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Newcomers to the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Home 2007 Newcomers to the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Robert Date's Scarlet Runner, entry for the Audi Sydney Gold Coast 2007

Rob Hanna’s latest Shogun was built in Thailand by CMI Builders and launched three weeks ago. It is the only one of its kind in Australia and one of only three in the world.

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A number of new boats will be on the start line for this year’s Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race on Saturday 28 July, including a strong fleet of Victorian boats headlined by a brand new Rogers 46 cruiser/racer.

Rob Hanna’s latest Shogun was built in Thailand by CMI Builders and launched three weeks ago. It is the only one of its kind in Australia and one of only three in the world.

Hanna is so impressed with the design he’s already chartered one of the two UK-based Rogers 46s, Danebury Vineyards, for this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race. After contesting the boat’s first major offshore race, the Audi Sydney Gold Coast in late July, Hanna and his crew will fly to Cowes in the UK for the 12-17 August Fastnet Race before making a late dash back to Queensland for the first race of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week on Saturday 18 August.

Hanna previously owned a DK 46, also called Shogun, but found he was out sailed off the breeze.

“I wanted to go up a notch to more of a grand prix racer,” said Hanna, who deliberately steered away from anything larger due to the onerous crew requirement. For the upcoming 384 nautical mile race to the Queensland Gold Coast, Hanna will carry eight of his regular Victorian crew and four Sydneysiders, including well known offshore yachtsman Bryan Northcote.

“The Audi Sydney Gold Coast will be our first major event and we can’t wait to race the new boat against some really good competition,” said Hanna today.

“While it’s no slouch upwind, I think off the breeze will be the ideal conditions for us. This boat has a lot of the characteristics of a TP52,” he added.

Following the discovery the other two Rogers travelled too fast downwind to carry a spinnaker pole, Shogun, the third out of the mould, is the first to have a bow sprit added.

Robert Date’s Sydney 38 Scarlet Runner, formerly Sydney based and called Don’t Blink, is another Victorian entry new to the event. Like Hanna, Date has a heavy program of racing on the horizon including Audi Hamilton Island Race Week and later in the year, the Savills and Rolex Trophy regattas followed by the Rolex Sydney Hobart, assuming all goes to plan.

Sydney media money commentator Paul Clitheroe is another newcomer with his Sydney 47 Balance, the third boat of that name. Balance made her debut at Hamilton Island last year, finishing second in the Premier Cruising division, and contested the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race in January.

The CYCA sailing office has so far received 35 entries for the most popular of its northern races which marks the start of the 2007/8 offshore racing season and importantly feeds into regattas at Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island Race Week.

The Audi Sydney Gold Coast and Audi Sydney Mackay fleets will start at the same time, 1pm from Sydney Harbour on Saturday 28 July, with the Mackay entries farewelling those turning into the Gold Coast breakwater and continuing on for another 514 nautical miles, finishing right on the doorstep of the popular Queensland winter regattas.

The notice of race for both the Audi Sydney Gold Coast and Mackay yacht races is available from http://goldcoast.cyca.com.au/editorial.asp?key=41 and in hard copy from the CYCA sailing office. - Lisa Ratcliff

Audi Sydney Gold Coast

Audi Sydney Mackay Yacht Race