Pantaenius Newport to Coffs Coast Yacht Race - enter now, pay later
by Event Media on 17 Aug 2017
Elena Nova was a standout - 2016 Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week Andrea Francolini, SMIRW
On December 27, 2017, and for the very first time, Pantaenius Sail and Motor Yacht Insurance will be the naming rights sponsor of a major yacht race in Australia. The return of the annual Christmas time race to Coffs Harbour is awaited by many looking for a shorter offshore race, which means you can be out and back before having to return to work. Even better, the race is sanctioned for Cat3+. You can also hire the requisite life raft, just by following the links, which include the NOR and online entry at www.royalmotor.com.au, and you don't have to pay until October 31, 2017.
Now on hearing the news, Craig Neil was the first to make the call to Rob Brown and have his Judel/Vrolijk 42, Elena Nova, registered as the first Expression of Interest. Neil brought the boat to Australia in February of 2014, and has been up and down the East Coast of Australia since. She has been campaigned in a lot of places in between the Whitsundays to last year’s Hobart, “Where we were third in ORCi Div2, 27th home in Line Honours and had three broken kites!” As it turns out, one of the crew that know boats from Pantaenius was on board for that race. Maike Muth actually completed her first Hobart, which has certainly got her inspired to do much more in the world of ocean racing.
Neil said of this first Pantaenius Newport to Coffs Coast Yacht Race, 'The crew of Elena Nova are delighted to become the first entry for the event. It is great to have the race return to its traditional time between Christmas and New Years Eve. It's also the perfect race for our size/style of yacht, and we are all looking forward to it.'
However, the first monohull to fully complete the entry was Doug Coulter’s Rogers 46, Shakti. Doug is keen to reproduce recent victories with a win in this year’s Pantaenius Newport to Coffs Coast Yacht Race.
He has done the Coffs race many times before, winning it under PHS in 1999 aboard Frantic. He was very keen to support the race back to Coffs and in its original timeslot. “I felt I was duty bound to be the first entry, as I filled in the survey not that long ago about going back to the shorter race with the 27th as the start date. So in the end it was an easy choice to put my money where my mouth was!”
Coulter has also done plenty of trips to Hobart and explains, “The body does handle the trip to Coffs a lot better. The left turn works for us, given the shorter distance is easier on the crew.”
Coulter bought his current boat out from the UK in 2013. The Rogers is a known performer, especially on a beam reach or slight aft of that. Presently, she sits in Newcastle, but the boat had spent a lot of time at her home at the Lake Macquarie Yacht Club. Shakti is set to return there, possibly after this year’s race to Coffs Harbour, when some more of the dredging has been done and they can find a suitable tide.
The Pantaenius Newport to Coffs Coast Yacht Race will commence on December 27 will be conducted auspices of the Royal Motor Yacht Club of Broken Bay, and in conjunction with the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club. It will commence right off the breakwater of the club at 1300 hours if it is suitable weather, so that everyone can have the chance to see the amassed fleet take off.
Race Director, Rob Brown, commented, “We have already been contacted by 26 yacht owners from around the country who have indicated that they are going to compete. We are expecting around 40 to 50 boats to do the race, but this could easily increase to more than 50 the way things are travelling! So to make it easier, we are offering all boats the ability to enter now and pay by October 31.”
The other point to remember is that if you have accommodation requirements in Coffs Harbour, then you may need to get moving to secure the appropriate accommodation over the busy Christmas and New Year period. It also gives you that much more time to sort out all your paperwork and compliance, so as to be all set come December 27.
All interested parties in either of the mono or multihull categories should see www.royalmotor.com.au for the NOR and online entry. Remember, if you enter now you won’t have to finalise payment until October 31, 2017, and in order to finish first, first you have to enter!
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