New challenge for Alive navigator at Brisbane to Noumea Race
by Tracey Johnstone on 19 Jun 2015
David Turton has spent many long hours at his computer studying weather and navigational information in preparation for his first Brisbane to Noumea Race. Tracey Johnstone
Sunshine Coast navigator David Turton has a new challenge ahead of him starting this weekend when he guides the 66-foot yacht Alive in the 820 mile Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron’s Brisbane to Noumea Race.
Turton has been with the Alive program for the last 12 months, navigating the team to podium places in the Brisbane Gladstone Race, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week and a top 10 placing in last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, but this will be his first race to Noumea.
For the last month the experienced navigator has been doing a lot of weather research in preparation for the race. “I have been watching the weather, looking at the sea surface temperatures and reading the navigation guides into Noumea. I have also chatted to a few guys that have been there before,” Turton said.
The Noumea Race starts tomorrow from Moreton Bay at 12pm. Turton expects the 15-boot fleet will from the start reaching the whole way. “It will be quite windy for the first 36 hours, a bit of an ease for about 24 hours and then a build back in from the south-east towards the end of the race. All in front of the beam.”
At a boat speed of 14 to 16 knots beam reaching, Turton expects Alive will finish the race in time for him to catch a flight back to Brisbane on Friday. They will however struggle to stay on the tail of the 80-foot Hong Kong entry Beau Geste which is quicker than the Volvo 70s.
“I don’t think we will be able to hold onto their coat tails with the forecasted conditions. I do think we should be able to get our time on them. On IRC there are some good boats in there. It will come down to your weather breaks and going as fast you can all the time.
“I don’t think we will see anybody after the first eight hours. Beau Geste will be off the horizon and everyone else will be off the aft horizon.”
After this race Alive’s owner Duncan Hine, who is now based in Asia, is planning on campaigning the boat on the Asian racing circuit in events including Thailand’s King’s Cup, Singapore Straits Regatta and possibly the Hong Kong to Vietnam Race. “The program is still to be confirmed, but I would like to do some of them if not all of them,” Turton said.
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