One perfect long reach to the Gold Coast

by Lisa Ratcliff on 31 Jul 2005 Andrew Cochrane’s Stewart 34 Pendragon, which finished second overall in last year’s Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race was this morning provisionally leading the fleet on IRC handicap.

With a crew of Farr 40, Mumm 30, 18-foot skiff sailors and Olympic gold medallist Tom King aboard, the 1982-built timber hulled 34-footer was leading Victorian Michael Hiatt’s brand new Cookson 50 Living Doll with another timber boat, Ray White Koomooloo, in third place at 0830 hours this morning.

Don Freebairn’s Ray White Koomooloo, a Queensland entry from Manly and the winner of the 1968 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race underwent a painstaking seven-year restoration prior to entering last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and has stormed back onto the scene to fly the flag for IRC racing amongst older boats in Australia.

At 0830 hours, Gunnar Tuisk’s Cadenza was the PHS provisional leader ahead of Michael Phillips’ Poppy and Paul Spira’s Dreamtime.

A short time ago, Steven David estimated Wild Joe was around 4 miles astern of Wild Oats X, the bigger version of his Reichel/Pugh 60-footer which used to be owned by Bob Oatley who now owns Wild Oats X.

David is counting on the breeze flicking to the north later today to close the gap on the race leader.

‘Reaching is their (Wild Oats) strength,’ David said this morning. ‘When the wind eventually clocks around to the north that will suit us, particularly if it’s light and fluky’.

Roger Hickman, skipper of the Farr 43 Wild Rose advised this morning they were sailing in a group of around 30 yachts and were bunched up along the shore with some boats trying to carry spinnakers and others two-sail reaching.

‘Last night’s run up the coast was a dream run in a beautiful westerly, we couldn’t have asked for better,’ said Hickman who also reported sighting whales off Seal Rocks.

At 0930 hours today, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Geoff Lavis said his Inglis/Murray 50 UBS Wild Thing was still making good time in a 12 knot westerly and was reaching boats speeds of 9 knots.

‘We started poorly yesterday but once the westerly came in overnight, we were able to reign in a lot of boats. We think we are going to be able to carry this breeze for a while yet,’ Lavis said.

‘Since last night it’s been one perfect long reach on a flat sea and it doesn’t get any better than this,’ he added.

Line honours positions and provisional handicap standings are available from the official web site.

See links on right hand side of Sail-World page down the bottom>>>>>.