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Skandia extends her lead to 15 miles

Home 2004 Skandia extends her lead to 15 miles

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The 384 nautical mile race which began from Sydney Harbour yesterday afternoon has claimed its first casualty.

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While Ingles Sydney Gold Coast frontrunner Skandia races against the clock to finish and get four crewmen to Mooloolaba in time for the Etchells World Championship that starts tomorrow, Stewart Thwaites’ Konica Minolta has slipped further back with a 15 nautical mile gap now separating the two 98-footers.

In the light conditions, Konica Minolta’s crew of 23 may be hurting the New Zealand super maxi, although she is doing similar boat speed to the race leader which has gone offshore south of Coffs Harbour, forsaking the southerly running current for the fresher nor’east sea breeze.

On board the current third-placed Brindabella, the race record holder since 1999, Geoff Cropley advised this morning that their plan was to “hug the coast for most of the day to stay out of the current, because it’s wicked out there”.

For the Troon family from Victoria on the 46-footer XLR8, last night’s frosty temperatures were “just like home” according to Mike Troon, one of the four generations aboard for this race.

“It’s starting to warm up now,” he said, relieved, as Day 2 of the Ingles Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race continues.

“A lot of our crew are doing their first ocean race and its been a pretty gentle introduction so far,” Mike admitted.

The 384 nautical mile race which began from Sydney Harbour yesterday afternoon has claimed its first casualty with James Neill’s 30-footer The Cone of Silence calling it a day in the light conditions and returning to Pittwater on Sydney’s northern beaches.

The current ETA for Skandia to cross the finish line off Main Beach at Southport on the Queensland Gold Coast is tomorrow afternoon, but given they are not making the required average boat speed to finish in time for the Etchells regatta, Skandia is expected to retire later today paving the way for Stewart Thwaites and his crew to finish with the line honours trophy tomorrow evening, Monday August 2.

The backmarkers Polaris of Belmont (Chris Dawe) and David Kent’s Gillawa, one of two ACT entries in this race, are currently sailing off Newcastle having only covered 48 miles in almost 24 hours.

Tomorrow’s forecast 15-25 knot north nor’westerly change can’t come quick enough for these two boats and the other smaller boats struggling to make headway in the light air.