Fremantle to Bali Race 2013 –West Australia's elite bound to Indonesia

by Marina Valmadre on 16 Jan 2013 The Wonderful Indonesia Fremantle to Bali Race and Rally 2013 is expected to be competitive with the participation of several elite sailors, including Western Australia’s decorated sailor Paul Eldrid.

Eldrid is one of Western Australia’s most successful sailors, in his youth he went to Ireland to win the world championship in the humble Mirror dinghy, and since then has chalked up victories in a wide variety of local, national and international sailing events.

Now known mainly for his accomplishments on the offshore racing scene, he heads a list of high profile entries in the Wonderful Indonesia Fremantle to Bali Race and Rally, often known as the Race to the Island of the Gods, due to start May 4, 2013.

Expected to sail the boat he co-owns with Scott Disley, General Lee, he says of the upcoming blast north, 'all the boats in the racing field are very competitive, so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be a close race.'

Talking about his main rivals, Tony Mitchell’s Sled and Garry McNally’s Black Betty he commented, 'Sled is a very capable boat, she’d do very well in the race I would have thought, Black Betty is a very, very strong boat, strong all round, they should also do particularly well.'

Paul was also a helmsman on Alan Brierty’s Limit that broke the course record in taking line honours in the last race, two years ago. The previous record had been set in the inaugural race by W.A. sailing legend Rolly Tasker.

The Fremantle to Bali race is organised by Fremantle Sailing Club in partnership with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Ecomony. The event was first run in 1981, and at 1,440 nautical miles long, is more than twice the distance of the famous Sydney to Hobart Race.