SPORT - Hooligan's dream achieved at Hamo
A 28-year dream of winning the Grand Prix division at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week has been realised for Sydney yachtsman Marcus Blackmore.
Blackmore’s sleek, gun metal grey-hulled TP52 Hooligan had the series in the bag before Saturday’s scheduled Molle Islands Race, which wasn’t sailed given the wispy puffs of only 3kts from around the compass in the Dent Passage starting area.
The race committee hoisted the AP over A flag and the signal sounded across the marina advising all competitors there would be no further racing with all results at the close of Friday final.
The cornerstone of Hooligan’s unrivalled success at this year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week and preceding regattas is, according to the owner/skipper, “a champion team will always beat a team of champions.”
Hooligan was originally named Emirates Team New Zealand and when Blackmore purchased her last year she was the yacht to beat on the international TP52 class circuit in the Mediterranean.
Adolfo Carrau, yacht designer at Botin Partners, did the IRC conversion and found the winning formula; new keel and bulb, extended bowsprit and removing 800kg of lead out of the boat.
“Adolfo got it right, you never really know when you start fiddling with original designs,” said Blackmore.
Not only did Blackmore adopt Team New Zealand’s hull, he also adopted their disciplined philosophy, having spent a week with them.
“The overriding factor is whether you have a good crew,” said Blackmore. “Our coach Victor Kovalenko set the rules early in the week and while there has to be a level of trust between a coach and the team, the crew were told that the second drink is one too many.
“They don’t call Victor ‘the medal maker’ for nothing,” he said.
Hooligan’s top notch crew included Tim Wiseman, Ed Smyth, Tom Slingsby, Richie Allanson, Jason Rowed and Stacey Jackson, among others.
“We did a lot of homework on ourselves, and ran the numbers on other boats, particularly Loki and Living Doll. We didn’t leave any stone unturned in our preparation,” Blackmore added.
Of their result Kovalenko added, “The winning combination of people and skills brought together lots of experience from different classes. Their performance was outstanding; they were always sailing right to the red line.”
Thanks to seven firsts, Hooligan finished the nine-race series on nine points, incontestably outclassing last year’s grand prix winner, Stephen Ainsworth’s RP63 Loki, which was breathing down Hooligan’s neck on handicap until a torn mainsail at the start of last Tuesday’s long race saw their chances slip away.
Loki finished second in Grand Prix Division on 19 points, third was Victorian yachtsman’s Rob Hanna’s TP52 Shogun on 23 points.
Blackmore’s dream of winning at Hamilton Island was ignited at the inaugural Race Week in 1984 when he won the Arbitrary Division with his 43ft sloop The Manly Ferry. Coincidentally, he bought that yacht from Bob Oatley who, with his family, owns Hamilton Island.
Since January this year Hooligan has won every major series including Audi Victoria Week, Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta and the NSW IRC Championship at Port Stephens.
The culmination of the four-part Audi IRC Australian Championship 2011 and official prize giving took place at the award ceremony for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week last Saturday night.
The new Audi designed trophies were awarded along with the grand prize of Audi's dynamic A1 for each of the three IRC championship-winning teams. The awards and prizes were presented by Audi Australia managing director Uwe Hagen along with Yachting Australia board member Matt Allen.
Audi Hamilton Island Race Week results
IRC Class A
1. Holligan
9pts
2. Loki
19pts
3. Shogun
23pts
4. Living Doll
34pts
5. Georgia
40pts
6. Calm
43pts
7. Terra Firma
50pts
8. Wild Oats XI
61pts
9. Lahana
62pts
10. Investec Loyal
76pts
11. Rodd&Gunn Wedget
104pts
11. Q
104pts
IRC Class B (provisional)
1. Victoire
7pts
2. Balance
18pts
3. Evolution Racing
21pts
4. Exile
21.5pts
5. Lunchtime Legend
23.5pts
6. Canute
38pts
7. Wicked
41pts
8. Matrix
48pts
9. H/H Equinox II
52pts
10. Ginger
57pts
11. Ocean Affinity
59pts
12. Viking
69pts
13. Espresso Forte
72pts
14. Ultimate Positioning
80pts
15. Iota
86pts
16. Calibre
94pts
17. Papillon
95pts
18. Another Challenge
101pts
IRC Class C (provisional)
1. Local Hero
10pts
2. The Philosophers Club
14pts
3. Onya
20pts
4. Laltra Donna
25pts
5. Jessandra
38pts
6. Rapid Transit
43pts
6. Double O Seven
43pts
8. Neat Eng. Wailea
47pts
9. Southport Mentor
48pts
10. Bacardi
54pts
10. Ketchup
54pts
12. Koko
62pts
13. Lee-Way/Ensign Racing
63pts
14. Hamilton Mentor
70pts
15. Grizzly
79pts
IRC Australian Championships Class A (provisional results)
Top 10
1. Hooligan
3pts
2. Loki
6pts
3. Living Doll
7pts
4. Shogun
13pts
5. Terra Firma
19pts
6. Pirelli Celestial
26pts
7. Georgia
108pts
8. Investec Loyal
116pts
8. Calm
116pts
10. Wild Oats XI
117pts
IRC Australian Champions Class B (provisional results)
Top 10
1. Victoire
4pts
2. Exile
9pts
3. Balance
10pts
4. Wicked
24pts
5. Rockall III
108pts
6. Canute
115pts
7. Papillon
128pts
8. Calibre
133pts
9. Ikon
201pts
10. Extasea
202pts
Audi IRC Australian Championships (provisional results)
Top 10
1. The Philosohpers Club
6pts
2. L’Altra Donna
9pts
3. Onya
17pts
4. Local Hero
104pts
5. Peregrine
110pts
6. Aroona
201pts
6. Executive Decision
201pts
8. Argus
202pts
8. Penfold Audi Sport
202pts
10. Wild Rose
204pts
Photo: Owner of Australia’s IRC 2010-11 champion yacht Hooligan, Marcus Blackmore with Jessica Watson at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. (Photo by Belinda Rolland).