CLUB YACHTING
BENETEAU CUP
FLAGSTAFF MARINE ’ S BENETEAU CUP GOES DANCING WITH THE WIND
Northern Sydney ’ s Pittwater once again provided a great Beneteau Cup for the brand ’ s passionate owners . It kind of sums up the whole Beneteau experience . Warm , pleasant , picturesque , secluded , dramatic , enchanting and with a plethora of anchorages to choose from , it is always able to offer up options and the chance to find something new . When you have done all that you can then go out into the big blue and seek even more entertainment . Sensational .
Now then in another , yet totally congruent way , last Saturday ’ s Beneteau Cup was encapsulated , right there and then by the newest of the 20-boat fleet . She is an Oceanis 38 called , Dancing with the Wind , and in virtually all of the 16 years that this particular Beneteau Cup has been run , this is exactly what the fleet has had to do before returning ashore to the much anticipated festivities .
It is not a rave party , flared out disco gala or grunge festival . Rather , it is far more akin to the Tango . So grab the rose , put it in your mouth , carefully , so as to avoid those thorns and construct your intimate and engaging simile and courtship .
So the wind might have been here . It was more than likely there , especially so for some of the craft . The breeze could have been the faintest of zephyrs , much like a pressing a cheek . For a few craft it may have even a more earnest strut across the floor , which it was for some as they firstly approached , and then subsequently departed from the rounding mark at the top of the course , which went by the name of Lion Island .
The breeze had been both fairly ominous and also completely honest during the morning as the crews arrived , and the conviviality of the clan and also the host club , Royal Prince Alfred , set the tone for a great day of friendship and fun . The briefing was fairly simple , you ’ ll be heading North to the big rock via one of a few course options on the laminated sheet handed to all the Skippers , and you even get your own start line to keep it all nice .
Out on the track ahead of the 1205hrs start for the Non-spinnaker Division it was looking faint at best . The appearance of the Answering Pennant ( which is nautical parlance for postponement ) from the Committee Boat was pretty much a certainty . They decided to move further up from abeam Scotland Island to more like the vicinity of Longnose Point , which would also allow for a longer start line to be constructed .
As it turned out , that wasn ’ t too helpful in the end , for the boat end was favoured by nearly all , as they looked to hook right into the breeze on the right , or Eastern shore . With many a heavy craft in the first start , and nary but a breath of wind after the gun went , many found themselves languishing behind the line . The overall situation was compounded when the next armada went into their sequence immediately thereafter .
The result was that many got pushed down to the pin end . Alas , this was a boon for many as the Western shore ‘ lit up ’ with some great puffs to push the prudent along and well past their counterparts out to the East . When the two fleets met again there were some from the later start who had blitzed . By and large the left was favoured and if you were early you even got carried out into Broken Bay and Lion Island as if you were doing ballroom and as light on your fleet as Astaire and Rogers . Funnily enough , there were indeed some that just like Ms Rogers , had to do it all backwards , but we digress …
Around the top the colourful kites came out and they quickly scooted off to the shortened course finish line abeam Mackerel Point , and thence onto the clubhouse . With the early dancers off the track , not only did the floor clear out somewhat , but it looked like the breeze took the opportunity to sit in the grandstands and watch the goings on .
It did seem unfair , but full credit to all for not only their perseverance , but also their can-do attitude that allowed all vessels to finish . Cheer ruled the day , especially at the finish line and the celebratory puff from the iron topsail appeared almost simultaneously with the raised arms and cries from the crews .
Any event like this would be lost without its sponsors . Whether they were principal event sponsors like J . L . Lennard and Sydney City Marine , or the terrific gaggle of partners , they were all on board on the day to firstly enjoy it all and then see their prizes go to new homes . Virtually all of the boats got rewarded via either their efforts on the day and subsequent results , or from the multitude of door prizes . Hull polishing , sail cleaning , café vouchers , kayaking trips , apparel form Gill and the
38 YACHTSMAN