Race officials waited until 1300 hours before abandoning racing, with the northerly wind averaging 35 to 40 knots on the river, squalls gusting to 65 knots.

Ingate, near 82 years of age and a Dragon sailor for 52 years, is believed to be the oldest yachtsman ever to win an Australian national yachting championship in any class.

It is the first Prince Philip Cup victory for Ingate, an Australian representative at the America’s Cup, Admiral’s Cup and Olympic Games and skipper of the close runner-up yacht Caprice of Huon in the 1972 Sydney Hobart Race.

However, it was the ninth Prince Philip Cup win for Nick Rogers, also a former Dragon class world champion, and the second for Simon Burrows.

Ingate said this afternoon that Rogers and Burrows had played a key role in his victory. “I’ve been blessed with two very good Tasmanian crew….they’re excellent crew and I pay them a lot of respect because they have put me up where we are,” the octogenarian skipper said.

Second place in the 2008 Prince Philip Cup has gone to another Sydney crew, Ian McCrossin, Martin Burke and Rick Hall, sailing Riga, third to the Tasmanian boat Kirribilli II, sailed by Andrew Crisp,  David Graney and John Gardiner.   Second place had to be decided on a countback after both boats scored equal points.

The top 10 placegetters in the 2008 Prince Philip Cup, announced this afternoon at The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, were:

   1. Whim (Gordon Ingate, NSW) 19.7 points

   2. Riga (Ian McCrossin/Martin Burke, NSW) 24.7

   3. Kirribilli II (Andrew Crisp, Tas) 24.7

   4. Leander (Hugh Wardrop, Tas) 37.7

   5. Hotspur (Ken Stevenson, WA) 46.7

   6. Sassafrass (Sandy Anderson, WA) 46.7

   7. Aquila (Jock Young, Tas) 48.4

   8. Mystere (Wayne Wagg, Tas) 56.4

   9. Amazing Grace (Tony Mooney/Charles Stanton, Tas) 69.0

  10. Gilt Dragon II (Ian Malley, WA) 76