Launceston to Hobart Yacht race - Dump Truck aims for Treble

by Peter Campbell on 28 Dec 2010 Hobart yacht Dump Truck this morning set her sights on a handicap Treble in the Sargisons Jewellers & Natuzzi Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race, with Derwent Sailing Squadron officials placing her at the top of the leader board under AMS, IRC and PHS categories.

Dump Truck, a Ker 11.3 sloop built in the UK, is owned by Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania members Edward Fader and Justin Wells and is being skippered in this race by Wells.

Under her previous owner, the yacht, then called Tow Truck, twice won her division in the Sydney Hobart Race, and Fader and Wells are planning a Sydney Hobart campaign next year.

Based on positions at the 0530 ‘sked’ with the fleet, Dump Truck is leading on corrected time in the AMS and PHS handicap categories fom the Launceston yacht Matangi, a Frers 39 skippered by David Stephenson from the Tamar Yacht Club.

In IRC, Dump Truck is projected as leading on corrected time from Greg Prescott’s Melges 32, 2 Unlimited, and fleet leader Mr Kite, Andrew Hunn’s Cape/Barrett 40.

On the water, at 10.30am, these three boats were sailing in light north-westerly winds in the Bay of Fires, with a gap of about seven nautical miles to the main bulk of the fleet near Eddystone Point. Mr Kite was only .2 nautical ahead of Dump Truck.

However, the wind is predicted to fill in from the north and north-east by early afternoon with these yachts able to hoist their spinnakers ahead of the current leaders and close the gap. This could also change handicap positions.

Although boatspeeds will increase with the yachts running under spinnakers, the leaders are not expected in Hobart until late tomorrow morning.

Two yachts have officially retired from the 33 that started from Beauty Point yesterday afternoon: Easy Street returning to Beauty Point and Granny Apple now following the fleet after affecting repairs at Georgetown.