San Francisco, Hamilton Island, Magnetic Island - on the road again
by Rob Kothe & the Sail-World Team on 23 Aug 2013
34th America’s Cup - Louis Vuitton Cup Final - Emirates Team New Zealand Luna Rossa/Studio Borlenghi/Borlenghi-Butto
As the Queensland Season of Sailing continues, we bring you the latest from Hamilton Island.
On the water yesterday we saw some sensational sailing by Marcus Blackmore´s TP52 Hooligan team, when they sailed around Grant Wharington´s 100 footer Wild Thing and Ernesto Bertarelli´s Alinghi-Wild Oats X.
Malcolm Page, the dual Olympic Gold Medallist and tactician aboard Hooligan commented 'Marcus obviously runs a very campaign, with two Hamilton Island titles in a row. This is my first time on board with him if we don’t win we know who to blame. But we seem to be doing OK. We have the basics - a good start and get that first shift and go the right way. '
And that they are certainly doing.
While we are bringing you the latest news from San Francisco, next up for the Sail-World local team, its on the road again its Sail Townsville, an expansion of Magnetic Island Race Week, with a bunch of off the beach dinghies and kites.
Interesting that the seventh annual SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week has held its big boat numbers, possibly even lifting them while Abell Point Marina Airlie Beach Race Week in its 24th year and Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in their 30th year, are well off their peaks of a few years ago.
We suspect above all that a new venue, new sailing water are the driving force, tho it might be the midweek Cane Toad Races?
Certainly Bob Steel has been attracted by the later, he recently explained that he expected to win back the cost of his Magnetic campaign betting on the Toads. Well he did seem serious. But then he always does until the smile arrives.
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