ORCV Melbourne Winter Series (MWS)

Battle Royal.

No matter whether you're 30 feet, 40 or even 50, it's going to be game on tomorrow, Sunday July 4, in the opening round of the Melbourne Winter Series.

There is a fantastic fleet that is going to amass for the first race in what looks to be mild conditions. One of the main battles will be amongst the Colt 38s (read Sydney 38), as they prepare for their next round of titles. You've got Audacious, the Doyen and his Challenge, Clockwork, Chutzpah38 and our new pals, Mille Sabords.

Our current Happiest Crew on the Water holders are going to be part of the stoush amongst the Colts.

There's also the three Beneteau First 40's. The seasoned Wicked, Second to None and new player, Halcyon. The first 2010 MWS entrant, Bombora, will be hoping to get a piece of that action too, all the while 2009 M2HW winner, Jazz Player will be going about her business. Whilst still in the 40's, we have Schuss and Icefire to look at and they will certainly be looking at current Offshore champs, Extasea.

Living Doll to windward of Cougar (Where are they for the MWS?) with Calm splitting the field on Port.

Goldfinger and XLR8 will keep themselves entertained, whilst Calm and Living Doll duke it out for the bragging rights at the pointy end.

Pic by Chris Furey

Ian and our pals on Beyond Outrageous will be itching to get the Bag up (as per above) and Matrix will want to see that action and raise them a kite or two. Alibi and Gienah will be eyeing off and in the lighter airs, I would want to know where Godzilla and Nutcracker were.

I also want to know what is going to transpire amongst our women skippers like Kathryn de Garis, Jo Harpur and Tanya Stanford. Who'll blitz, who'll be smiling?

All in all I just can't wait for the results myself, so I hope everyone has a great time at the flare shoot and an even better one out on the track from half ten!

You can still enter individual MWS races HERE and the M2G is HERE - remember that Cruising Divisions will be offered for the latter event.

By John Curnow