A regatta has a rest day, Around Oz has pit stops

by Ian Thomson on 23 Aug 2016 As thousands of sailors are today (and yesterday for that matter) are enjoying the luxuries of Hamilton Island and the Whales of the Whitsundays, we look further into the concept of pit stop racing which will form an integral part of the 2017 Around Australia Yacht Race.

Every year hundreds of boats head to the Whitsundays for racing season. Yachts come from all over the world to compete, however next year, a selection of yachts will be racing north from Sydney and whilst they may stop in the Whitsundays, it won't be for long. With the introduction of pit stops for the majority of the fleet, sailors will be able to race hard and fast out of Sydney and should they break anything, be able to pull into the nearest harbour and get those items repaired before continuing to race. It is a great 'Get out of Jail' card to play, however when you think of the time and effort associated with getting a yacht ready for a race of this distance, it would be harsh if you got only a few days in and something let go and your dream was over.

Let's look at the start of the Landrover Sydney to Gold Coast for an example. Several yachts didn't even make it out of the harbour before their dreams came crashing down as bowsprits let go, boats ran aground and ran into each other and all sorts of chaos let loose. In next years Around Australia Yacht Race several things could've happened. Those boats that got damaged could return to port, get repairs done and then set off. With eight days up your sleeve over the entire race, this would not be the end of your race. Instead you can set off once repairs are made and make up for lost time.

The other curious thing that could happen is if the start is plagued with the same conditions as the start of the Gold Coast Race. With no wind, boats could literally start the race and decide to return to port and wait for better weather. Not even a week later we had the start of the Brisbane to Keppel and the conditions were off the scale leading to a race record. In fact that weather pattern came in on the Wednesday into Sydney and hence if boats had decided to use four of their eight days immediately, they would have been sailing in fresh conditions and this can only benefit your overall time. Now I'm not saying I want everyone to do this as it would take away from the spectacle of the race start, so we might have to add something into the sailing instructions to say you must clear Sydney Heads before the pit stop window opens, but the option is there and it becomes a very key tactical decision, when do you use your days?

If you are racing purely to win then of course the weather has to play a part. In fact if you had weather like the Brisbane to Keppel race had, then you would still be racing hard around the country and wouldn't have stopped yet. You could literally sail all the way around the country and pull up in a marina in Sydney Harbour if the weather was perfect, before finishing eight days later. Alternatively you might find a hole in the wind off the west coast and decide to pull in at Broome to sit out a few days (not a bad place to stop if I may say so myself). Maybe you decide to stop at Hamilton Island or Airlie Beach and get your Whitsunday's fix for the year, either way the decision is the sailors to make and ensuring you use these days wisely is going to be a key factor in deciding the winner.

Repairs may be another driving factor as mentioned earlier. Maybe you blow up a few kites in the first week and want to get them fixed. Maybe you have electrical gremlins that need fixing. The option to pull in and use your shore based contact to have people ready to go, is a huge advantage. I sailed around Australia in 2010 and whilst I was going for non-stop I could've used these pit stops on more than one occasion.

In Bunbury I stopped as the weather was ordinary, my engine had spat it's coolant out and I was extremely tired. I stopped, cleaned up, fixed a few things but did not go ashore so as to keep the record attempt alive. Had I been able to go ashore for a pit stop, I could've fixed my mainsail which I ended up having to keep a third reef in for the second half of the journey as everything below that had delaminated. Imagine what a hot shower and hot food would have done for my enthusiasm!!!

The final option is to space the race out and have crew changes. This is not the ideal racing tactic but it will certainly make the trip much more enjoyable. Imagine your first leg from Sydney to Keppel bay. It's a good sail distance wise and a great place to have a beer and feed. Then you could set off to Cairns and pull in there before making the long journey around the top of Australia.

Darwin is a bit off the course but the Darwin Sailing Club is a great place for a feed and to watch the sunset. Then you have Broome, before Perth, Albany and Tassie. There are any number of options that could be available to you. Topping up on fresh food, freshening up the crew and doing repairs are all viable options.

Some crews have even decided that they will use this race as more of a cruise. Yes, several boats are looking at using this as a cruise and not really focus on the race itself. O.K they won't be stopping for weeks at a time, but if you look at the map, there are a lot of great places that most sailors will never sail to in their life. Most people will sail the East Coast but rarely go west of Cape York. The sail across the top of Australia is sensational. Trade winds are warm and it is short and bikini weather.

As mentioned, the Darwin Sailing Club is the premier Yacht club in the NT and the crew there are the most welcoming people you will find anywhere, guaranteed you will find people willing to help you with repairs and to get provisions. And a meal at sunset at the club is an absolute must. The north West Coast is unbelievable and stopping here and spending a few days touring the Kimberlies should be on the list. Where else can you drive a boat under a waterfall, and I'm not talking a tinnie either.

For those of us on the East Coast, the west coast is beautiful and a long way from home so if you sail there, you may as well sail right round. The Abrolhos Islands are something special, as is Ningaloo National Park. Down near Perth you have Rottnest and then the south west coast of Australia is legendary for the wine and surf. Tassie is unique as well and shouldn't be taken lightly before the trip back to Sydney.

Yes the Around Australia Yacht Race is for everyone. Several more people are talking to us about entering and are finalising logistics so if you have a desire, then please let us know so we can help you get your dream on the water. Also, stay tuned as we are currently negotiating a package for sailors to race around on a fleet of one design boats similar to the style of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. So this means this dream is alive for anyone and everyone.

Meanwhile if you are sitting by the pool on Hamilton Island with a beer in hand watching people use inflatable Swans for all sorts of mischief then dare to dream. Next year you could be doing it on Cable Beach in Broome.