Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2024

News
2015
Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race entries close with 67 yachts

Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race entries close with 67 yachts

NEWS
12 Jul, 2015 11:00:00 PM

The fleet leaving Sydney Harbour in light airs last year ©Andrea Francolini

Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race entries close with 67 yachts

Entries in the 2015 Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race closed on Friday evening and have exceeded the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s expectations, with 67 boats signed up for the Blue Water Pointscore opener

Boats representing NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia in the 384 nautical mile race top last year’s fleet by a dozen. It is another clear indication of a revival in numbers at major Australian yachting events this past 12 months.

“This is the most entries we’ve had since 2011, when 69 yachts were entered,” John Cameron, Commodore of the CYCA said. “It’s pleasing to note that in the year since I became Commodore, yacht racing has become more popular, with numbers the best they have been in recent years in Club events,” added Cameron who has raced at the CYCA for over 20 years.

“It’s also pleasing to see four entries coming from Southport Yacht Club and we are looking forward to some friendly interclub rivalry,” the Commodore added.

A vast array of yachts will take part in the race’s 30^th edition. From Rupert Henry’s newly purchased JV62, Chinese Whisper (ex Jethou), to a reinvigorated TP52 fleet via new owners Matt Allen (Ichi Ban), Geoff Boettcher (Secret Mens Business) and 2014 overall winner, Sam Haynes (Celestial). They will join Balance (Paul Clitheroe), Cougar II (Anthony Lyall) and Frantic (Michael Martin).

Two canting Cookson 50s, in Victoire and Pretty Fly III, will battle each other as well as the TP52s; while there are a variety of 10 Beneteaus which will enjoy in-house competition.

Roger Hickman will celebrate Wild Rose’s 30^th birthday in this 30^th race and will try to match his 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart victory with honours in this race, for which he already has an enviable reputation. ‘Hicko’ has won twice (1994 with Wild Rose and 1997 with Atara), finished third in 2013, second in 1992 and 1993, with a third in class 1996.

Last year’s winning boat, Celestial, is now in the hands of Bruce Foye and Sebastian Bohm, and the pair will be under pressure to put in a performance worthy of the Rogers 46 now called ‘The Goat’. In the past, Foye has pumped out some great results in the Sydney 38 class.

Sibby Ilzhofer is the only female boat owner/skipper represented in the race with her Farr/Cookson 47, Dare Devil. Newcastle based Ilzhofer sailed her first Hobart race last year as a boat owning skipper and won the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy as the first female skipper to finish.

The largest boats are Anthony Bell’s 100ft Perpetual Loyal and Peter Harburg’s 70ft Black Jack, which will fight it out for line honours. The two were at close quarters all the way to the finish line last year. In the end, Bell’s boat finished second on line to Wild Oats XI (which is currently in the USA), nearly two hours ahead of third placed Black Jack.

At the other end of the scale are Quikpoint Azzurro (Shane Kearns), the S&S 34 footer, and L’Altra Donna, the Summit 35 owned by Andy Kearnan who sailed her to fourth overall in 2013. These and the other ‘small fry’ will be keeping their fingers crossed for good breeze to bring them home.

Starting on Saturday July 25, the date coincidentally marks what would be the 100^th birthday of the late Peter Luke, co-founder of the CYCA in 1944, and the last survivor of the nine skippers who participated in the inaugural Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 1945. Luke died when he was 92, but his family will mark this special occasion in Sydney as the fleet sets sail.

The Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race starts at 1300 hours on July 25 from Nielsen Park on Sydney Harbour, and finishes at Main Beach, Southport. From there, crews will receive the usual warm welcome from Southport Yacht Club, the race finishing partner.

Family, friends and enthusiasts can follow the race and their favourite yachts via the CYCA’s proven yacht tacker on the official race website.

For all information on the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, go to: http://goldcoast.cyca.com.au/