2014 Melbourne to Vanuatu Race - Sounds nice this time of year

by Lynda Brayton on 20 Jul 2014 2014 Melbourne to Vanuatu Race - We all relish the opportunity to sail in the sun in the yachting uniform of shorts and t-shirts. Mid-winter in Melbourne, the next best option is to sail from a winter destination to a sunny destination shedding layers as you go.

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV) Melbourne to Vanuatu Race is a Category One event covering 1885nm from the start at Portsea to the finish at Port Vila. Sailed in the waters of Bass Strait and the South Pacific Ocean this race to Paradise is a wonderful way to escape the chills of winter! The race is run in conjunction with the Vanuatu Cruising Yacht Club (VCYC)

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands with a unique blend of intact tribal communities, resorts, beaches and geography ranging from accessible volcanoes to pristine underwater environments. It is located some 1,750 km east of Australia, 500 km northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji and south of the Solomon Islands

The inaugural event was held in 2006 after George Shaw, past Commodore of ORCV, visited the islands and proposed to introduce other sailors to this paradise on earth. His co skipper Robyn had also made the request that George take her sailing somewhere warm. He was true to his work having competed in all three Melbourne to Vanuatu races/rally.

This year’s Melbourne to Vanuatu race had six entrants from five clubs including an interstate entrant from Tasmania. The race entrants featured a variety of boat designs Alive a Reichel Pugh 66 from DSS, Cartouche a Beneteau First 50 from RBYC, Geomatic a Hanse 495 from MYC, Escapade a Farr 38 IMS from HBYC, Jazz Player a Bakewell White Z39 from RMYS and TryBooking an Elan Impression 434 from RBYC.

Ariel II a Sun Odyssey Jeanneau 36.2 from HBYC entered as 'cruising in company' Matt and Matt the boys (they are both under 30 years of age) on Jazz Player sailed the race two handed which will no doubt be a very good lead up for them to the 2017 ORCV Melbourne to Osaka Double-Handed Yacht Race.

Their summary of the race

'It was a tough race and aside for the last two days, was nothing like the 'brochure'. On board Myuna, there was a father daughter crew combination of Mark and Robyn Watson as well as on board Escapade with Robert Bradley and his daughter Aimee.

In the year leading out to the race, the ORCV conduct a competitor support program of educational seminars to assist entrants with migrating to an international journey of this magnitude. To help prepare entrants for this event, the ORCV also conduct sea safety survival courses and a series of seminars covering all aspects of long distance sailing preparation and skills seminars which included topics such as Communications, Health, Provisioning, Repairs, Search and Rescue with a guest speaker from AMSA and guest speakers from Australian Customs and Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service.

After Customs clearance on June 27th in Melbourne, the boats had a rough trip down the bay to Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron where they enjoyed a farewell dinner. The ORCV race management team monitored weather developments closely and the start of the Melbourne to Vanuatu race was subsequently delayed by 24 hrs due to the wild weather that was battering Victoria. The race commenced at 1000 hours on Monday 30 June 2014 with the Rally Start at 1005.

The fleet experienced a variety of conditions during the race from 50 knot gales requiring addition of clothing layers complete with 'fireworks and cracking thunder' to becalmed conditions that facilitated a swim overboard for some brave crew and finally some 'champagne sailing.' Reports of goings on onboard, included beautiful starry nights, an ocean seemingly to oneself and sightings of dolphins and a whale. The accounts of the race were enthusiastically consumed by the avid ORCV Facebook followers and website readers. Competitors in the sailonline virtual race to Vanuatu also put in a great effort with 'entrants' from across the globe.

One of the main discussion point on board all boats during the early part of this race is how long to stay in the East Australian current and when is the ideal time to jump the coast and head out to sea? The correct answer to this question is often answered and reflected upon arrival in Port Vila.

Unfortunately a couple of days into the race saw the retirement of two boats due to damage to their booms after some pounding weather. Ariel II retired and headed back to Melbourne and Geomatic retired and headed to Pittwater but subsequently transported their tracker with them up to Brisbane on then by air to Port Vila which made for interesting view on the tracker website.

As in past Melbourne to Vanuatu races the usual the call to all participants was put out by George Shaw on the Secretary, for all boats to prepare a song, poem or ditty for entertainment at the presentation evening. This challenge certainly helps the creative juices of the crews to flow.

A sharing of on board menus via email and Facebook, made the trip sound like an episode Masterchef on the high seas which is no mean feat often requiring the combination of gymnastics and juggling to prepare deliver and consume a meal.

