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  • Race Updates - 2024 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Race Updates - 2024 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Race Updates - 2024 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race
Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2024 - Voltstar Yeah Baby. Protected by copyright. Image by Andrea Francolini.

Race Updates - 2024 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Read a continuously updated race summary as the race progresses

Tuesday 30 July 0600 hours (65 hours after the start)

All but one of the 48 boats (3 retirements) racing in the 2024 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast have now finished at Main Beach.

The sole remaining team on water is the pairing of Kathy Veel and Beth Higgs competing double handed on the Joubert designed Currawong. The classic 30-footer is currently 2 nautical miles south of Cape Byron, Australia's most easterly point, and is expected to finish some time after midday today depending on breeze. She has 44.3 nautical miles to go and is doing 6.2 knots. After the earlier retirement of Intiy, she will take out Double Handed PHS honours.

The constant stream of traffic has kept the team at Southport Yacht Club busy. Since our last update, 31 boats have arrived - Odin, Calibre 12, White Noise, Kanreki, Mondo, Min River, GWM Pennant Hills, Clockwork, Cinquante, MWF Kayle, Stampede, Mako, Avalanche, Wot's Next, Ciao Bella, Saltwater Wine, Philosopher, Ragtime, Supernova, Jupiter, Blue Planet, Georgia Express, Rum Rebellion, Esprit, Toucan, Verite, Wild Oats, Cyan Moon, Crowded Haus, Son of a Son and Maritimo Katwinchar.

The last to arrive, Bill Barry-Cotter's hometown favourite, the 10 metre 1904 classic Maritimo Katwinchar built by the Watney brewery in England, completed the course just before 3am.  It was also sailing double handed with co-skippers Michael Spies and veteran dinghy sailor Peter Vaiciyrgis.

The prizegiving is scheduled for 1330hrs today and will be held at the SYC and MC'd by CYCA's Rear Commodore Peter Gothard. A full list of winners and divisional standings will be published afterwards.

Double Handed competitor Maritimo Katwinchar.  Image: Andrea Francolini

Monday 29 July 2030 hours (55 hours after race start)

The conclusion of Day 3 brought a beautiful sunset for the competitors crossing the finish line at twilight.

As of 2030 hours, 41 yachts have crossed the finish line, leaving 7 yachts still competing out at sea.

Monday 29 July 1300 hours (48 hours after start)

16 of 48 boats (and 3 retirements) have now completed the 38th edition of the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race:

URM Group, Whisper, Smuggler, Koa, Antipodes, Voltstar Yeah Baby, Tempo, Denali, Daguet 2, Pretty Woman, Quantock, Mistral (DH), Indigo II, Minerva, Patriot and Pacman (DH).

A flurry of arrivals is expected later this afternoon and evening.

Divisional leaders:

IRC Division 0 - Tempo

IRC Division 1 - Voltstar Yeah Baby

IRC Division 2 - Mistral (DH)

IRC Division 3 - Min River (DH) *STILL TO FINISH*

PHS - Cyan Moon; Stampede; Ciao Bella, an order that has changed on several occasions over the race.

With more demanding conditions expected this evening, it looks like another long and tiring night for those crews still on the racecourse.

 

 Jiang Lin's Min River.   Image: Andrea Francolini

Monday 29 July 0515 hours (40 hours after start)

It's shaping up to be cracker of contest for IRC Overall in the 2024 NSGCYR.

Overnight, Marc and Louis Ryckmans' Akilaria RC2 Voltstar Yeah Baby finished in a time of 01:22:37:30 to put her on top of the standings.

The double handed entry of Rupert Henry and Greg O'Shea on the Lombard 34 Mistral, winners of the 2022 and 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Double Handed IRC, are the next boat to challenge them.

To go into the lead, they will need to complete the course by 0841 hours this morning.  With just over 21 nautical miles to go and currently doing around 7 knots, it will be an exciting finish in three hours time.

Mon 29 July 0200 hours (37 hours after start)

Following URM Group's Line Honours victory just after 2015 hours Sunday evening, three other boats have now finished: Whisper, Smuggler and KOA.

Next over the line should be either Antipodes or the Akilaria RC2 Voltstar Yeah Baby of Marc and Louis Ryckmans that has 8.8 nautical miles to go and is currently 7 nautical miles north of Fingal Head doing almost 10 knots.  She will become the provisional IRC Overall leader by completing the race before 0545 hours.  Tempo is close to the pair.

The fight for IRC Overall is very wide open.  Standings currently have Mistral (DH) leading the list of likely challengers ahead of Voltstar Yeah Baby, Patriot (Jason Close's J/177), Tempo and Min River (DH).  It is interesting to see that all four IRC divisions are represented in the top five.

Now that there are teams '.. back in the clubhouse', the NSGCYR Tracker will display the times that boats still racing would need to finish by to take the lead.

We will be watching with interest as the forecast westerlies continue to strengthen.

Divisional leaders:

IRC Division 0 - Tempo

IRC Division 1 - Voltstar Yeah Baby

IRC Division 2 - Mistral (DH)

IRC Division 3 - Min River (DH)

PHS - Stampede; Cyan Moon; Ciao Bella

 

Inglis 39 Stampede.  Image: Andrea Francolini 

Sunday 28 July 1730 hours (28.5 hours after start)

URM Group continues to lead the fleet towards the finish line.  The breeze has slowed down, with URM Group pacing along at an average of 7-8 knots.

It's becoming a small boat race as Mistral continues to lead the Overall IRC standings, alongside Voltstar Yeah Baby, Pacman and Min River.

URM Group, Whisper, Smuggler, Koa, Tempo, Antipodes and Voltstar Yeah Baby are all anticipated to finish overnight, with the majority of the fleet finishing in the daylight hours of Monday 29 July.

Sunday 28 July 1300 hours (24 hours after start)

One day in and URM Group has stretched her legs and is now 16.7 nautical miles ahead of Whisper.  She has 77.3 nautical miles to the finish line and is presently doing 14.8 knots (with an average overall speed of 13.3 knots).

The first of the TP52s, Smuggler, is a further 17.9 nautical miles back with Koa and Tempo (last year's Division 1 winner) in pursuit.

On IRC Overall, Tempo leads Voltstar Yeah Baby and Mistral but it is a tight affair and the honours are still very much open for many teams to stake their claim.

Divisional leaders:

IRC Division 0 - Tempo

IRC Division 1 - Voltstar Yeah Baby

IRC Division 2 - Mistral (DH)

IRC Division 3 - Maritimo Katwinchar (DH) Bill Barry-Cotter.  Helmed by Michael Spies and Peter Vaiciurgis. Watney circ. 1904

PHS - Cyan Moon (Wayne Arnold Seaward's Beneteau Oceanis 473); Stampede; Ciao Bella

Conditions are beautiful on the Gold Coast this afternoon and we are looking forward to covering the Line Honours finish this evening.

 

Bill Barry-Cotter's Maritimo Katwinchar  Photo: Andrea Fransolin's's 

Sunday 28 July 1015 hours (21 hours after start)

Defending Overall Winner, Anthony Johnston’s URM Groupleads the pack with David Griffith AM’sWhisper and Sebastian Bohm’s Smuggler fourteen and twenty nautical miles, respectively, behind the leader.

Varying conditions prevailed overnight, according to David Griffith. "It was a wild ride. We lost eleven minutes getting the spinnaker down in the heavy breeze but had a great morning running at twenty knots. The wind is a bit all over, dying and shifting back around. It's starting to pick back up again allowing us to pick up speed heading north."

Just fifty-five nautical miles behind the leader, Michael Smith’s Tempo continues to make waves. In the 2023 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast, the crew claimed first place in IRC Division 1. Racing in IRC Division 0 for the 2024 edition, the team currently stands in second in IRC Division 0 and third in IRC overall.

Rupert Henry’s Mistral continues to put up an extraordinary performance, leading the double handed fleet and standing in second in IRC overall, as they race up the NSW coastline alongside Rob Aldis’s Daguet 2 and Darryn Purdy’s Indigo II.

Twins Louis and Marc Ryckman’s Voltstar Yeah Baby currently leads the IRC Division 1 fleet with 200 nautical miles to go. The Ryckman twins are no strangers to offshore racing together, making the 2024 running their tenth Noakes Sydney Gold Coast.

New to the fleet, Edward Curry-Hyde’s Sunfast 3300 Toucan sailed an impressive first night, currently leading IRC Division 3 and second in IRC Double Handed. With thirteen double handed competitors, the fleet’s notable lineup ensures a noteworthy contest towards the finish line.

Michael McDonald’s Inglis 39 Stampede leads the PHS division, with just under 240 nautical miles to the finish line.

IRC Division 0 - Smuggler

IRC Division 1 - Voltstar Yeah Baby

IRC Division 2 - Mistral (DH)

IRC Division 3 - Toucan (DH) Edward Curry-Hyde and Scott Robertson. Sunfast 3300

PHS - Stampede; She's the Culprit; Cyan Moon

Ray Hudson’s XP44 XS Moment is the first retirement from the race, leaving the fleet at fifty competitors still racing.

 

Akalaria Rc2 Voltstar Yeah Baby  Photo: Andrea Francolini

Sunday 28 July 0600 hours (17 hours after start)

URM Group still maintains the lead and is currently 25 nautical miles East of Smoky Cape doing 17.3 knots on a near Northerly heading, almost 12 nautical miles ahead of Whisper.  She has averaged 12.9 knots since the start.

Next lies Smuggler, Denali, Antipodes and Tempo stretched out in front of a tight pack consisting of KOA, Volstar Yeah Baby, Pretty Woman and Daguet 2 rounding out the first ten.

Seb Bohm's TP52 Smuggler tops IRC Overall. Mistral (a Double Handed boat) is currently 2nd ahead of Tempo in 3rd. The Line Honours leaders URM Group and Whisper hold down 4th and 5th spots.

IRC Division 0 - Smuggler

IRC Division 1 - Pretty Woman

IRC Division 2 - Mistral (DH)

IRC Division 3 - Toucan (DH) Edward Curry-Hyde and Scott Robertson. Sunfast 3300

PHS - Stampede; She's the Culprit; Ciao Bella (Kate Onslow and Simon Hanning's Hanse 505).

It would have been a long and chilly night for the fleet with several sail changes and doubtless many discussions about tactics as they travelled north.

 

Smuggler  Photo: Andrea Francolini

Saturday 27 July 2300 hours (10 hours after start)

Ten hours into the race after an excruciatingly slow start on Sydney Harbour, the fleet is currently strung out from Sugar Loaf (between Newcastle and Taree) down to the bottom of the Central Coast.  Whilst the lead boats got trucking early after hooking into a freshening North Easterly breeze, some competitors ended up south of the Heads and took time to pass Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Last year's Overall Winner, Anthony Johnston's Maxi 72 URM Group has the lead 31 nautical miles East of Sugarloaf and is well outside the rhumbline - as are most of the fleet.  She is doing 11.3 knots and has averaged 10.6 knots over the course with 281.9 nautical miles to the finish at Main Beach on the Gold Coast.  Whisper is less than a mile back with Geoff Hill's Santa Cruz 72 a further 11.9 nautical mile behind.

The three TP52s, Smuggler, Denali and KOA, follow, with Mike Smith's Kernan 44 Tempo the best of the smaller race boats.

On IRC Overall, Rupert Henry's all-conquering Division 2 entry, the Lombard 34 Mistral co-skippered with Greg O'Shea, tops the standings.  She is also the best placed of the Double Handed boats and is 27 nautical miles South-East of Cabbage Tree Island.  As in the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart, she is definitely batting above her weight.  Tempo leads Division 0 and sits 2nd Overall whilst another Divison 0 entry, Damien Parkes TP52 Denali, is 3rd.

Division 1 sees Louis Ryckman's Akilaria RC2 Volstar Yeah Baby leading; Division 3, Jiang Lin's Double Handed entry, the JPK 10.30 Min River.

In PHS, Matthew Hanning's Beneteau First 53 Odin leads Michael McDonald's Inglis 39 Stampede and the syndicate-owned Inglis/Jones 39 She's the Culprit.

Handicap leads haver changed a fair bit in the first half day of racing and with building breeze and a significant shift expected in the early morning, the next half day could see many more.

 

Tempo at the start of the 2024 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. Photo: Andrea Francolini

Saturday 27 July 1700 hours (4 hours after start)

It was a gentle and somewhat prolonged race out to the Heads for the boats competing in the 2024 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race this afternoon.  Fifty-one yachts assembled on the start line before they crawled across Sydney Harbour to turn north to run up the NSW coastline. The race started at 1300 hours in grey, overcast conditions following a morning of rainfall but the weather soon improved to deliver perfect sunshine.

It’s the calm before the storm though, as yachts are preparing to encounter a stronger west south-westerly breeze starting in the early morning of Sunday 28 July.  The anticipated conditions should make it a close race amongst the top competitors, with strong breezes building 24 hours in that might allow the mid-size competitors to catch up to the mini-maxis.

The fastest yachts made it out of the heads in just fifty-eight minutes, with URM Group being the first to reach open water and the TP52 KOA just a few minutes behind.  Rupert Henry’s Mistral was the first double handed entry to sail past North Head, only twenty minutes behind URM Group at 1418 hours.

URM Group sailed strategically as the defending winner, but was tested.  Anthony Johnston’s yacht claimed the Overall Victory in the 2023 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race and took home the overall title for the 2023/2024 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore.

Once out the Heads, and felt breeze and quickly picked up speed with CYCA Director David Griffith AM's J/V62 Whisper close behind.

Sebastian Bohm's TP52 Smuggler and Michael Smith's Kernan 44 Tempo were in pursuit, alongside Peter Wrigley and Andrew Kearnan's KOA.