Audi Victoria Week: Chilli top scores in the Geelong Taxi Network Multihull Series

Chilli - red hot finish. Image copyright Teri Dodds/Audi Victoria Week.

by Lisa Ratcliff

The Geelong Taxi Network Multihull Series, part of Audi Victoria Week, was decided yesterday afternoon, but final results were kept top secret until last night’s prize giving when Geoff Floyd, thinking he’d finished second, was called up as the overall winner of the eight-race series with his Corsair Sprint 750 called Chilli
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Floyd, sailing for the Hastings Yacht Club in Victoria, finished on 16 points, two points clear of Peter Floyd’s Goldfinger (SA) and Tim Pepperell’s E-Marineworld Skips (Vic), both Farrier designs.

“We got off to a bad start on the first day, breaking some rigging followed by a poor second race, but we finished the regatta strongly with a win and a second yesterday, which got us over the line” said a delighted Floyd.

“I’ve been coming to Geelong for the past 20 years sailing on others boats and for the past two regattas my own, and this is my first win so it’s pretty special.

“Last year the boat was new to us and we were still getting used to it. This year we bought some new sails and gathered up a good crew and it’s paid off for us.

“We had great racing with [second placed] Goldfinger; they are a bigger boat and it’s always pleasing to be close to them on the course,” added Floyd.

Commenting on the overall series the winning skipper is delighted with the regatta standard of competition and the camaraderie that exists amongst the multi-hull fleet of 11 representing Victoria and South Australia.

“The quality of the fleet is great, the competition was really close, and everyone had a lot of fun. We all meet up after racing, it’s not a huge fleet but everyone enjoys getting together.”

Most other divisions are still in the thick of their competition, with many results expected to go down to the wire in tomorrow’s deciding races while for the multihulls, their competition wrapped up yesterday after six days on the water.

The class had a head start on the extensive Audi Victoria Week racing program; their first race commenced last Tuesday at Geelong before the fleet raced to Melbourne and back again with Saturday’s huge Passage Race fleet.

The Geelong Taxi Network Multi-Hull Series is one of the many class battles that make up Audi Victoria Week which is being hosted by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club for the 166th year.

Audi Victoria Week