Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2024

News
2023
Epsilon Crucis – Cam McKenzie gives us the good oil on Ginan’s entry into the Noakes Gold Coast

Epsilon Crucis – Cam McKenzie gives us the good oil on Ginan’s entry into the Noakes Gold Coast

NEWS
27 Jul, 2023 10:55:00 AM

Jana Fraser

Epsilon Crucis – Cam McKenzie gives us the good oil on Ginan’s entry into the Noakes Gold Coast

Owned by Cam McKenzie and Nigel Jones from Mornington Yacht Club, Ginan the J/111, was first purchased the from Sydney in December 2021 and together they have campaigned the boat competitively. Ginan is a great all-round boat that is fun and rewarding to sail. Her crew all hail from Victoria and they have meticulously prepared her, for both offshore and inshore racing.

Nigel and Cam are great friends who have regularly sailed together since the 1990’s. Between them they have done a total of twenty-five Rolex Sydney to Hobarts, ten off which were completed together. Nigel and Cam have both been sailing since they were young, then as teenager they got into keelboat racing. Ginan is the first time the pair have come together in boat ownership. They named the boat after the fifth star of the Southern Cross. A star which bares the traditional name Ginan in the culture of the Wardaman people of the Northern Territory of Australia. Owning a boat together is turning out to be a very enjoyable experience. “We have a great team, and we are all looking forward to having a good crack at the Noakes Gold Coast Race,” says Cam.

This week, ahead of the race we caught up with Cam to hear a bit more about the boat and the team’s prep for the race.

CYCA: What prompted you to do the Sydney-Gold Coast race? The course, the journey, the finish? Is there any on aspect you look forward to or maybe dread?

After a successful year of racing in Victoria, which included a second place overall in the 50^th Melbourne to Hobart, we are excited to bring Ginan to Sydney to compete in the Noakes Sydney to Gold Coast Race.

Cam and Nigel and various members of the Ginan crew have great memories of the Gold Coast race. Nigel skippered his fathers’ yacht Cadibarra 7, along with our navigator Greg Patten to a second place overall in IRC in the 1999 race and finished a remarkable fifth over the line and held the race record for 40ft boats for many years.

Cam was aboard the Western Australian TP52 M3 - now called Highly Sprung - along with Paul Heyes and Stuart Schafer in the 2017 race and finished first place in Division 1 against a strong fleet of TP’s and 4^th place overall.

CYCA: Who will your crew be for this race? Anyone new to it? How many on board for this?

Cam: We have a fabulous team of eight for this race which includes plenty of offshore experience and some youth. We are good mates and most of the team have sailed together over the years on numerous race boats.

Our crew are Greg Patten, Tim Bilham, Will McKenzie, Stuart Schafer, Paul Heyes and David Kneen. Will, who is Cam’s 19 year old son and David are doing their first Rolex Sydney Gold Coast Race and they are really looking forward to the experience.

CYCA: What is the vibe on board? How did the tradition start?

Cam: There is a common tie between most of the team, from growing up and sailing at Mornington Yacht Club. Nigel, Cam, Greg and Paul sailed on Don Jones designed yachts. Don is Nigel’s father and he designed a series of boats named Cadibarra along with the likes of the 100 footer Skandia Wild Thing.

CYCA: What are your plans for after you finish the race? For example, will you continue on to Hamilton Island Race Week or Airlie beach Race Week? Is this race part of a BWPS for you?

Cam: Following the Gold Coast Race, we will be returning Ginan to Sydney and while we are still working out the program for the remainder of the year, we are keen to do the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race and possibly some of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore.