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Konica Minolta heading for line honours victory

Home 2004 Konica Minolta heading for line honours victory

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“No-one likes to pull out of a race. It’s hard for everybody," admits Wharington.

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After last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, New Zealand skipper Stewart Thwaites had a score to settle with Grant Wharington’s same-sized Skandia which beat him by just 14 minutes over the line and this morning, he is the new Ingles Sydney Gold Coast Race leader following the Victorian super maxi’s retirement.

At their current speed, Stewart Thwaites’ Konica Minolta is due to cross the finish line off Main Beach at Southport late afternoon but it could be earlier with a forecast 15-25 knot N/NE breeze expected this afternoon, freshening to 25–33 knots this evening.

Trimmer Gareth Cooke from Konica Minolta this morning admitted the crew would have preferred their impending line honours victory in this race to have come via performance rather than by default.

Cooke said the conditions overnight were frustrating and the crew is getting weary with the short tacking up the coast, which is both tough on the crew on deck and those trying to sleep below it.

George Snow’s Jutson 79 Brindabella is currently sailing second in the fleet some 38 miles behind the leading boat with Sean Langman’s AAPT, Matt Allen’s 52-foot Ichi Ban and the Volvo 60 Seriously TEN (Woodruff, James, Robinson) grouped together 20 miles astern of Brindabella.

The Ichi Ban crew was kept entertained in the light conditions yesterday when two whales began leaping out of the water simultaneously. “It was like being at Sea World,” said Allen this morning.

While it has been a light air race up until now, a strong wind warning is current until midnight tonight with 30+ knot breezes expected from the N/NE tending to the N/NW overnight.

For the smaller boats, which are still sailing down around Port Macquarie on the NSW mid coast, increased pressure will be welcome but the wind direction is not with the fleet having to beat northwards straight into the breeze.

Bob Steel’s Quest, the 2002 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race Overall winner is the new IRC Overall handicap leader this morning ahead of Mackay-based Bob Thomas and Sydney businessman Ed Psaltis, the Overall winners of the stormy 1998 Sydney Hobart with their previous AFR Midnight Rambler.

Andrew Cochrane’s Stewart 34 Pendragon has moved back up through the fleet to be currently third on IRC Overall.

On PHS handicap, Geoff Hill’s Strewth is leading John Cameron’s More Witchcraft and Geoff Lavis’ UBS Wild Thing while in the Sydney 38 division, Martin and Lisa Hill’s Estate Master is managing to hold out Yeah Baby (Hinchey/Hume).

A momentous battle is taking place between Estate Master and Yeah Baby for handicap honours in this one-design division and while the crew of Yeah Baby is delighted they are in the top three, the Lake Macquarie component of the crew who normally sail on the little Mumm 30 Tow Truck are equally excited about being able to stand up downstairs while pulling on their wet weather gear.

A very disappointed Grant Wharington, the skipper of Skandia and one of the four crewmen competing in the Etchells World Championship that starts at midday today at Mooloolaba, this morning made the heart wrenching decision to give up what would have been his 26th consecutive line honours win when the winds dropped overnight and the boat wasn’t meeting the required speed to finish the 384 nautical mile race and make the start of the World Championship.

“The decision wasn’t really made by us,” said Wharington this morning as he arrived at Ballina, “it was made by the lack of wind”.

“No-one likes to pull out of a race. It’s hard for everybody but particularly the guys who don’t get to cross the finish line but have to stay on the boat while we go to the next regatta”.

Wharington believes his crew of only 10 managed to get sufficient rest during this race, which began in Sydney Harbour on Saturday afternoon, and he will be heavily scrutinizing crew numbers for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race where he is aiming for a back-to-back line honours win.

Skandia arrived at Ballina just before 7.00am where the four Etchells crew were ferried shore and transported to a fixed wing aircraft that is flying them to Maroochydoore.