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After an intense seven race series, Cameron Thorpe and his Hard Labour team have taken out the 2022 Farr 1020 National Championship Series hosted

by the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club with the support of Burnsco and Mount Gay Rum as sponsors.

 

Seven Farr 1020’s raced in a mix of conditions, testing the entire fleet and providing some epic racing for the close-knit community of sailors.

Raced over two days, the fleet saw a mix of conditions – everything from 5 knots with a slither of sun, to 14 knots with rain. Fog blanketed the fleet on

the second day of racing, proving that Auckland does have multiple seasons in a day.

 

While the fleet was small in size, they were feisty in all other aspects, making for some close and intense racing across both the Saturday and the Sunday. The commentary from

on board each boat clearly showed the intensity levels, but it was Cameron Thorpe and his Hard Labour crew that kept their cool, taking six guns of the

seven-race series.

“The team was fantastic, and we have had such a great weekend of racing,” said Thorpe.

Winning six of the seven scheduled races, Thorpe said that his team outdid all expectations, having had little time on the water together prior to the event. However, it was the

first race on Sunday morning, race five of the series, that hindered the lads from securing guns for every race, and then luck fell their way in race six where an abandonment gave

them a second chance.

 

“The first race on a Sunday morning is always a struggle for us, I don’t know why, it might have something to do with Saturday night, but yeah, we just take a bit to warm up on

Sunday mornings!” laughed Thorpe, with his crew nodding with agreement in the background.

Flashwave, with Andrew MacDonald at the helm took that race after finding the wisp of a breeze soon after the start. A good effort for them after having halyard issues on Saturday

resulting in a crew member being launched up the rig to fix the issue during the race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also shining on Sunday was the crew from Shortie with a second and third in the first two races to secure fourth overall. A solid effort for this team.

Rainbow IV helmed by Alan Smith, another seasoned 1020 skipper, sailed consistently for third place overall with a solid Saturday and good results on Sunday to threaten second

going into the last race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“They are just a bunch of mates who just happen to be rockstars on the water! We’ve all been sailing together for years. But having sailors who know what they are doing

definitely makes a difference.”

“We had a brand-new North Sails 3Di Helix Genoa which is amazing, probably the best genoa I’ve seen on the boat, and a new kite as well. I definitely feel that this made

a difference to our overall performance,” said Thorpe.

 

When asked about the competition, Thorpe singled out The V Team led by Tony Evans.

“Those guys really stepped it up this year and have improved exponentially. With a fleet like the 1020’s it’s about getting the basics right. The races are relatively short,

with a windward leg of about 0.8nm, so you have to be on your game for the whole race.”

 

“The Farr 1020 is an awesome fleet and it was a great weekend. The 1020 is such a versatile boat, great for cruising, great for racing. Of course, we want to see more boats

on the racecourse, and a fleet has begun to build in Gulf Harbour, so perhaps a regatta there would help with the fleet numbers for next year’s Championship Series. There

are about 10-12 boats up there now!”

“I have to thank the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club race committee. Hamish Tait and his team did an outstanding job to get all seven races in. The team is consistent which

enabled the great racing,” said Thorpe.

 

Next for Hard Labour is the SSANZ Triple Series and it will be Tim Holgate who Thorpe pairs up with in the three-race event.

 

Tony Evans, owner/skipper of The V Team won the event on handicap and was second overall.

“We are really pleased with the result and the crew is really coming together. I’ve had the boat for four years and we are really getting a feel for the boat as a team,” said Evans.

“Sunday was a tough day for us (The V Team).  We were a boat length away from winning race six, but the committee were forced to abandon it as the time limit of one hour

had expired just a boat length off the finish line. We were in the lead and were so close to crossing the finish line before it was thrown out. And then Hard Labour took the win

on the re-run of race six, and deservedly so, they really were on fire out there all weekend,” said Evans.

 

The Farr 1020 fleet is much larger than the seven boats that competed in the Championship Series, with a fleet now gaining momentum in Gulf Harbour.

“We are keen to see more boats out racing, and with the increased number of 1020s in Gulf Harbour, we are hoping to take the championship to that end of Waitemata

Harbour in the next couple of years,” said Evans.

“The last couple of years the Farr 1020 Association has lifted their game and there is more activity in general happening around the class. We are more active on our

website and Facebook page, so anyone wanting to get involved with the fleet can contact us through either of those platforms,” said Evans, who is an integral part of the

revamped team.

After their win, the Hard Labour team now equals Max Headroom on the most Farr 1020 Championship Series wins. The two boats now have nine titles each to their name,

meaning that next year’s event could see a new leader in the overall number of titles won.

With the Championship Series now wrapped up for the season, attention is turned to the next event on the calendar, the SSANZ Triple Series, a three-race event which will

see the Farr 1020’s revert to shorthanded racing, with a maximum of two crew on board.

“We love racing the Hard Labour in the SSANZ Triple Series,” said Thorpe. “The 1020’s are great for shorthanded sailing, and we can’t wait to stretch our legs for the long haul

races that the series provides.”

Once again the Farr 1020 Class Association would like to thank sponsors Burnsco and Mount Gay Rum for their support of the fleet and to the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club

for hosting a successful event.

“Without sponsors these events just wouldn’t be the same, so a huge thanks to Burnsco and Mount Gay Rum for their fantastic prizes and ongoing support,” said Tony Evans.

The Farr 1020 Class Association will hold a virtual AGM on Tuesday 26 July from 8pm.

More details on this event will be available online here – https://www.farr1020.org.nz/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=387362&item_id=1681880&event_date_id=255

Get involved with the class! Head over and follow/like the the Facebook page to keep up-to-date with all things Farr 1020 – https://www.facebook.com/Farr1020