sail-world.com -- Festival of Sails - Better late than never
Festival of Sails - Better late than never
Sat, 26 Jan 2013
Festival of Sails passage race officially ended late Friday night when three-decade-old classic yacht Martini crossed the finish line at 2038 AEDT after almost nine hours at sea.
Skipper Ross Clark said despite finishing last there was a rush of elation, quickly followed by exhaustion having raced two-up on the 30-footer with mate Michael Williams.
'It was touch-and-go there for a while,' he said. 'We saw two boats lose their masts and we had our own issues.
'She’s an old boat that’s sunk twice, so she’s had a hard life and we made it a whole lot harder.
'Some of her timber started to move, so we had a few leaks, then a bilge pump failed and when I went down below to investigate it was smoking. The only good thing was there was so much water that we knew it wasn't going to catch alight.'
Monohull line honours winner Gusto, skippered by Brian Pattinson, claimed the Telstra Trophy almost five hour earlier at 1548.
The Multihull line honours champion, Charles Meredith’s Peccadillo, finished just 13 minutes later to win the Tourism Victoria Multihull Trophy.
Conditions were some of the roughest since the race started in 1844, with a gale warning delaying the start.
Short choppy seas and wind gusts in excess of 30 knots made for uncomfortable sailing that tested the skill and endurance of the crews on board the more than 230 yachts.
Thirty-six yachts were forced to retire, one of the highest attrition rates in the race’s history.
Beats Workin, Arachnid and Avventura persevered to finish the race outside the time limit - the cut off was sun set at 2040 AEDT, a time elected by race officials for safety reasons.
Three official race boats followed the fleet on the 30 nautical mile race from Point Ormond to Geelong, constantly keeping radio contact with the fleet, the Water Police and the Coast Guard.
Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson said it was a challenging race for sailors and race officials.
'With breezes of 25 knots with squirts up to 30 and a lumpy sea there’s going to be breakages on boats,' he said. 'We had a few masts down and a few chose to go home.
'The Melbourne to Geelong passage race is always challenging. We have raced in similar conditions before, and more. Sometimes it’s fresh, sometimes it’s light, and some people would have thought yesterday was perfect.
'The big challenge for us is with 230 boats racing is making sure everyone is safe.'
Airlie Beach Race Week 2013
Abell Point Marina Airlie Beach Race Week is the premier sailing event of the year for Whitsunday Sailing Club. August 9th-16th 2013. [More info]
http://www.airliebeachraceweek.com.au
Ensign Ship Brokers
Ensign Ship Brokers was established in 1980 and has spent the last 28 years expanding our marine knowledge and developing our reputation! We strive to provide the very best service! [More info]
http://www.ensignbrokers.com.au/
GME Standard Communications Pty Ltd
Leaders in communications and navigation. Their goal has always been to make products whose innovation, convenience and peace of mind can help improve the lives of their customers. [More info]
http://www.gme.net.au
Hamilton Island Luxury Accommodation
Full range of private apartments, villas and houses on Hamilton Island. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 bedroom options available. All include buggy and island airport or marina transfers. [More info]
http://www.whitsundayholidays.com.au
Multihull Solutions
Multihull Solutions is Australia and New Zealand’s premier offshore and cruising catamaran and trimaran specialist, offering sales and servicing of the world’s finest multihull brands.
[More info]
http://www.multihullsolutions.com.au
Navionics Australia
Navionics is proud of its superb cartographic database comprising more than 25,000 charts and port plans; the largest privately owned database of its kind, the only one using full seamless technology [More info]
http://www.navionics.com.au
OziOpti
OziOpti is all about 'getting kids in boats' and the Australian company supporting the introduction to of the world’s most popular junior sailing yacht, the 'International Optimist Dinghy' [More info]
http://www.oziopti.com.au
Performance Sailcraft Australia (Asia Pacific)
Laser builder Performance Sailcraft Australia has taken on the successful RS Sailboat range from Britain, and is now licensed to build and distribute all of the RS range in the Asia Pacific region. [More info]
http://www.lasersailing.com.au
Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show
2013 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show is Australasia's most significant marine lifestyle event. We look forward to welcoming you to the 25th annual event. [More info]
http://www.sanctuarycoveboatshow.com.au/
Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week
Entries for the fourth annual Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week have opened! 4 days of racing, 5 days of fun – that is what you can look forward to from 3-7 September at Magnetic Island. [More info]
http://www.magneticislandraceweek.com.au
Sydney International Boat Show
The 40th Sydney International Boat Show
will be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre & Cockle Bay Marina, Darling Harbour, Sydney Australia
[More info]
http://www.sydneyboatshow.com.au
Ullman Sails Australia
The Ullman Sails Australia team provides service to customers all over Australia with four main locations in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and the Whitsundays. [More info]
http://www.ullmansails.com
VicSail Sydney
Vicsail Sydney Pty Ltd, launched into the Australian sailing fraternity in 1983 and has been sailing strong ever since. At Vicsail, “We Sail the Boats We Sell”. [More info]
http://www.vicsailsydney.com.au