Teakle Classic 72nd Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race and Lincoln Week Regatta 18-24 February 2022 This year’s race had none of the Covid disruptions that impacted on over-the-border competitors last year. South Australia was well represented as always in the iconic Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race and many stayed on for the Regatta with the Port Lincoln Yacht Club welcoming SA boats from the CYCSA, RSAYS, and Goolwa Yacht Club. We were pleased to see the interstate boats included from NSW, Matt Allen’s Botin 52 Ichi Ban, competing for the fourth time in the race, this time after a record-breaking third win in the recent Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race in 2021, and increasing the numbers to three in Division 1 along with the two South Australian boats Geoff Boettcher’s PAC 52J/V Secret Mens Business and Nick George’s TP52 Another Hooligan, a wellmatched division destined to draw intense interest during racing. Victorian boats, all from Sandringham Yacht Club, included Rob Date’s new Carkeek 43 Scarlet Runner, Brett Averay’s popular Peterson 44 Bacardi here for the 5th time, Robert Green’s Pacific 50 Dream and Mike and Mark Welsh’s Beneteau First 40 Wicked, bringing strong challenges to the event which made for an exciting week of racing for both competitors and spectators. Two multihulls, Cicala and Venom, competed in their own series. The Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race began well in brisk south to south westerly winds and the strong run down Gulf St Vincent to the first corner promised a great race for the faster boats. The reach across the foot favoured the brave (and strong of stomach) and good times were recorded for many in the front half of the fleet. With the wind swinging round to come from the south east, the bigger boats had the advantage and once round Cape Spencer had perfect downwind runs to the finish, Ichi Ban taking line honours over Secret Mens Business and Another Hooligan.
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The rest of the fleet made its way through the night under a cloudy sky with occasional glimpses of a full moon until the wind dropped out in the morning making it difficult, especially for the smaller boats in Spencer Gulf, to make it to the finish line for breakfast. This is despite the long spinnaker runs up to Donington between the usual rocks, reefs and fish farms in the area. Cape Spencer undid a small number of well-laid plans and there were a few spinnakers that made their way to the local sail-maker for a stitch in time before the first race of the upcoming regatta. The regatta, held over four days, included two days of windward/leeward courses (Monday and Thursday), a long passage race on Tuesday - Division 1 round Taylors Island (39 nms) and Division 2 round Carcass Rock (30 nms) - and the Bay Race on Wednesday. Monday’s windward/leeward races took place on what can only be described as a perfect day for sailing on Boston Bay with winds between 10 and 15 knots and flat seas. Both races were set for two laps round the course. In Race 1, close competition in IRC in Div 1 saw Ichi Ban take first place 38 seconds in front of Secret Mens Business and in Div 2 Shining Sea take line honours but yielding first place to Wicked on handicap. AMS results put Secret Mens Business in first for Div 1 and Shining Sea in front of Dream in Div 2. On PHS Another Hooligan narrowly beat Ichi Ban in Div 1 while a tight lead on handicap placed Wicked in front of Dream in Div 2. In Div 3 Bacardi took a first on AMS and a second on PHS. Race 2 saw similar results with the addition of Papillon in Div 2, new to the RSAYS, taking second on
