Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2024

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2017
Ichi Ban pleased with strong line honours performance

Ichi Ban pleased with strong line honours performance

NEWS
01 Aug, 2017 01:47:00 PM

Ichi Ban in Sydney Harbour ©Andrea Francolini

Ichi Ban pleased with strong line honours performance

2016 Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race overall winner Ichi Ban were the fourth boat to cross the line in the 2017 race, the first of the eight TP52s which started.

The conditions however, all but ensured the team will not be in the hunt for silverware this year with their high handicap rating not delivering the ideal scenario for a repeat overall win.

Navigator Will Oxley was giving regular updates from offshore and throughout the race the team were doing all they could to ensure the strongest possible result.

Oxley commented, “We had a good race and felt that we put the boat in the right place most of the time.”

“The reality for us is that the boat has a higher rating compared to the other 52’s and when it’s an upwind race we don’t have much of an advantage. Our real strength is reaching and downwind and there wasn’t any of that. So conditions just didn’t fall our way, there’s probably not a lot else what we could have done.

A seasoned sailor Oxley was somewhat surprised with the relatively rare weather and swell for the race which he felt were more akin to the Bass Strait in December.

“From about 9am on Monday morning until around 7pm we were in conditions more like a Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. We went inshore to get relief from the current but it was also a better sea state there.”

“By the time we got back in to Southport we had some very tired sailors. 6 hours on, 3 hours off are our standard hours and for the poor guys who were off when we were tacking, they were getting told to move to the other side so even the down time wasn’t very enjoyable at that stage.”

“Overall though, it was another great race. We finished well in line honours and made the best of what we had. We zigged when we should have zigged and zagged when we should zagged so can’t ask for much more than that.”