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  • Audi Sydney Gold Coast Record Chase On!

Audi Sydney Gold Coast Record Chase On!

Audi Sydney Gold Coast Record Chase On!

Audi Sydney Gold Coast Record Chase On!

The dye has been cast and the majority of the 63 entries in the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race have elected to go offshore after the Bureau of Meteorology’s Michael Logan updated the weather synopsis at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia this morning – and Brindabella’s 13 year old record is likely to be smashed.

The dye has been cast and the majority of the 63 entries in the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race have elected to go offshore after the Bureau of Meteorology’s Michael Logan updated the weather synopsis at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia this morning – and Brindabella’s 13 year old record is likely to be smashed.

Logan said that while the fleet would likely start in a 15 knot westerly under sunny skies, by the time the yachts turned left at Sydney Heads and headed north, “They would be chasing the tail of a surge of southerlies after a weakening low is taken over by a high coming from Tasmania.”

The fleet can expect 20-25 knots once they are pointing northwards and by tomorrow, a south-westerly will be dominant and will push the fleet to break-neck speeds, with the largest yacht in the fleet, Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI, in pole position to take the record of 27 hours 35 minutes 43 seconds.

While the super maxi’s skipper, Mark Richards, would not come out and say it would be third time lucky, and the record was Wild Oats’ for the taking, he did say: “It looks like beautiful conditions – and maybe, hopefully, a record.”

Richards confirmed they would be heading offshore to make the most of the wind, and said the race was all about tactics. “It’ll all be about tomorrow morning – when to come in – make it or break it time.”

Under usual circumstances of the past few years, the game has been to hug the coast, so skippers, tacticians and navigators are going to have to get their heads around committing to stay offshore for as long as it takes.

Mark Bradford, the skipper of Peter Harburg’s Reichel/Pugh 66 Black Jack from Queensland, commented on their tactics for the 384 nautical mile race: “It’ll be very windy – whoever gets through tonight without problems will win – it’s pretty simple stuff!”

Brad Kellett, who will skipper Brindabella in the absence of her owner, Jim Cooney, maintains the Jutson 80 can break her own record, set by original owner, George Snow in 1999. “If we can avoid damage and keep the crew going, we reckon we could go just inside our record. I’m not talking it up, but you have to stay positive,” he said.

“We’ll be putting up as much rag (sails) as we can and the only slowing down we’ll be doing is through the gybes. We’ve got four other great drivers who know how to get the best out of the boat,” he said of Bill Sykes, Gary Adshead, Greg Torpy and Tristan Cross.

Among those favoured for overall honours, provided one of the bigger boats doesn’t claim the trifecta, is Calm, the TP52 of Jason Van der Slot from Victoria. He says,” The weather is ideal for us; we’ll be heading offshore like a lot of others. Our plan is to drive it hard and get to the other end alright.

“We’re running with predominantly the same crew we took to Hobart last year, including Barney (respected yachtsman Ian Walker). He’s a driving force and has made us more professional,” said Van der Slot, who says the crew has been training in the gym for the past seven weeks.

As to their main competition, the Victorian skipper rated fellow Victorian and defending champion, Living Doll, a Farr 55 owned by Michael Hiatt, and Loki, Stephen Ainsworth’s RP63 from the host club, as their main rivals.
 
While Bob Oatley will be anxiously watching Wild Oats XI’s progress through the race, which could result in his yacht finishing by 9.00am local time tomorrow, he will also have an eye on the London Games, where granddaughters Kristy and Lyndal are competing in the Equestrian-Dressage event.

The Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, conducted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starts at 1.00pm off Nielsen Park on Sydney Harbour. The historic start cannon will be fired by Jannie Greyling, Financial Controller, Audi Centre Sydney

Follow the race action on http://goldcoast.cyca.com.au or on Twitter http://twitter.com/asgcyr

By Di Pearson, CYCA Event Media