Bill Wild’s Hugh Welbourne designed and Kevin Costin built Wedgetail scored another impressive win in the Yachting Queensland State IRC championship on Moreton Bay over the weekend.
The month of April has proved to be hugely successful for owner Bill Wild and his Wedgetail crew.
They clearly showed they could ‘drag race’ with the best to score a popular overall win in the Brisbane to Gladstone blue water coastal classic over the Easter weekend and have followed this up with relatively comfortable 8 point win over the new Reichel Pugh 42 Black Jack Too and the Farr 40 Bribie Star in the six race Queensland championship.
Normally Bill Wild has accepted Wedgetail to be more suited to the longer offshore events including the Rolex Sydney Hobart and the Audi Sydney to Gold Coast races however both he and his talented crew have shown they were equally impressive over the short course format.
But they were seen to struggle on the light shifty breeze that was spiced with dramatic shifts in the first three windward leeward races to finish with a 2-7-6 while Howard Lambourne’s Farr 40 helmed by Stephen Lambourne with World Etchells champion Jason Muir calling the tactics proved to be the star performer on day 1 with her 1-2-2 to lead the Farr 30 Synergy (Alex Douglas) 4-3-1 and the Lucas Down skippered Bribie Star 5-1-5.
Dave Conway added a different complexion to the tactical struggle for overall championship honours after her steered the Reichel Pugh 36 Spirit to a convincing 2 minute 20 second while Wedgetail kept her hopes alive claiming second 40 seconds clear of the Vaughan Prentice steered Black Jack Too
A rare dead heat between the Dave Elliott”s Farr 40 elleven and the improving Wedgetail in race 5 tightened the point score with Wedgetail emerging as a possible tile winner with her 2-7-6-2-1.5 while Bribie Star remained as a distinct challenger another half a point of the pace with her 5-1-5-4-4.
Naturally the Wedgetail crew tactfully set their target on protecting their sailing space when they became engaged in an intense match race with Black Jack Too.
Both radically different designed yachts sailed by highly experienced crews were rarely separated before Wedgetail edged clear to claim a 4 second victory in the ‘Dog Fight’ and her important second place on corrected time behind final race winner the Clayton Debenham skippered Sydney 36 Gauntlet ultimately paved the way for Wedgetail to become a worthy winner of the 2010 Yachting Queensland State IRC championship.
Final Results: Wedgetail 2-7-6-2-1.5-2. 20.5pts 1, Black Jack Too 3-4-4-8-3-6.5. 28.5pts 2, Bribie Star 5-1-5-4-4-10. 29 pts 3.
