Trophy-Passage Series 2012 - Important pre-Hobart hit out

by Di Pearson on 14 Dec 2012 The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Trophy-Passage series will feature 26 yachts of various classes and sizes as the two-day race starts this Saturday, 15th of December at 11.00 a.m. Majority of the fleets will be using the event as the final warm-up for Boxing Day’s Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race.

Bob Oatley’s super maxi Wild Oats XI leads the big boat pack, one of four entries featuring ‘Wild’ in their names; UBS Wild Thing, Geoff and Pip Lavis’ Inglis/Murray 50, Larki Missiris’ Sydney 38 Wild One and Roger Hickman’s ever-threatening Farr 43, Wild Rose, which came close to upsetting Loki’s win in the Rolex Sydney Hobart last year.

Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin-Loyal will disappointingly be missing from the start line after sustaining rigging damage during the week. However, Fischer has vowed they will be on the Rolex Sydney Hobart start line on Boxing Day. Peter Millard/John Honan’s 98ft Lahana is a starter and will provide competition at the big end, as should Matt Allen’s Jones 70, Ichi Ban.

New boats are represented by Chris Bran’s suitably named Brannew, a Beneteau F40. It is one of the success stories from the Beneteau stable, being the same design as 2009 Hobart winner, Two True; and the MC38 Ginger, which owner Leslie Green showed off for the first time at Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s SSORC two weekends ago, where they finished third in the Performance class.

Selkie, Chris Antico’s J92, measuring in at just shy of 30 feet will be on the line for the small yachts, along with Brian Carrick’s Beneteau F31.7, Velocity.

France will be represented by Nicolas Lunven at the helm of Peugeot Surfrider, the renamed Beneteau 45, Balance. Lunven has a crew of some ex-pat Frenchmen living in Australia and three who flew into Sydney during this week, deeply aware of the need to rehearse in their entirety ahead of the 628 nautical mile Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Interstate entries include Anthony Lyall and his TP52 Cougar II (Tas) fresh from a record breaking run in the Maria Island Race; Bruce Taylor is ramping up a 31-year campaign to win the Hobart with his Caprice 40 Chutzpah (Vic), and the ‘Lunchtime Legend,’ Robbo Robertson (Qld), will be aboard his fittingly named Beneteau F40. All are ranked among the CYCA Trophy favourites, along with Rob Hanna’s TP52 Shogun, Darryl Hodgkinson’s Beneteau 45, Victoire and Chris Bull’s Cookson 50, Jazz.

Bryan Thurston has brought his Sydney 36 Cruiser Racer, This Way Up, all the way from Western Australia, as he and his crew of Sydney Hobart first timers try their luck early in anticipation of a good Hobart result.

Although a seasoned ocean racer, a second Hobart novice is Warwick Sherman with his near-new GTS43 Occasional Coarse Language Too. A CYCA member, Sherman will try his luck in the CYCA Trophy this weekend.

Depending on wind direction and conditions, Race Officer, Robyn Morton has several options planned, all starting on Sydney Harbour and finishing at Watsons Bay. One option is a 17 nautical mile race to Long Reef return, others include Coogee and Botany Bay return races and races to laid marks off Sydney Heads.

For daily results log on to Cruising Yacht Club of Australia