The Yachts

Merlin

Merlin

 

After finishing 17th overall and third in Division 2 of the 2014 Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Race last year Merlin, owned by 82 year-old Olympic gold medallist and America’s Cup yachtsman David Forbes OAM, completed the race last year in 33rd place for third in Division 1. For offshore races, Forbes leaves the Kaiko 52 in the hands of his trusted regular skipper, Joseph Earl, who also steered the yacht to 25th overall and second in Division 2 of the 2015 Sydney Hobart, taking Merlin to sixth overall and sixth under ORCi in the Blue Water Pointscore Series, of which the Hobart is the final race. Always well sailed, and a regular in the CYCA’s Ocean Pointscore Series (OPS), Merlin received a new suit of sails last year, which vastly helped her performance. 

 

Competitor Details

Yacht Name Merlin
Sail Number 93
Owner David Forbes
Skipper Joseph Earl
Navigator Richard Brooks
Crew C Thornton, C Casey, A Cameron, K Hegarty, L Earl, M Brixel, M Heenan, M Lansky
State NSW
Club RSYS
Type Kaiko 52
Designer Forbes/Kaiko
Builder McConaughy Boats
Construction HVYCORE
LOA 15.6
Beam 4.0
Draft 3.1