Slow and steady will win Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

by Di Pearson on 30 Jul 2016 In a weather update this morning, from Jane Golding, Acting Regional Director NSW, Bureau of Meteorology, there was no better news for the 75 yachts and their crews participating in the 2016 Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, the fleet can still expect a weak five - seven southerly start to the 384 nautical mile race.

When the race starts north of Shark Island on Sydney Harbour at 1pm today, tacticians and navigators skills will come into play as the boats sail up the Harbour and turn left at Sydney Head for the Gold coast.

During the late afternoon, the wind is due to back south-east at five knots, but tonight will be the toughest miles of the race when a five knot northerly is expect to hit the fleet at around 2200 hours. The yachts will be sailing upwind against a southerly current and decisions made could make or break each boat’s performance.

“Can you fly in some food packages and our mail,” enquired Richard Hudson, the co-owner and skipper of Pretty Woman.

Conditions from tomorrow on show some improvement, depending on whether you take the inshore or offshore track, with north-westerly 10-15 knot winds forecast for early Sunday morning, tending south-west or north/west at five - fifteen knots during the morning and variable winds of five - fifteen knots during the afternoon

Some boats will be tempted offshore, as Monday is expected to bring 20 knot winds offshore and 10-15 closer to the coast.

“I think the plan is to stay on the coast,” says Jim Delegat, the owner/skipper of the V70 Giacomo, from New Zealand.

“I just know we’ll have to sail really well to succeed. I’ll be leaving it to Tom Addis (his Australian navigator) to make the big decisions, and we’ll see,” he ended.

Peter Harburg, the Queensland owner of the V70 Black Jack, commented, “Given our modifications to make the boat better in light conditions, ‘the drifter’ might benefit us, but then it might benefit others.”

Harburg’s skipper, Mark Bradford, added: “There’ll be a lot of stop, start. You will need to control your emotions in a loss, because everyone will have some.”

Black Jack’s navigator, Peter Elkington, commented: The wind will be from every direction, so you need to look at what others are doing and make your decisions wisely.”

All information on the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race is on the official race website.