Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Testing warm-up regatta
21/12/2008Graeme Wood's TP52 Wot Now won the Rolex Trophy Rating Series, the major warm-up event for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The regatta, sailed over four days in a full mix of wind and wave conditions off the Sydney coastline, provided a good workout for all yachts, especially the two brand-new near sister Reichel/Pugh designs Loki (Stephen Ainsworth) and Limit (Alan Brierty).
Jim Pugh, from the San Diego-based design team, is in Sydney keeping a somewhat anxious eye on both boats, which had modifications made to their shape during the build process.
Wot Now , a Judel/Vrolijk design built in 2006, broke her rudder during her very first race in Australian waters, the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, earlier this year. Her Rolex Sydney Hobart crew, which includes the experienced Tasmanian Julian Freeman as principal helmsman and Michael Dunstan of Sydney on tactics, only just came together for the Rolex Rating Series.
They stumbled through the first two days, then scored two wins on day three and a second and a third today to win the series by three points from the veteran campaigner Syd Fischer's Farr-designed TP52 Ragamuffin , with Geoff Ross’ proven all-rounder Yendys , a Reichel/Pugh 55, third another point astray.
Delighted owner Wood said: "We had a couple of average days, with unforced errors, but once we settled down to just sail the boat stuff began to happen. This crew has only sailed together three or four times. They’ve all individually got great sailing skills but it’s still different putting a crew together on this short course racing; it all happens pretty quickly. One of the good things for us about this regatta was we had everything, from light stuff; seven, eight knots up to 24 knots; flat water, bumpy big seas. It was reassuring. We belted the boat pretty hard. On the second day we got 400 litres of water in the boat inadvertently, through the front hatch. Nobody noticed and that put a lot of pressure on the rudder, which was good because we broke a rudder in the Southport race.”
Terra Firma (Nick Bartels), a Sydney 47 from Sandringham Yacht Club, Melbourne, won division two for the smaller yachts by two points from Kirribilli , a modified Farr 40 skippered by young Sydney sailor Sam Newton with another Sydney yacht, the Mumm 30 Optimum (Guy Stening), third.
Limit in her first racing, after an indifferent first three days, showed great speed in the light air today to comfortably win both division one races. Her crew, led by Roger Hickman, includes the New Zealand Americaís Cup sailor Gavin Brady and Ian (“Barney”) Walker who has sailed in Volvo races around the world and the Americaís Cup. After yesterday’s racing they changed the rig setup to rake the mast further aft for an obvious improvement in upwind speed.
Owner Alan Brierty, from Western Australia, said: “Two bullets today was absolutely fantastic but we are still learning the boat. I’m tickled pink; thrilled to bits with today’s results. It’s just a pity that it came a bit late and still leaves us in fourth place.”
The Rolex Passage series, of two short coastal races, was unexpectedly won by the Sydney-based Swan 601 Ginger (Leslie Green), on a tie-breaking placings countback from the Reichel/Pugh 80 ASM Shockwave 5 (Andrew Short) with Ray Roberts’ Cookson 50 Quantum Racing third, another five points behind.
Ginger placed third in the opening race, a 25n miler from Sydney Harbour to Botany Bay and return yesterday, behind the canting-keeled R/P 66 Black Jack and ASM Shockwave 5 in conditions that favoured the bigger boats, with the 24-knot southerly fading to 12 knots for the smaller boats on the run home.
Today she won a 19n miler from the harbour to a mark laid directly upwind in the light ENE breeze and return by more than 11 minutes from ASM Shockwave 5 . While the leaders headed left on the outward leg, Ginger chose the extreme right and hooked into a 50-degree windshift that lifted her straight to the offshore mark. She was second to round after Grant Wharington’s canting-keeled maxi Skandia and easily saved her corrected time advantage on the run back to the harbour.
Loki , which was launched only ten days ago and had to undergo a 24-hour qualifying sail, managed to race only in today’s passage race. She showed good light-air speed to be third leaving the harbour, behind Skandia and Black Jack , but was caught on the wrong side of the big right-hand shift on the outward leg and eventually placed sixth.
A fleet of 101 yachts will compete in this year's race, which starts at 1300 AEDT, 26 December 2008. The Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet will have crews representing the USA, UK, New Zealand, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia and New Caledonia as well as every Australian state.
To view the entry list, visit: www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/yachts.asp?key=526
To see all the action of the start of the 64th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race tune into the Seven Network (in Australia) or the official race website www.rolexsydneyhobart.com and follow the links to the live webcast on www.yahoo7.com.au/sport from 1230 AEST on 26 December 2008. Event website: www.rolexsydneyhobart.com
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Giles Pearman
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E. giles@regattanews.com
www.regattanews.com
www.kpms.com
Australian Media:
Jennifer Crooks
CYCA Communications Manager
T. +61 2 8292 7800
M. +61 (0) 458 211 678
E. Jennifer.crooks@cyca.com.au
Lisa Ratcliff
Public Relations Manager
M. +61 (0) 418 428 511
E: lisa@occ.net.au
Jim Pugh, from the San Diego-based design team, is in Sydney keeping a somewhat anxious eye on both boats, which had modifications made to their shape during the build process.
