"10 days prior to the race we had enough crew who were keen to do the Sydney to Newcastle race, and all that was holding us back was a higher level of safety compliance - so we decided to go for it. We had met all audit requirements one day before the deadline for race entry. This was our first Cat 3 and Ocean Point Score race, following a season of Short Ocean Point Score races in Newcastle (Cat 4).
We sailed with 5 crew from LITHIUM (Sydney based J/122), and 5 of our own crew from MARTA JEAN (J/122 Newcastle based). Essentially we had a lot of generalist skills, and not too many specialists, but we prided ourselves on learning from each others objective feedback and everyones desire to improve boat speed beyond the targets (obtained from polar diagrams for the J122 posted on the web)
24 boats had entered the race, including 17 for IRC. The race started at 9.00am off Point Piper in Sydney harbour, and would be a 66mn run up the coast(at 010 deg) to the entrance of Newcastle harbour. The wind was close to forecast, with a norwesterly 15 - 20kn for the first half of the race, swinging around slightly to a northerly 20 - 25kn for the second half of the race, with some soft patches where the wind dropped to 10kn for short periods. It was a very hot day, with temperatures over 35C so it was important to keep the sunscreen and water up to everyone, so we didn't have anyone suffering from heat stroke or dehydration.
Our J/122 sailed well to windward, and the crew enjoyed the first six hours on the rail on a single tack, making good progress at 7-8kn and maintaining a competitive position in the fleet. As the breeze moved more easterly in the afternoon, the race became more tactical with the impact of adverse currents and wind shifts, with the option to keep in close the coast, or to go further offshore.
We reached the entrance to Newcastle harbour for the final downwind run to the finish line after 9 hours of sailing. We finished 2nd on PHS and 6th on IRC, which was a great result considering the level of experience and expertise in the fleet. It just goes to show how well you can do with a J?122, even with cruising sails, and a relatively inexperienced crew." For more J/122 offshore racer-cruiser sailboat information.
