Melbourne to Port Fairy (M2PF)

On a slow boat to...

...Port Fairy, actually.

Winners are grinners all right!

You know we all get a bit guilty of focussing on records, so it came as a surprise when we could not find a record of the slowest M2PF. This one would have had to come close, however. First boat home took around 26 hours and the last in around 41 hours for the 135nm journey. Trainspotters need not run for the calculator, it's like an average of 5.2kn and 3.3kn, respectively. Just say slow.

The new PF rescue Boat and the PFYC Clubhouse - simply idyllic.

So with the last boats, ‘Yoko', ‘Rogue Trader' and then finally ‘Pretty Woman' making port at 1731hrs, we're all squared away and there'll be some drinks, before a rest and then the march home for most of the fleet. I bet a few will leave pretty early tomorrow, in order to get a glimpse of the 12 Apostles as dawn breaks. It's magnificently warm and charming as ever in Port Fairy presently, so well done to all crews in persisting and reaching your goal. I'm sure that sun and the PFYC's hospitality will make everything better.

Seems the new ORCV 'If you're not there no prize" rule is working for presentation time...

Final standings in the 2009 M2PF are: IRC 1st ‘Extasea', 2nd ‘Isuzu Marine' and 3rd ‘Bacardi'. AMS 1st ‘Isuzu Marine', 2nd ‘Extasea' and 3rd ‘The Secretary' and finally PHC 1st ‘Mirrabooka', 2nd ‘Affrayed Knot' and 3rd ‘Running Wild'. Also, well done on an excellent tally for the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal - that's definitely a winner - year in, year out.

Doug Abbott from 'Afrayed Knot' collects the handicap trophy for a local boat, for the fourth time in a row. Well done. He says it's his last as the boat is for sale. is that like the wet weather gear for sale in Hobart around NYE???

David Bingham from 'Mirrabooka' collects his 1st in PHC prize from ORCV Race Director Don Fraser.

And so to the lucky winner of the Gill Atlantic Jacket was Hamish MacAdie from ‘Isuzu Marine'. What clean sweep it is for them then. I'm sure that takes away a lot of the frustration in getting to Port Fairy this year and will no doubt serve him well in his Mediterranean foray. Well done and again, many, many thanks to Gill Australia for making this great prize available.

Nice jacket Hamish - Ill just borrow it for a minute. Be right back...

The ORCV and the happy band of blue water sailors will be back for the Melbourne to Apollo Bay (M2AB) very soon...

Here's a very happy bunch of sailors. ORCV Commodore George Shaw and crew from 'The Secretary' take in the warmth...

By John Curnow