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  • Veterans Division Takes Shape as Entries Climb to 53 for 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Veterans Division Takes Shape as Entries Climb to 53 for 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Veterans Division Takes Shape as Entries Climb to 53 for 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Veterans Division Takes Shape as Entries Climb to 53 for 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

With just over two weeks until entries close for the 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, interest in the potential Veterans division of this year’s race is taking shape with three IRC boats registering their intent; Love and War, Simon Kurts’ Sparkman and Stephens 47, Spirit of Koomooloo, Mike Freebairn’s S & S 49 and Wild Rose, Roger Hickman’s Farr 43. 53 entries have been received to date for the 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, with the fleet anticipated to reach records heights of 85 plus boats, one of the biggest fleets since 1997.

With just over two weeks until entries close for the 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, interest in the potential Veterans division of this year’s race is taking shape with three IRC boats registering their intent; Love and War, Simon Kurts’ Sparkman and Stephens 47, Spirit of Koomooloo, Mike Freebairn’s S & S 49 and Wild Rose, Roger Hickman’s Farr 43.

Love & War is a 37 year old classic timber boat that is a three-time overall (1974,1978 and 2006) and multiple divisional winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, including top placing in the 20 Year Veteran Division of the 50th anniversary race in 1994.  Owner Simon Kurts together with well known navigator Lindsay May will campaign Love & War north, joining them will be Kurts’ 19 year old son Phillip and other experienced crew members.

Spirit of Koomooloo has over 42 years of ocean racing that includes winning the 1971 Fastnet Race (as the original Ragamuffin), contesting three Admiral’s Cup campaigns and 24 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Races.

Wild Rose is one of the better known yachts in Australia’s modern ocean racing times, having won not only the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 1993 but most other offshore races on the east coast of Australia in addition to twice being the CYCA’s Blue Water Champion.  She makes a return to the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race after a five year break with Roger Hickman, one of Australia’s most experienced offshore yachtsmen, at the helm.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the organising authority of the race, will run a Veterans Division for IRC and PHS Divisions should five or more boats enter in each division.  Eligibility for the Veterans Division is open to yachts aged 25 years or more and that meet the Category 2 entry requirements of the race. Ian Sanford and Barrie King’s Northshore 38 Tartan is the only PHS boat to express an interest in the PHS Veterans Division to date.  Interested yachts owners are encouraged to contact the CYCA Sailing Office on sailingoffice@cyca.com.au  to express their interest.

53 entries have been received to date for the 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, with the fleet anticipated to reach records heights of 85 plus boats, one of the biggest fleets since 1997.

Last year’s overall winner, AFR Midnight Rambler, owned by Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas, is back to defend her title. Until last year’s race the only east coast race that the dynamic duo had not won was the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.

An emotional Psaltis accepted the trophy from Simon French, Audi Gold Coast Sales Manager, at the prizegiving conducted at Southport Yacht Club, the race finishing partner, describing the race as one of the toughest Gold Coast races ever, due to the conditions experienced by the fleet.

This year’s Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race and Hobart race will be the one of the final swan songs for the ‘old’ modified Farr 40 AFR Midnight Rambler, with Psaltis intending to upgrade in the new year.

The 384 nautical mile Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, which starts from Sydney Harbour at 1pm on Saturday 31 July, is the third event of the four-part national Audi IRC Australian Championship.  80% of the yachts are in the top ten standings of the Audi IRC Australian IRC Championship have entered the 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race including leader Harvey Milne’s Aroona (Archambault 31), Geoff Boettcher’s Secret Mens Business 3.5 (Reichel/Pugh 51.5), Paul Clitheroe’s Balance (Beneteau 45), Nicholas Bartels’ Terra Firma (Cookson 50) and Rob Hanna’s Shogun (JV/TP 52).

Queensland will be represented by four boats including Peter Harburg’s Reichel Pugh 66 Black Jack, Spirit of Koomooloo and John Moore’s Stomp38 Stomp, all three will be sailing under the burgee of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.  Joining them from Whitsundays Sailing Club, will be Leo Rodrigeuz’s Volvo 60 Merit.

Black Jack is a near sistership of the highly successful Wild Oats X and they have met on the race track on many occasions. Owner Peter Harburg and his champion skipper Mark Bradford have had solid results in offshore racing including line honours and overall IRC handicap honours in the 2009 and 2008 Brisbane-Keppel race, setting a new race record in 2009 of 29 hours 24 minutes 11 seconds.

Sandringham Yacht Club will be represented by Calm, the TP52 owned by Jason Van Der Slot, Graeme Ainley and John Williams; Scarlet Ribbon, a Buizen 48 owned by Richard Buxton, the author of If Matthew Flinders Had Wings and who sails to raise awareness for mental health research; Nicholas Bartels latest Terra Firma a Cookson 50 formely known as Shogun, and Veloce, an Elliott 44cr owned by Phil Simpfendorfer, that was launched in June last year.

Rob Hanna’s JV/TP52 Shogun is the fifth Victorian entrant and will sail under the burgee of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.  Shogun is currently in eighth place on the Audi IRC Australian Championship leaderboard, after being dismasted en route to Sydney from Melbourne for the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta in March.  A new mast was installed in late March, with Shogun going on to win the NSW IRC Championship and IRC Division 1 at Sail Port Stephens regatta in April this year.

Entries close on Friday 16 July 2010 at 1700hrs with the entry documentation available on http://goldcoast.cyca.com.au/editorial.asp?key=4366

Highlights from the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race can be seen on ONE HD shortly after the conclusion of the race, as part of the four episode wrap of the Audi IRC Australian Championship.