Race 1 Shirley Freeman Trophy - Sunday 28 November 2021

After a Gale Force Saturday, Sunday turned out to be a great day to go sailing! There was plenty of sunshine, blue skies and a light breeze from the Southwest.

The 17 entrants from HBYC, RYCV, RMYS, SYC and RBYC all arrived at the start on time and were all enthusiastic to be racing against each other again.

The race was a 10 nm course long windward that went past the Gellibrand Shoal to P2 and a long downwind leg to follow. There was a consistent light breeze within Hobsons Bay but as they went past the shoal and up to the top mark P2 mark the wind abated to less than a few knots which brought mirror like conditions on the water.

The crews seemed to not be too concerned by the lack of wind all just happy to be out on the water again. It was a slow 3 - 4.5-hour race for all with the larger faster yachts finishing the race in light conditions and the smaller yachts being more fortunate with the 15-knot sea breeze arriving later and benefiting from this with the results.

The winner on the day of the Shirley Freeman Trophy for PHS was James of Vanuatu skippered by Edel Doyle of Hobsons Bay Yacht Club and Karina for the Alice Varady Trophy skippered by Julianne Gibson again of Hobsons Bay Yacht Club.

The winners in each of the 3 Divisions for the Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series were for the women only crew Serious Yahoo (AMS) skippered by Katie Holroyd and Up n Go skippered by Cath Beaufort from RYCV.

The Mixed Crew division for both AMS and PHS was won by Harmony skippered by Maureen Dickins HBYC and the woman helm only division (AMS) was won by Le Cascadeur skippered by Leo Eeckman from Hobsons Bay Yacht Club and PHS division by James of Vanuatu skippered by Edel Doyle of HBYC.

Thank you to the Hobsons Bay Yacht Club for their Volunteer race management and to Williamstown Sailing Club for supplying the media boat and driver.

After the Race the crews gathered at HBYC for a Novemberfest of Schnapps, German Sausages, live music and great company. Yachting Victoria’s Vice President Debbie Parker and Australian Sailing’s Sue Phillips presented last year’s trophy’s which added to the great atmosphere.

Serious Yahoo from RBYC were the overall winners of last year’s PPWCS Trophy pictured below.

Bullet skippered by Robyn Ragauskas from Sandringham Yacht Club won the Mixed crew Trophy for AMS and PHS for 2020-21, with Liah Hunter and her crew of Ca Bouge won the female helm only division for 2020-21.

A special Thank You to Sally Neilson and her team of volunteers for once again a great day at Hobbos!

The next race of the She Sails Port Phillip Women’s Championship Series is the Jennifer Goldsmith to be held at Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron on February 6^th, 2022.

Registration and further information at the following links

https://www.shesails.org.au/ppwc/

For full results see link below

http://www.topyacht.net.au/results/hbyc/2020/prex-mas/sf/series.htm?ty=09727

Race report: Rod Austin HBYC

Photos: Dave Hewison