Golden Farr 40 One Design Trophy

This weekend’s Aberdeen Asset Management Farr 40 One Design Trophy will add to the vibrancy of Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s busy Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship when six of the one-design boats, crewed by a plethora of the sport’s biggest stars, head to the starting gate.

The One Design Trophy will be hosted within the natural confines of Sydney Harbour by MHYC on Saturday November 30 and Sunday December 1, 2013. The event is being held in conjunction with the club’s annual championship, regarded as the first major event of the fullest calendar month for sailing in Sydney.

Six Farr 40s make up the entry list and among the crews there is an impressive line-up of gilded Olympic medallists, including dual Gold winner Malcolm Page and Tom Slingsby, the latter also the winning strategist for Oracle Team USA’s America’s Cup team.

Page is the tactician for developer Lang Walker’s Kokomo and Slingsby for class rival Transfusion, owned by Transfield Holdings Executive Director Guido Belgiorno-Nettis AM, a Farr 40 World Champion and multiple Australian champion.

“After being trumped by the Tassie guys at the Queensland State Title last month, the Sydney contingent is throwing plenty of ammo at the interstaters this weekend,” said Walker.

“A few of the Sydney Farr 40s took part in match sprints last weekend to up the ante prior to this weekend’s innings,” he added.

Walker is expecting the usual ding-dong with Transfusion and Estate Master and now Voodoo Chile, winner of the Aberdeen Asset Management Farr 40 Queensland State Title, is regarded yet another credible threat.

Gold medallist in the 470 class at the 2008 Olympics, Nathan Wilmot, will be calling the shots on Stephen Boyes’ Wired, representing Tasmania.

World and national champions in their respective classes make up other teams.  Talented 18 foot skiff sailor and multiple JJ Giltinan champion, Seve Jarvin, is scaling up to bigger boats like his father, renowned Wild Oats XI crewman Steve Jarvin, when he’s not racing skiffs.

Seems Jarvin junior is the new hot item on the one-design keelboat circuit, competing last weekend at the TP52 Southern Cross Cup on Bob Steel’s Quest and backing up this weekend as tactician on Lisa and Martin Hill’s Estate Master.

Jeff Carter’s Farr 40 Edake from MHYC, with Evan Walker as tactician, is prepped for its first event of the current season having joined the rest of the Sydney contingent for training last weekend.

Tasmania, where the class is strong, is despatching two teams; Wired (the chartered Sputnik) and the jointly owned Andrew Hunn and Lloyd Clarke’s Voodoo Chile, which opened its 2013-14 season convincingly in Queensland.

For this weekend’s round of the class’ summer season, Clarke will take the reins on the chartered Voodoo Chile (Kokomo II) and Hunn will stay ashore, as per their owner’s agreement.

The weekend trophy regatta will commence with a twilight sail on the Friday evening for the Farr 40 crews and guests of the class national series sponsor, Aberdeen Asset Management.

Up to six races over two days will constitute the trophy with the on-water program scheduled to start daily at 11am in Sydney Harbour. Principal Race Officer for the Farr 40 One Design Trophy is Phil Yeomans.

The Farr 40 class is an owner/driver class that supports both Corinthian and semi-professional crews.

Entries for the Aberdeen Asset Management Farr 40 One Design Trophy;
1.     Edake – Jeff Carter (MHYC)

2.     Estate Master – Martin & Lisa Hill (MHYC)

3.     Kokomo – Lang Walker (CYCA)

4.     Transfusion – Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (MHYC)

5.     Voodoo Chile – Andrew Hunn and Lloyd Clark (chartering a Kokomo boat) (RYCT)

6.     Wired – Stephen Boyes (RYCT )