Selden for Sailing Lion Island Series Winners Announced in Australia
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) is excited to announce the winners of the Selden for Sailing Lion Island Series. This prestigious racing event is held annually, and the series welcomed over 75 boats of all shapes and sizes and provided many great opportunities for competitive sailors and the more casual, laid-back fun-seeking sailors.
The Lion Island Series is a tough and challenging race that takes place over four rounds. Competitors must navigate the waters around Lion Island, which is in Middle Head in Pittwater, Australia. This year’s event saw 74 yachts compete in the 4-race series. With the popularity of the Autumn event 5 divisions were introduced with ORC & PHS scoring options.
Nick Elliot, the Race Director at RPAYC, is very happy with the cooperation with the Offshore Racing Congress and the use of the ORC rating rule for this series.
"The ORC rating rule is a great tool for us at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club when we are racing. It helps ensure that the playing field is fair and that all boats have an equal chance of winning. This has had a hugely positive impact on our racing and it's great to see everyone participating in competitive sailing!" he says.
The overall winners of the 2023 Selden for Sailing Lion Island Series
The overall winners of the 2023 Selden for Sailing Lion Island Series were presented with their trophies at a special ceremony held at RPAYC.
New to this year’s event was the introduction of two Perpetual Trophies awarded to the winning yachts in each division. Winners will have their names engraved onto the respective trophy.
Congratulations to our overall Winners across the 5 ORC Divisions:
- Division 1: ORC - Revolver - Ritchie 38 of Michael Ritchie
- Division 2: ORC - Organised Chaos - Adams 10 of Garry Gudmunson
- Division 3: ORC - Young at Heart - Young 88 of Simon Grosser
- Division 4: ORC - Nirvana's Kitchen - Jeaneau 45DS of Leon Wilson
- Division 5: ORC - Pick Pocket - Pocket Rocket 22 of Chris Hornsby
Congratulations to our overall Winners across the 5 PHS Divisions:
- Division 1: PHS - Revolver
- Division 2: PHS – TBA beta
- Division 3: PHS – Georgia Lee
- Division 4: PHS – Elysian
- Division 5: PHS - Kindred Spirit
Using the ORC Rating Rule has been great for RPAYC racing program
"Using the ORC rating rule has had a very positive effect on our yacht club and the racing at RPAYC. We are seeing it growing with nearly 90 boats now racing regularly. Sailing is improving and the boats are very competitive now at regattas. We have chosen to use ORC to score all our club racing, so we are unique in Australia. It allows us to level the playing field and make sure that all boats, no matter their size or construction, compete on an equal footing. It's been great for our racing program!" - Nick Elliott continues and is looking forward to developing the cooperation with ORC further.
“The Lion Island Series has been a great event, to see 70 Yachts from across multiple clubs racing on Pittwater has been fantastic, as the Series Sponsor for 2023 we can't wait to be back in 2024 for the Selden for Sailing Lion Island Series!”
Jan Scholten - Selden