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The Return of Tribal Warrior

The Return of Tribal Warrior

The Return of Tribal Warrior

The Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race will welcome an Indigenous crew for the first time as the sailors of Tribal Warrior look to make history and build on their strong experience gained during last year’s trip to Hobart.

Competing aboard Andrew Wenham’s Volvo 70 Southern Excellence, entered into the race as Tribal Warrior II, the crew will feature many of the same sailors who unofficially raced alongside the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race competitors in 2016. The crew had hoped to compete in the race but after damage was sustained on their primary boat, they missed the final deadline for entry.

Although not part of the official race in 2016, the team still suffered the challenges of the arduous trip with ripped sails, broken halyards, spinnakers lost overboard, sea sickness, food shortages and some minor electrical problems. Their journey alongside the racing boats of the 2016 edition captured the imaginations of many across Australia with well over 200,000 following live coverage.

The crew will be calling on all their experiences from that race to deliver a strong performance in this year’s Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race with Isaiah Dawe one of the team who now knows just what it takes to compete in offshore racing.

Speaking ahead of the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race Dawe said, “I’m feeling pretty confident. We did the Hobart course last year so we have some experience there. Of course, it was a big deal but this race now is special as it’s an official entry. We will be the first Indigenous team to sail from Sydney to Gold Coast and that’s a big deal”

“I’m looking forward to the challenge, the Hobart course was very hard and a huge experience. This is the next part of the journey and I love sailing so that certainly makes it more enjoyable. With offshore racing such as this I see it as a barrier that I want to overcome to know that I can do it, not only for myself but also to show others. I want to inspire young aboriginal youths and by showing them no matter who you are there opportunities to test yourself out there and if you can overcome those challenges then anything is possible. Hopefully we can send out a very positive message.”