There is nothing quite like an early morning winter start to get the heart pumping.

And so it was for the RSYS Ice Breaker series conducted over the weekend of August 3 & 4. After so much rain in the preceding weeks it was a great pleasure to be able to get out on the water with pleasant 6 to 7 knot breezes, blue skies and crisp winter temperatures.

A good number of Sydney’s J70’s turned out for the regatta. Conditions on both days were very similar. The breeze was predictably from the west with very little harbour traffic and smooth water. Perfect conditions for some very enjoyable sailing.

Saturdays start was set in the vicinity of Shark Island with the weather marks off Garden Island. 3 races were sailed in very quick succession before the wind faded. Honors on the day went to David Doherty on Matador followed by Tim Ryan on Vamos and Kim Ketelbey on Anemology.

Sundays start was set in Athol Bay with the weather marks off Lady Macquarie’s Chair. Again it was 3 races in quick succession. Tim Ryan had the best of the day followed by Stephen Ellis on Jabberwocky and then David Doherty.

The end result saw both David and Tim tied for the series on 9 points each with David winning through on account of his dominating 1st place performance in all 3 races on Saturday. Kim Ketelbey placed 3rd in the series, one point clear of Jabberwocky.

We were blessed with the very professional services of the RO Rob Ridley and his team who handled the racing with aplomb so a very big thank you goes out to them.

Bring on the 2024/25 sailing season.

See the full results