Obsession Retains Siska Trophy at Ocean Racing WA Awards
Ocean Racing WA held its annual Awards Night at South Perth Yacht Club on Saturday 23 May, where Paul and the Obsession crew were presented with the coveted Siska Trophy, going back-to-back as winners following another standout offshore season.
Photo (L–R): Guy Skinner, Antun Janekovic, Brian Cross (SoPYC Commodore), Geoff Bishop, Paul Arns, Jess Sweeney, Ceris Arns, Will McCallum, Andrew Knowles, Geoff Backshall (front), James Ferguson and Justin Van Didden, with Andrew Maloney (kneeling). Photo: Lindsay Preece.
This season proved both challenging and highly competitive, with early disruption opening the door for consistent performers across the fleet.
The campaign began on a difficult note when Alfresco sustained damage in a collision, forcing the boat out for much of the series before returning for the Albany Race. Shortly after, Atomic Blonde made a strong start to the Siska Trophy with two early wins, before a rig failure caused by a fitting issue sidelined the boat for the remainder of the season, with a replacement mast still due from Europe in July. These incidents reshaped the season and created opportunities for others to step forward.
Fremantle Sailing Club boats featured strongly throughout the season. In the Short Haul Series, Obsession delivered an outstanding performance to win IRC Division 1, edging Sirene on countback, while Endorfin secured second in PHS Division 1 behind Surfer Rosa. Salacia II (also representing RFBYC) claimed IRC Division 2 honours, and 2 Up showed strong form by taking out PHS Division 2.
The Blue Water Series continued to showcase strong FSC representation. Obsession again led the way, winning IRC Division 1 to cap a consistent offshore campaign. Sirene performed strongly to take out PHS Division 1 and finish second in IRC, while 2 Up added to its season with victory in IRC Division 2 and another podium finish in the PHS standings.
The Corinthian division highlighted the depth of club sailing, with 2 Up claiming top honours ahead of Sagacious IV and King Canute.
At the top level, Obsession’s consistency across the offshore program was again rewarded with overall victory in the Siska Blue Water Championship, with Sirene second and 2 Up third, completing a clean sweep of the podium for boats well known on FSC start lines.
Looking ahead, Obsession is now preparing for an east coast campaign, with plans to contest the 2026 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race and Hamilton Island Race Week, taking strong WA form onto the national stage.