Saturday November 29, 2025
Every sailor loves a bit of breeze, but some bit off more than they could chew on Day 1 of the 2025 Nautilus Marine Insurance Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC) and the Seven Islands Race, when winds of 44 knots registered causing officials to shorten the Seven Islands Race today.
A 40 knot north-nor/westerly hit Sydney Harbour just before the 10am start of the SSORC at Steele Point, Vaucluse, but eased to average 18-24 knots offshore moved to the north-west before backing to the west in the afternoon, with the SSORC fleet finishing their offshore race in Watsons Bay.
The two divisions in the Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) hosted two-day SSORC flew down the Harbour, sprung sheets, big gusts making their rides like bucking broncos, with a couple airborne. Conditions gave everyone, including those entered in the 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart, a solid work out.
Sean Langman’s Back 2 Black, recently arrived in Sydney after being bought by Sean Langman in Europe and representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia at the Admiral’s Cup in the UK. The GP42 won Division 1 today, handling the conditions well to beat Justin Mulkearns’ RP52 Virago and Darryl Hodgkinson’s Carkeek 40, Victoire in the Lion Island Race.
Back 2 Black's first race in Australia resulted in a win. Photo: Andrea Francolini/ MHYC
“It was a pretty fresh westerly (averaged 18-22 knots), but a pretty flat sea state,” Back 2 Black’s Josh Alexander said this afternoon. “It was very gusty at times - we saw up to 35 knots.
“This was our very first race since the Admirals Cup,” Alexander said. The boat’s only just got back to Australia. The mast only went back in the boat on Friday, so we’re very happy with how we went against our smaller boat competition, like Victoire. We’re also happy to go out and not have any breakages,” finished Alexander. Back 2 Black is one of a few yachts in this fleet headed to Hobart in the 80th race on December 26. Nine of their 10 Sydney Hobart crew were on board today.
Division 2 went to Steve Watson’s J/130, Ragtime from one of three double handed entries, the J/99 Disko Trooper, sailed by Jan ‘Clogs’ Scholten and Alex Knight. Third went to Neil Padden’s Beneteau 40.7, Wailea.
“We were going so fast I thought was lunchtime and it was only 11 o’clock! It was pretty crazy out there. However, we managed to get back without anything breaking today,” Watson said of the conditions.
“We had an OK start and a reasonably conservative sail plan. In the past we’ve carried more sail than we should have. We shook the reef out of the main when we got out the Heads, it got a bit soft off North Head. But we put the reef back in further up the course and kept chipping away at the other boats, including the Sydney 38s, which are our main competition.
“We delayed setting the kite until we were off Barrenjoey, as the bullets were too much before that. We carried the kite further than anyone else and when we got rid of it, we had a nice three -sail reach to the finish at Watsons Bay.”
An honest Watson conceded: “We’ve had a series of underwhelming results and a few breakages of late. The SSORC is an important part of our Sydney Hobart training. It’s been beneficial, because we’ve been getting it wrong, getting bad results and now we’re peaking at the right time.”
Back 2 Black was not the only yacht Hobart bound and making its Australian debut, Olympian Matt Hayes’ spanking new Italia 12.98, Veloce, also raced in Division 1. Edward and William Cox are also benefitting from the SSORC and headed to Hobart after recently selling their Minerva buying a Ker 40, also named Minerva.
Division 2’s competition includes three high profile double handed crews: Disko Trooper, Ian Smith/John Cross with Jupiter and Edward Curry Hyde/Lincoln Dews on Toucan, the latter two are also Sydney Hobart entrants.
Seven Islands Race
Huge gusts swept Sydney Harbour. Up to 44 knots equated to thrills and spills and a shortened course when officials took three peeks at the western side of the Harbour Bridge and much to their consternation, found a steady 42 knots, so it was more a ‘one island race’.
Division 1 went to Peter Charteris’ Sydney 36, Kailani, from Brian Lees’ Adams 10, Contentious, while Division 2 was claimed by John de Meur’s Jeanneau SO 349, Elysium. Newcomer to racing, Shane Foley and his crew, acquitted themselves well by finishing second with the Dufour 36 Performance, Boudicca - a baptism of fire.
It was a bit much for some. Four elected not to start and three retired, among them the perfectly named, considering today’s conditions, ‘Wirrajurnd’.
“We sailed conservatively, no spinnaker,” Charteris said this afternoon. “We saw gusts of 42 knots, but realised we could manage it, so kept going. Some were out of control”
“The work from Shark Island to Port Dennison brought the race to an end. It’s not that often you need to manage those types of conditions. You really need to keep your eye on things, because of the sheer wind from one gust to the next, you have to watch you’re not sailing by the lee,” he said.
Division 2 winner, De Meur confessed, “It was pretty hairy out there, we put a reef in the main when we went around Shark Island. Then we put another one in to be on the safe side. A couple of times we were flattened, but came back up again!
