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Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race to test round the world crew

Home 2006 Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race to test round the world crew

Skandia South West of Tasman Island and heading to the finish line

Skandia will start the 386 nautical mile race to the Queensland Gold Coast as the clear line honours favourite with a 38 foot advantage over her nearest expected challengers, the 60 footers Wild Joe, Loki and Vanguard, which will again sail as a Queensland entry.

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Having put his revamped Volvo 70 Brunel on a ship to Baltimore last week, Melbourne businessman Grant Wharington will enter his 98 foot maxi Skandia in this year’s Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race to fine tune the crew before rejoining the Volvo Ocean Race for the start of Leg 6 in Baltimore in April.

Wharington also has some demons to put to bed after controversially withdrawing Skandia from the 2004 Sydney Gold Coast while in the lead so he and three other crewmembers could contest the Etchells World Championship in Mooloolaba.

“We’ve taken line honours in this race twice with my previous boat but are yet to claim the trophy with Skandia,” said Wharington. “We’ll sail north with 10 or 11 and we’ll use this race to trial some new crew for the Volvo Ocean Race”.

Also on Wharington’s radar will be the longstanding race record held by George Snow’s Jutson 79 Brindabella of 27 hours 35 minutes 3 seconds set in 1999 in strong running conditions.

Skandia will start the 386 nautical mile race to the Queensland Gold Coast as the clear line honours favourite with a 38 foot advantage over her nearest expected challengers, the 60 footers Wild Joe, Loki and Vanguard, which will again sail as a Queensland entry.

With his crew and his new 98 footer Wild Oats XI gearing up for the European summer maxi yacht circuit, Bob Oatley is unlikely to return to defend his line honours title with his Reichel/Pugh 66 Wild Oats X.

Steven David, who finished second on line honours in last year’s event with his Reichel/Pugh 60 Wild Joe, will also be using the northern passage to test the boat and crew configuration as he prepares for the inaugural Sydney Mackay Yacht Race starting July 29.

Entries are flowing steadily into the CYCA Sailing Office for the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race which will close the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s offshore racing program in its new autumn timeslot.

Entries so far include Warwick Sherman’s Occasional Coarse Language, Kevin O’Shea’s Stormy Petrel, which is competing for a place in the Blue Water Pointscore and Tasman Performance Series, and Michael Spies and David Beak’s Sirromet Life Style Wine which is looking ominous having won its division of the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta which concluded yesterday.

On top of yesterday’s top IRC divisional placing, Spies will be motivated to atone for his result in the last long ocean race he contested, the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart. Spies’ Beneteau 44.7 Sirromet Life Style Wine broke a spreader in Bass Strait and was forced to retire from the ocean classic, an event he won overall two years prior.

The 21st Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race will start at 1.00pm on 1 April from Sydney Harbour and take the fleet north to the finish off Southport’s Main Beach.

In between the Sydney Gold Coast and the start of the annual Brisbane to Gladstone Race, Southport Yacht Club will host the inaugural Commodore’s Cup Regatta from 7-9 April on the pristine waters off the Gold Coast, set against the backdrop of the world famous Surfers Paradise beaches.

The Club Marine Commodore’s Cup will be open to all Cat 4 monohull yachts and will incorporate the final round of the International Etchells Gold Coast Fleet Championships and World Championships qualification heats. There will be divisions for IR2000 (IRC) Yachts, PHS Racing Yachts, Cruisers, and one-design Class Divisions for Beneteau 40.7 and 47.7 Yachts. Other one-design or class-based divisions will be announced according to the number of entries received.

The regatta is programmed to capitalise upon the major rescheduling of the Australian east coast racing circuit with the schedule cemented for the next five years to ensure it will always be held the week before the Easter weekend. 

For more information on the Commodore’s Cup go to: www.southportyachtclub.com.au/?page=yachts&notice_category=Yachts