The Yachts

Komatsu Azzurro

Komatsu Azzurro

 

This is the old and reliable yacht that produced magic for Shane Kearns and his crew by winning the 2015 Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race and moved on to hold Balance hostage up until the last, in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, in which she ultimately finished third overall when she was robbed of wind after rounding Tasman Island. Komatsu Azzurro was also second in Division 4, won ORCi overall, won ORCi Division 3 and won the Corinthian division. Since then, she has finished seventh overall in Division 3 at the 2016 NSW IRC Championship, in a style of racing she is not suited for. 

The story of this boat and her owner reads like a fairy tale. Built in 1981 for Victorian Ron White who died in 2012, Shane Kearns bought the former Shenandoah II in 2014 after finding the yacht in a bad state after it nearly sank in Queensland in 2014. He lovingly restored her to such a point she is now unrecognisable. Kearns found his crew at his former skipper, John Walker’s funeral. They too, had sailed with Walker for years. The rest, as they say, is history. Kearns believes ‘Johnnie’ Walker looks after them from above. 

 

Competitor Details

Yacht Name Komatsu Azzurro
Sail Number 3430
Owner Shane Kearns
Skipper Shane Kearns
Navigator Alex Seja
Crew D McRae, F Nelson, J Nixon, M Doherty
State NSW
Club CYCA
Type S & S 34
Designer Sparkman & Stephens (USA)
Builder Swarbrick Bros
Construction GRP
LOA 10.1
Beam 3.1
Draft 1.9