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Sail-World.com : Latest news from HSBC Coastal Classic
Latest news from HSBC Coastal Classic
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Rolling news updates from the HSBC Coastal Classic - from various sources ashore and on the water. Latest news at the top of the page
From the official website: http://www.coastalclassic.co.nz
1400hrs Saturday - 141 withdrawals, 31 finished
28 hours after racing started, only 31 boats have finished the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic for 2008.
The race finishes officially at midnight tonight and preparations for a smaller than anticipated gathering at The Pub are underway now. Mount Gay Gutterboat Racing starts at 4pm.
Other coverage:
Check out Will Calver's photo album - www.oceanphotography.co.nz (click on events)
TV3 coverage
To see the ONE News story on Ragtime/Infidel click here
Tough race history
This year's race may have been hard on boat, body and mind, but it certainly isn't the toughest in the race's 27 year history. Zoe Hawkins has put together some info from the archives about fleets in the past that had it much harder.
These examples demonstrate that seamanship and preparation help to ensure the safety of boats and crew, and have done for many years:
1983 – A big race in every sense of the word
In its second year the race attracted sponsorship from Lidgard Sails and more than 50 yachts, including 20 multihulls. David Barker’s 17.4m multihull Sundreamer put in its first Coastal Classic appearance, as did an assortment of Young 88s, Ross 930s and Farr 9.2s.
However, only 10 of the 55 starters completed the race. While the race started in moderate winds, it lifted to about 30 knots on Saturday afternoon, until a series of squalls with gusts of up to 60 knots hit the fleet off the Hen and Chickens. Yachts sheltered where they could up the coast. One chose to run downhill to the Coromandel Peninsula, and another boat hit Little Barrier.
John Mansell from Wellington used the race as a warm-up for his catamaran, New Zealand Challenger, entered in the single handed transatlantic race, and won in a time of 26h 55m.
1989 – Atrocious conditions present first ever monohull benefit
Only 65 of 155 starters finished the 1989 race, and it was the first year that a monohull took line honours. Gale force north to north easterlies ‘pasted’ the fleet, with many boats, on experiencing 70-knot headwinds and enormous seas off Brett, turning around and heading home. Emotional Rescue crossed the line first after 19 hours and 7 minutes of windward slog.
1997 – seamanship demonstrated
220 entrants and the Lindauer Classic went on-line with a brand new website created for the event – the first yachting event in New Zealand to do this. The Keith Chapman Memorial trophy was awarded for the first time for an act of seamanship during the race. Antaeus, helmed for the day by Penny Whiting, won it for going to Sundancer’s aid during the race. Four yachts were serious casualties in this race. Afterburner flipped and capsized off Kawau Island, Breeze Bender and Snark broke their masts and Sundancer hit what was thought to be a log and came to a sudden stop.
2001 – Rogntudjuuu wins for fifth time
A record 252 from 270 entries hit the start line as Dean Barker from Team New Zealand fired the gun. Rogntudjuuu, the Noumean Multihull owned by Phillippe Coste took line honours from Slime (John Hughes) who had problems with their GPS and headed for Kerikeri. NZL40 took out division one on line. 127 boats pulled out due to the conditions. Four yachts broke their masts.
1040hrs Saturday: Progress Report
Frenzy has been recovering from a rough night on the high seas. Roger Rushton says they experienced up to 40 knots in gusts, with moderate but unpleasant seas. At 0940hrs they were almost becalmed off Brett, enjoying the sunny warm weather. Rehab was nearby.
Mako 2 is 8 miles from the Brett and say it's really nice. The sun is out and they have 10 knots on the beam. Champagne sailing!
It's shaping up to be a close race between the navy yachts. Manga II has found the wind and is making seven knots in the right direction, towards Brett. They have just cracked off on Starboard. All of the crew bar one are on the rail holding the boat down, determined to make Russell before the party.
Champers is enjoying 15-20 knot westerlies at present, and is doing 6+ knots over the water. All is good and they are drying their washing.
146 boats are now either DNS or DNF out of 229 original entries. 26 boats have completed the race, which leaves 50-60 still on the race course.
0900hrs Saturday - Morale hits low point for those that persevere
Manga II has been the happy correspondent so far as the Chico 40 makes short work of the heavy conditions, but Gordon reports morale is not good this morning. THey are going nowhere in no breeze, with 40 miles to go. Two crew are laid out sick.
But the wind has filled in and they are making 3 knots in the right direction, and with more wind coming.
The sun is shining and they are drying out their wet weather gear before the forecast rain returns.
Oh, and they are having sausage rolls for breakfast.
Aboard Champers they are having donuts and jelly beans, still trying to make Tutukaka. At this rate they might all die of malnutrition before the get to Russell?
0800hrs Saturday - Talking to the winners
Brief morning interviews with Greg Roake and Simon Hull interviewed by Peter Montgomery-
Greg Roake – Taeping:
Taeping lost around 45 minutes of its race to gear failure, and you were very heavily reefed sailing up the eastern beaches of Auckland, but still took out line honours by nearly an hour. What happened on the start?
Greg Roake, skipper: 'The main halyard came out of top of the mast. We didn't get any volunteers to go up and fix it. So being the skipper, I went up the mast. It took a little while to get that sorted. Which then damaged the masthead headboard cars, so they were slowly breaking one by one. We started the race but had to go into back of Kawau for half an hour. We dropped the main, and replaced all of the headboard cars. The last three-quarters of the race was event free.'
Were the conditions really all that bad?
Greg Roake: 'It wasn't as bad as last year. It was pretty steady once you got into the rhythm of it.'
The race obviously suited your boat. What speeds were you doing?
Greg Roake: 'It was made for our boat. Upwind we were doing speeds of around 12-13 knots. But when the wind was in the east and we had to plug back out from the coast the seas were too big, so we slowed down to 6s and 7s to get to the coast, then we'd go back up to 13s. We went right in close to the Hen and Chicks, where there were some good gusts in flat water and we were hitting 19s and 20s. We sat on 21 into Brett.'
'It was just amazing in the dark. The port light was glowing red with the spray coming off the leeward hull. It was unbelievable, a moment to cherish.’
Greg credits the success with good upwind speed, a lot of time on the boat, and getting past the keelboats that thought they'd get them upwind.
Simon Hull – Owner/skipper V5 (abridged from an interview with Peter Montgomery, Yachting & Boating, Newstalk):
PJM: How were the conditions?
Simon Hull: 'I've had a whole lot worse in 727s. The breeze was never above the mid 20s.'
PJM: Did it make your life easier after some of your rivals retired?
Simon Hull: 'It was certainly easier after the withdrawals. We had a keel issue prior and had to mechanically or hand pump the keel, which made tacking a little slow, but apart from that it was a good race.
'I was surprised at the withdrawals, and disappointed. I think it's a state of New Zeala
by Richard Gladwell and Zoe Hawkins
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1:02 AM Fri 24 Oct 2008 GMT
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