Race record holder wins Rolex Sydney-Hobart Overall in IMS and IRC

by Di Pearson on 30 Dec 2003 Dreams do come true – just ask Michael Spies, the skipper of First National Real Estate, the Beneteau 40.7 that has just been announced the overall winner of the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race.

Not only has he won the sought-after Tattersalls Cup for winning the IMS class for the overall win, Spies and his crew have done the unbelievable job of also winning the IRC class overall, and thus won his division in both these categories. These wins are provisional until all yachts have completed the race, but the fact is, First National Real Estate cannot be beaten.

Spies, who this year completed his 27th race south, is also the current race record holder – he was co-skipper of Nokia when they broke the record in 1999 in the time of one day 19hrs 48mins 2secs. – the first boat in the history of the race to finish in under two days.

‘I’ve had a long-held dream of winning this race (on handicap) - 26 years as a matter of fact. I’ve had a few good results along the way, and finally it has happened, yes my dream has come true.

My sponsors are over the moon, I spoke to Bill Hall a minute ago, and he and the First National people are so proud in their first year of sponsorship, and that’s how my crew feel right now,’ said Spies from lunch at Hobart’s famous Shipwrights Arms this afternoon.

As I told you before the race, I thought the conditions would suit us perfectly and they did. We stuck to ‘plan A’ and drove the boat hard, you have to, to win. Of course, even though things were looking good for us, you think of the worse case scenario. I felt reasonably confident, but then we did have a bit of a lull at the Tasman Lighthouse, just like last year when we were looking so good, and my heart just stopped – I thought ‘here we go again’, just like last year. You just can’t take these things for granted.

Of his race record that still stands, Spies said, ‘yes, I’m really glad the record still stands. Again, I never take that for granted either, it’s a big thing, and like the other years since, I look at the sked positions of the big boats as they get towards the end of the race and breath a sigh of relief – it (the record) does mean something, you know?’

Spies and his crew were taking things quietly, having some lunch and waiting for the official announcement. In the crew were three who have sailed a lot of ocean miles with Spies, including Sydney-Hobart races; Gail Harland, Warren Miller and Angus Roxburgh.

They were waiting on the oldest skipper in the fleet to complete the race – John Walker, at 81, with his yacht Impeccable, was the only thing standing in their way after First National Real Estate finished her race at 5.32am this morning.

For co-owner, Peter Johnson and 19 year-old navigator Andrew Joyce, it was unbelievable – both had just completed their first Hobart races, Spies spotting Joyce’s talent from the C.YC.A.’s Youth Academy.

His faithful Beneteau 40.7 has notched up some good results for Spies and various co-owners since her launch in 2001 – 2nd overall in the 2001 IMS Championships, 4th overall in the Sydney-Hobart and winning his division, also placing 2nd overall in the prestigious Southern Cross Cup.

Amongst his many feats, Spies holds the record for the youngest person to have attained the famous ‘25 Hobart races’, which he did after completing the 2001 race, having sailed his first race at age 17.

He also sailed the smallest yacht ever to Hobart, the 28ft (8.7m) Telerent in 1992, winning his division, is a former 18ft skiff World champion, and has won numerous skiff State and National championships.

I asked Spies what was left to win, what his next ambition is, ‘I’ll have to think about that,’ he said.