by Mick Gwilliams
Rear Commodore, Port Douglas Yacht Club

After two weekends of great sailing the 2011 Exemplar Clipper Cup came to a conclusion on Sunday as the fleet raced around Low Isles in the sixth and final race of the regatta.

Farr Better, following a first in race 4, and a second in race 5 on Saturday moved into first place overall for the start of the final race with the big cat Malice creeping into second overall after a second in race 4 and a first in race 5.

The all girl crew on Groove having lead after the first three races now had a massive task ahead to reclaim the lead.

With six boats still a mathematical chance of taking the trophy race 6 was set to be a thriller but the speed of the Nacra 36 was all too much. Malice completed the 22nm course in just 74 minutes averaging over 18 knots, more than twice the speed and 1 hour 11 minutes ahead of the next boat over the line, Ketchup.

The final race provided some comfort to the tail end of the fleet as the perfect conditions and the reaching course enabled the tables to turn on the faster boats as handicaps pushed Indigo and Tau Ceti into second and third for race 6 on corrected time.

The huge cheers from the 150 plus crowd at the presentation that night showed how popular these boats are with the other crews as the result was announced proving that you don’t need to win it, you just need to be in it.

Final overall positions went to Malice 1st (14), Farr Better 2nd (20) and Groove 3rd (25).

Gordon Wellham of Exemplar Coaches and Limousines praised the turn out for this year’s event with the fleet of 16 being the highest for many years. The crew of Dusty Muzzle having sailed from Townsville to compete were especially praised and Gordon echoed the hopes of many that they would return next year with more.

Many skippers arranged for crew to fly in from interstate for the special event some as far afield as WA, NSW and SA.    
 
The size of the fleet for the 2011 regatta has paved the way for future Clipper Cups to expand to multiple divisions with all competitors keen to return in 2012. This is an exciting time for the sport of yacht racing in Far North Queensland as the inclusion of additional divisions next year is the key to attracting further support from Port Douglas, Cairns and further afield.

One of the biggest winners of the regatta was the Port Douglas and Mossman Coast Guard who provided their services as the course laying boat for the four days.

A $600 donation from Port Douglas Yacht Club was accompanied by $350 raised in the Exemplar Clipper Cup Sweepstakes with a further $650 donated from skippers and crew including Steve England from Ketchup, Doug Ryan from Magic and Roger Smith from Smithy’s Slipway in Cairns. The total raised for the volunteer Coast Guard was $1,600.  

Congratulations to Mal Richardson and the crew of Malice, 2011 Exemplar Clipper Cup Champions!