“I’m glad the race was shortened where it was, as I didn’t fancy tacking up the Parramatta River in the huge gusts. We had a good race though, a good run back to the Club. I’ve done this race when it was a drifter; it was a huge contrast today,” de Meur ended.
The 48th SSORC concludes tomorrow after two offshore windward/leeward races are sailed from 10am with the starts and finishes in the vicinity of The Sound.
For full results and all information, please visit: www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au
Report by Di Pearson
Back 2 Black and Wailea reign supreme in Nautilus Marine Insurance Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship
Sunday November 30 2025
Sean Langman’s Back 2 Black won all three races of the 2025 Nautilus Marine Insurance Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC) to claim Division 1 after a weekend of racing, while Neil Padden’s Beneteau First 40.7 won Division 2, due to consistent results.
Back 2 Black’s clean sheet in the Middle Harbour Yacht Club hosted event, has been a morale booster, as Josh Alexander said after winning both offshore windward/leeward races.
“It was a good day again. The crew work was pretty good in the lead up and yes, it has given us a boost,” Alexander said.
“The boat has performed really well, but it’s still a learning curve for the crew. Sean bought the yacht in Europe and her first racing was at the Admirals Cup. This (the SSORC) is our first Australian regatta,” explained Alexander. “It’s a quick little boat and planes well downwind.”
Both races today consisted of two upwind and two downwind legs, Alexander saying, “It was lumpy outside the Heads, as it usually is. We sailed in a stable 14 to16 knots though.” Next up for Back 2 Black is the Cabbage Tree Island Race and then the 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart.
 and Daguet 2 today - David Staley, MHYC pic.JPG?timestamp=1764536380528)
Back 2 Black (left of screen) and Daguet 2 today. Photo: David Staley/ MHYC
Bob Cox may have relinquished the title he’s won for the past four years with Nine Dragons, his DK46, but second place in Division 1 is nothing to sneeze at and shows how consistently well Cox sails, no matter the competition, which ramped up a couple of notches this year, with the likes of Back 2 Black, Victoire and others.
Cox scored a pair of second places on the windward/leewards to secure second from Darryl Hodgkinson’s Carkeek 40, Victoire, which finished just one point in arrears of Nine Dragons. Hodgkinson, who won the 2013 Sydney Hobart with a previous Victoire, sealed third place overall by finishing third in yesterday’s Lion Island Race.
“We had an exceptional crew on a miraculous 20-year-old IRC boat,” Cox said ashore this afternoon. “The DK is a vintage boat, but a fantastic boat.”
On the contrast in weather over the two days, Cox said, “It was windy and bumpy on first day and you can’t top those planing boats on a reaching course. We came good in the windward/leewards and had some great racing with the top notch boats. Sailing the angles got us ahead of the others.
“Yesterday I fell over on my back and couldn’t get up – so a couple of the crew came back and picked me up! I have a little problem with my stability in a seaway, but the crew were very good, I’m proud of them.”
At 80, with his health not the best it could be, Cox never gives up. He’s a great role model. “It’s a sport I love with good camaraderie. Better than sitting at home watching the world go by,” he said.
Division 2 went the way of Neil Padden and his Beneteau First 40.7, Wailea, from Crazy Diamond, John Bacon’s Melges 32. Third place went to last year’s winner, Matt Wilkinson’s Farr 30, Foreign Affair.
Padden said this afternoon, referring to the mix of races, “I think the system here is right. We were conservative yesterday in difficult conditions and that paid off for us. Getting the boat around the course to the finish was key. Today we didn’t do as well, but sailing consistently did pay.
“Before the regatta, I said we normally prefer inshore racing as opposed to a passage race, but I have to say, I like the variety of the mix of the two styles of racing.
“We are very pleased and happy with our win. Both the boats behind us sailed very well,” Padden concluded.
Both Crazy Diamond and Foreign Affair were early retirees from yesterday’s race.
Crazy Diamond’s Darren ‘Twirler’ Jones explained, “It was too windy for the Melges. We don’t have reefing capabilities and even sailing with a No 4 headsail, it was too much with gusts up to 40 knots, so we decided rather than ruin sails we’d save them for the nice nor' easter today.
“The Melges are very tricky boats to sail. I’m lucky, because I’ve sailed them a long time and when you get them going they’re hard to beat.”
On beating Foreign Affair, Jones remembered, “Matt bought the boat from Richard Perini, who won the Mumm 30 Worlds with it.” Jones should know, he was aboard as main trimmer for Perini. “It gets around the course well. Like the Melges, they’re a very good boat too.
“The SSORC was a good regatta for us. We did a Super 40 event before this and decided to do the SSORC to keep us in the game. It’s a good option series, because you get a passage race and sailing windward/leewards out the Heads. It’s something a little different and keeps our eye on the game. Moving forward, we’re sailing in the Super 40 class again soon, so it’s all good practice.”
Today’s racing brought the 48th SSORC to a close.
For full results and all information, please visit: www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au
by Di Pearson
