead fellow TP52 Yendys by just one point on the leader board after three races. Mark Bradford's Reichel Pugh 66 Black Jack with newly minted Olympic Gold Medalist Tom Slingsby calling tactics is currently placed third.
The first of three windward/leeward races got underway in a 12-15 knot sou'easterly breeze on the eastern course area, to the south east of Hamilton Island.
Shogun V, the highly competitive Audi Med Cup boat previously known as Audi Azzurra, owned by Geelong yachtsman Rob Hanna and with Steve McCanaghy calling the shifts, kicked off her Audi IRC Australian Championship 2012 campaign by racking up a fourth, a second and bullet in the day's final race.
Hanna and his talented crew which includes Noel 'Nitro' Drennan and young gun Keiran Searle, managed to keep Geoff Ross and his rock star team onboard his chartered yacht Yendys (Med Cup's Bribon) on their toes.
"It was a tough day on the water and the conditions were pretty flukey. We made a few mistakes but then so did some of the other boats. It was good racing and very close. I pretty happy to be in this position at the beginning of the event. But it is very early days and it looks like this regatta will go right down to the wire as it is shaping up to be a very competitive week," Rob Hanna said.
Despite having less training and preparation time Ross, who is joined by America's Cup helmsman Gavin Brady, still managed to pull off some pretty impressive results with a second, a gun and a fifth in the final race of the day.
Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan, the defending Audi IRC Australian Champion had a mixed day while the two Kiwi boats, Georgia and Kia Kaha failed to live up to expectations. Bob Oatley's maxi Wild Oats XI has no playmates in her 98 foot league and enjoyed a run of clean air to claim three line honours victories.
Lulu Roseman
IRC Class A Provisional Results
| 1 | | AUS280 | SHOGUN V | Rob Hanna | 7.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| 2 | | ESP7552 | YENDYS | Geoff Ross | 8.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| 3 | | 52566 | BLACKJACK | Mark Bradford | 11.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| 4 | 2.0S | AUS521 | HOOLIGAN | Marcus Blakmore | 13.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 |
| 5 | | AUS60000 | LOKI | Stephen Ainsworth | 13.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| 6 | | R55 | LIVING DOLL | Michael Hiatt | 15.0 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| 7 | | 10000 | GEORGIA | J Farmer/ C Meads | 20.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 8 | | SM24 | TERRA FIRMA | Nicholas Bartels | 24.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 |
| 9 | | NZL9277 | ICE BREAKER | Connel McLaren | 25.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 7.0 |
| 10 | | 56718 | KIA KAHA | Chris Hornell | 29.0 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 |
| 11 | | 10001 | WILD OATS XI | Mark Richards | 33.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
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