An excerpt from the Try Booking menu - 'Lunch is a bean and tomato soup with home-made, freshly baked on board the boat, bread. Later in the afternoon its cinnamon scrolls (freshly baked)'

And from Escapade the 'menu has improved at the same rate as the cook's stomach issues - Homemade beef and burgundy pies, Beef stew, Moroccan Lamb'

Alive smashed the race record finishing at 10.22.45 EST on July sixth, establishing a new race record of five days, 23 hours 52 minutes and 45 seconds. Video footage of some of their race made for great viewing.

Line Honour results for the Melbourne to Vanuatu race 2014-07-19

Place - Sail Number - Boat Name – Skipper - Finished Time - Elapsed Time

1 - 52566 - Alive - Duncan Hine - 06.10.22.45 - 05.23.53.45
2 - S390 - Jazz Player - Matt and Matt - 10.18.17.49 - 10.07.47.49
3 - B10 - Cartouche - Steven Fahey - 12.19.37.02 - 12.09.07.02
4 - H538 - Escapade - Deb Allen - 13.03.36.40 - 12.17.06.40
5 - B434 – TryBooking - Grant Dunoon - 13.07.33.02 - 12.21.03.02

Each Melbourne to Vanuatu race, participating crews, their families and friends donate goods to be distributed to schools and health care facilities in Port Vila and surrounding islands. Boats that go cruising around the archipelago after the race help to transport and distribute donated goods to more remote locations in Vanuatu

ORCV members Robyn Brookes and Sally Williams presenting donated goods to the nurses in the maternity ward at Port Vila hospital, compliments of the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria and the Melbourne to Vanuatu yacht race.

The Crown of Thorns Starfish are a problem across many coral reefs in the South and North Pacific oceans. Whilst in Vanuatu, race entrant - Escapade, will do some volunteer work to assist the programme by providing sighting information to help control the outbreaks of the starfish.

For more information on ocean racing and training events run by the ORCV please click here

 2014 Melbourne to Vanuatu Race

Division 123 IRC results Start : 10:30

Place	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Fin Tim	Elapsd	AHC	Cor'd T	Note
1	52566	ALIVE	Duncan Hine	06:10:22:45	05:23:52:45	1.578	09:11:02:29
2	S390	JAZZ PLAYER	Andrew Lawrence	10:18:17:49	10:07:47:49	1.152	11:21:27:44
3	B10	CARTOUCHE	Steven Fahey	12:19:37:02	12:09:07:02	1.105	13:16:18:52

Division 123 AMS results Start : 10:30

Place	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Fin Tim	Elapsd	AHC	Cor'd T	Note
1	S390	JAZZ PLAYER	Andrew Lawrence	10:18:17:49	10:07:47:49	0.983	10:03:35:04
2	H538	ESCAPADE	Debra Allen	13:03:36:40	12:17:06:40	0.856	10:21:10:30
3	B10	CARTOUCHE	Steven Fahey	12:19:37:02	12:09:07:02	1.018	12:14:27:55

Division 123 PHS results Start : 10:30

Place	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Fin Tim	Elapsd	AHC	Cor'd T	BCH	CHC	Note
1	S390	JAZZ PLAYER	Andrew Lawrence	10:18:17:49	10:07:47:49	0.985	10:04:04:48	0.998	0.989
2	B434	TRYBOOKING.COM	Grant Dunoon	13:07:33:02	12:21:03:02	0.800	10:07:14:26	0.800	0.800
3	H538	ESCAPADE	Debra Allen	13:03:36:40	12:17:06:40	0.840	10:16:17:36	0.810	0.830
4	B10	CARTOUCHE	Steven Fahey	12:19:37:02	12:09:07:02	0.963	11:22:07:26	0.832	0.947
DNF	M495	GEOMATIC	Adrian Lewis			0.935

 

LINEHONOURS results Start : 10:30

Place	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Elapsd	Fin Tim
1	52566	ALIVE	Duncan Hine	05:23:52:45	06:10:22:45
2	S390	JAZZ PLAYER	Andrew Lawrence	10:07:47:49	10:18:17:49
3	B10	CARTOUCHE	Steven Fahey	12:09:07:02	12:19:37:02
4	H538	ESCAPADE	Debra Allen	12:17:06:40	13:03:36:40
5	B434	TRYBOOKING.COM	Grant Dunoon	12:21:03:02	13:07:33:02
DNF	M495	GEOMATIC	Adrian Lewis

Start : 10:30

Sail No	Boat Name	First Name	Last Name	AMS	IRC	PHS
52566	ALIVE	Duncan	Hine		1.578
B10	CARTOUCHE	Steven	Fahey		1.105	0.963
B434	TRYBOOKING.COM	Grant	Dunoon			0.800
H538	ESCAPADE	Debra	Allen	0.856		0.840
M495	GEOMATIC	Adrian	Lewis			0.935
S390	JAZZ PLAYER	Andrew	Lawrence	0.983	1.152	0.985