Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2024

News
2017
Day Two Daylight

Day Two Daylight

NEWS
30 Jul, 2017 08:04:00 AM

Early morning on Celestial

Day Two Daylight

A good overnight run has seen clear tactics come to the fore with the Wild Oats XI and Black Jack’s scrap staying tense at the front, while the back of the fleet seems to have made up some good ground in the dark hours.

Day 2 of the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast and there’s plenty left to race for with close competition across the fleet.

Leading the field for line honours is Wild Oats XI but they’re yet to extend much of a lead over their close rival and near-sister ship, Black Jack. The pair have been neck and neck since leaving the heads of Sydney Harbour and it looks like that challenge will go right down to the wire.

It was a good night for last year’s overall winner Ichi Ban who have moved slightly closer to shore, a shift they credit with delivering nice overnight gains. Now beating upwind into a short chop they have fellow TP52s RKO, Celestial and Quest all in clear sight with Masarati visible on the bow. The sight of those competitor boats so close will reaffirm the long day they all have ahead, beating upwind against the current.

The conditions seem to have been working reasonably well for Tribal Warrior II also who is the boat furthest offshore. Andrew Wenham’s Volvo 70 obviously comfortable in its natural ocean habitat but the crew may face a substantial challenge in getting back in with the weather something they will be watching closely in hope of a shift which will get them in to Southport.

As mentioned, it’s another upwind day for the fleet which is a bit of a rarity in the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. Celestial sailing master Sean Kirkjian mentioned before the race that in the tens of these races that he’s done in his career, this is only the third upwind. The fact that the Northerly direction will remain almost throughout the duration, into Monday night, is especially uncommon.

Early on day two there has been a clear shift from the majority of the back boats who have moved inland taking a similar line to that of Ichi Ban through the night. The landmark of Seal Rocks definitely a point used by many of the sailors as the sign of when to take that inshore route.