(Sydney, Australia)- Adrian van Bellen and crew, sailing the beautiful
J/122 JACKPOT, sailed a brilliant race to win IRC 2 and ORCi in the 35th
Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race, hosted by Royal Prince Alfred Yacht
Club, Newport. In fact, on IRC Overall they took second the Maxi 80
footer BEAU GESTE!After a light nor’easter start at the mouth of Pittwater, the highly competitive 40-boat fleet headed north as the breeze turned southeast at Sydney Heads, for the run up the coast. As with most offshore racing, the 226-mile ‘Coffs Race’ is full of challenges, but the winds were favorable for the fleet, finishing in a 10-15 kt southeasterly breeze.
“It’s unbelievable, the conditions were perfect for us,” said van Bellen, who is a first time Coffs race owner/skipper. “I cannot speak highly enough of the crew; the credit should go to them. They are an inspiration to me.”
Although relatively late-comers to sailing, it has been a steep learning curve for Adrian and Maree, who have enjoyed some great results locally in Sydney racing in their J/122. Achieving a 1st in their first major offshore race is a credit to them, the crew, and of course the J/122 JACKPOT.
Also a big well done to Ralph, Jenny and crew, sailing J/109 SWEET CHARIOT. They thoroughly enjoyed their first foray in distance sailing their J/109, finishing 6th in IRC2.
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