Corum provisional handicap winner in Gladstone race

by Ian Grant on 16 Apr 2006 Michael Balkin a relatively new skipper in the tough bullring of Australian offshore yacht racing has become the provisional winner of the 2006 Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race on corrected handicap.

Balkin (56) from Maroochydore was better known as a fun race sailor in Mooloolaba Yacht Club events before buying the former Hong Kong Admirals Cup Mumm 36 Corum to extend his career into ocean racing.

He and his highly experienced sailing master Greg Gilliam completed a clever tactical race just after 4 o’clock this morning with the elapsed course time of 41 hours 5 minutes 35 seconds to become the provisional corrected handicap leader.

Corum launched in 1993 and generally considered to be beyond her best mastered the demanding test of light wind sailing to give her popular owner skipper Michael Balkin a chance to claim his career best result in his second major ocean race.

However the modest skipper who finished fourth behind the line honours winner Heaven Can Wait (Peter Hollis) and the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron sloops Wedgetail (Bill Wild) and Quest of Queensland (Kevin Miller) has upstaged his more experienced rivals with the fastest corrected handicap course time.

Skipper Balkin, sailing master Greg Gilliam, and the talented steerers Jeremy Leitch, Mal White and David Turton have enjoyed a quiet celebration in Gladstone but they are reluctant to officially accept the victory while the lower handicapped yachts Wistari and Koomooloo sailed slowly towards Gladstone this morning.

Until they arrive the Cirum crew will continue to watch the time.