Dekadence races Tamagomalu to finish line

by Di Pearson on 30 Apr 2007 The Victorian yacht Dekadence has overcome a race-long challenge from the Japanese rival Tamagomalu to finish fifth over the line in the 2007 Melbourne Osaka yacht race this morning.

Phil Coombs and Peter ‘Pee Wee’ Walsh finished the 5,500 nautical mile race at 09 hours 56m 03s (AEST) April 30, (23h 56m 03s UTC April 29), with an elapsed time of 35 days 20h 56m 03s. From all accounts, 'The Odd Couple' had the Japanese in fits of laughter on their arrival in Osaka.

Behind Dekadence, Makoto Hisamatsu and Jimmi Doherty were 27 miles from the finish line when the Victorians finished. The two boats were almost joined at the hip from April 1, April Fools Day right up until the end of the race, Dekadence just getting the edge in the last 45 miles of the race.

Tamagomalu got the early lead, but the two constantly overtook each other in what must have been an exhilarating race from start to end. The Japanese boat had the advantage in reaching conditions, but Coombs and Walsh came into their own in the last eight hours, sailing west of Hisamatsu/Doherty on the eastern shore at the opening to the bay of Osaka, and were never headed.

The Victorians are thrilled just to finish the race. The two contested the 2003 Melbourne Osaka but due to continuing problems with Coombs’ former yacht, were forced to retire only five days into the race.

'It was bazaar coming into the bay to finish,' said Coombs. 'One minute we had 12-13 knots, then next thing zero! We were pushing three quarters of a knot of current and had only just enough momentum to cross the finish line. And the ships and boats in the bay – you have to see it to believe it – I’ve never seen anything like it.'

Coombs told of the difficult of the doldrums: 'Lots of people told me what to expect of the doldrums – but it was nothing like they described. We were getting three to four big storms during the day and the same again at night. It was very taxing – relentless. You couldn’t sleep at night.

'Pee Wee and I found ourselves reefing down before dark, de-powering the boat and therefore under-performing, but you had to do it to protect yourself. For us, it wasn’t about winning, it was about having an experience. We had around 4,000 miles of hard reaching conditions and Dekadence is not built to reach. To win, you need a water-ballasted reaching boat.'

The 50 year-old described the race as: 'just incredible - an amazing experience, it touches every bit of emotion in your body in every way possible.'

Dekadence, a well-performed DK 46 owned by Coombs, the former commodore of Melbourne Osaka co-host Sandringham Yacht Club, normally contests races on the Grand Prix circuit, such races as the Rolex Sydney Hobart, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week and major races out of Melbourne.

A long held desire to compete in and finish the race found Coombs and Walsh converting the racer for double handed racing and two more different people would be hard to find. The two refer to themselves as ‘The Odd Couple’, taken from an old American TV comedy about two very different men, Felix and Oscar, sharing a flat. Their antics during this race were well documented in photos accompanying their reports from the race.

Southern Light, the next best placed boat following Tamagomalu, had 295 miles to sail to reach the finish line at 10.00am AEST this morning. Sailing in Japanese waters, Tom Crabb and Trent Justice, representing Adelaide in South Australia, were sailing to the east of Okinawa-jima with the Bonin Islands ahead to their east.

The Adams 11.9 had a handy 32 mile break over Asadori and Hullabaloo. Sailing side by side, the Japanese crew is only a boat length or two in front of the Yamba, NSW entry – it couldn’t get any closer. Asadori’s Shinsuke Nishi and Kyojun Fujita would be greatly pleased with their latest position. Sadly, Fujita will not get his wish to spend his May 1st birthday on home soil.

At the back end of the fleet, 687 miles from the finish line, Wild Boar (Shozi Yoneda/Jun Kanda) have a 22 mile advantage over David James and Rosie Colahan (Ingenue) who are on a more westerly course than their Japanese friends.

About to cross over the Tropic of Cancer, the two have the Volcano Islands ahead and to their east, but will probably not go close enough to appreciate the Islands’ apparent beauty. Esoterica (Campbell Reynolds/David Best) has caught some miles up on the two who are last on line and 83 miles astern.

Weather from Roger Badham:
070429 0525Z
Winds are average winds at 10m – no gust.

GALES
TUE 01 - A region of gale force SE-S-SSW winds are expected with a front that is expected to cross the race rhumb line during Tuesday 1st May with SE-S-SW winds of 35-45 knots – the strongest winds expected between 30N and 33N immediately ahead of the front with W/25-35 behind the front.

AREAS AND WIND
MON 30 28N to 32N and west of 133E SE/30-40 knots
TUE 01 29N to 33N and 132E to 139E SE-SW/35-45 knots
WED 02 north of 30N and east of 140E SW/35-45 knots; ie front well clear to the east.

Argos tracker positions at UTC 22.00.00 (10am AEST & 9am JPN Monday April 30):

Alex (Jock and son Hamish MacAdie) FINISHED 07H 12m 02s (AEST) April 27
COCORIN (Itaru Matsunaga/John Bankart) FINISHED 14H 51m 22s (AEST) April 27
Gusto (Brian Pattinson) FINISHED 03H 52m 13s (AEST) April 28
RYU-JIN (Murray Bucknall/Jon Sayer) FINISHED 17H 58m 44s (AEST) April 29
Dekadence (Phil Coombs/Peter Walsh) FINISHED 09H 56m 03s (AEST) April 30

Tamagomalu (Makoto Hisamatsu/Jimmi Doherty), Southern Light (Tom Crabb/Trent Justice), Asadori (Shinsuke Nishi/Kyojun Fujita), Hullabaloo (Jim and son Joe O’Keeffe), Wild Boar (Shozi Yuneda/Jun Kanda), Ingenue (David James and wife Rosie Colahan), Esoterica (Campbell Reynolds/David Best), Cadi (John and son David Netherton, retired), Wasabi (Ken Down/Shane Gaddes – retired), Runaway (James Ryssenbeek/Andrew McCole – retired), Pippin (Roger Sayers/Anthony Bown – retired).