Wot Now , a Judel/Vrolijk design built in 2006, broke her rudder during her very first race in Australian waters, the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, earlier this year. Her Rolex Sydney Hobart crew, which includes the experienced Tasmanian Julian Freeman as principal helmsman and Michael Dunstan of Sydney on tactics, only just came together for the Rolex Rating Series.
They stumbled through the first two days, then scored two wins on day three and a second and a third today to win the series by three points from the veteran campaigner Syd Fischer's Farr-designed TP52 Ragamuffin , with Geoff Ross’ proven all-rounder Yendys , a Reichel/Pugh 55, third another point astray.
Delighted owner Wood said: "We had a couple of average days, with unforced errors, but once we settled down to just sail the boat stuff began to happen. This crew has only sailed together three or four times. They’ve all individually got great sailing skills but it’s still different putting a crew together on this short course racing; it all happens pretty quickly. One of the good things for us about this regatta was we had everything, from light stuff; seven, eight knots up to 24 knots; flat water, bumpy big seas. It was reassuring. We belted the boat pretty hard. On the second day we got 400 litres of water in the boat inadvertently, through the front hatch. Nobody noticed and that put a lot of pressure on the rudder, which was good because we broke a rudder in the Southport race.”
Terra Firma (Nick Bartels), a Sydney 47 from Sandringham Yacht Club, Melbourne, won division two for the smaller yachts by two points from Kirribilli , a modified Farr 40 skippered by young Sydney sailor Sam Newton with another Sydney yacht, the Mumm 30 Optimum (Guy Stening), third.
Limit in her first racing, after an indifferent first three days, showed great speed in the light air today to comfortably win both division one races. Her crew, led by Roger Hickman, includes the New Zealand Americaís Cup sailor Gavin Brady and Ian (“Barney”) Walker who has sailed in Volvo races around the world and the Americaís Cup. After yesterday’s racing they changed the rig setup to rake the mast further aft for an obvious improvement in upwind speed.
Owner Alan Brierty, from Western Australia, said: “Two bullets today was absolutely fantastic but we are still learning the boat. I’m tickled pink; thrilled to bits with today’s results. It’s just a pity that it came a bit late and still leaves us in fourth place.”
The Rolex Passage series, of two short coastal races, was unexpectedly won by the Sydney-based Swan 601 Ginger (Leslie Green), on a tie-breaking placings countback from the Reichel/Pugh 80 ASM Shockwave 5 (Andrew Short) with Ray Roberts’ Cookson 50 Quantum Racing third, another five points behind.
Ginger placed third in the opening race, a 25n miler from Sydney Harbour to Botany Bay and return yesterday, behind the canting-keeled R/P 66 Black Jack and ASM Shockwave 5 in conditions that favoured the bigger boats, with the 24-knot southerly fading to 12 knots for the smaller boats on the run home.
Today she won a 19n miler from the harbour to a mark laid directly upwind in the light ENE breeze and return by more than 11 minutes from ASM Shockwave 5 . While the leaders headed left on the outward leg, Ginger chose the extreme right and hooked into a 50-degree windshift that lifted her straight to the offshore mark. She was second to round after Grant Wharington’s canting-keeled maxi Skandia and easily saved her corrected time advantage on the run back to the harbour.
Loki , which was launched only ten days ago and had to undergo a 24-hour qualifying sail, managed to race only in today’s passage race. She showed good light-air speed to be third leaving the harbour, behind Skandia and Black Jack , but was caught on the wrong side of the big right-hand shift on the outward leg and eventually placed sixth.
A fleet of 101 yachts will compete in this year's race, which starts at 1300 AEDT, 26 December 2008. The Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet will have crews representing the USA, UK, New Zealand, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia and New Caledonia as well as every Australian state.
To view the entry list, visit: www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/yachts.asp?key=526
To see all the action of the start of the 64th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race tune into the Seven Network (in Australia) or the official race website www.rolexsydneyhobart.com and follow the links to the live webcast on www.yahoo7.com.au/sport from 1230 AEST on 26 December 2008. Event website: www.rolexsydneyhobart.com
Media Information
To download high-resolution images, copyright free for editorial purposes, register online at www.regattanews.com
International Press Information:
Key Partners (KPMS)
Giles Pearman
T. + 41 32 724 2829
E. giles@regattanews.com
www.regattanews.com
www.kpms.com
Australian Media:
Jennifer Crooks
CYCA Communications Manager
T. +61 2 8292 7800
M. +61 (0) 458 211 678
E. Jennifer.crooks@cyca.com.au
Lisa Ratcliff
Public Relations Manager
M. +61 (0) 418 428 511
E: lisa@occ.net.au