Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race - Australian Cricket Captain makes debut
by Jennifer Crooks on 24 Jul 2014
Michael Clarke and Anthony Bell with the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race line honours trophy. Dale Lorimer
2014 Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race - Australian Cricket Captain Michael Clarke will make his ocean racing debut aboard Perpetual Loyal in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia organised Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race which starts this Saturday 26 July at 1pm off Nielsen Park on Sydney Harbour.
'I’ve been working with Anthony Bell (owner of Perpetual Loyal) for a while now to try and see how we could work together and I’m really glad to be part of the team,' Clarke said of the race that will take him well outside his comfort zone. Ex-Wallaby turned pro-sailor Phil Waugh will be there to support Clarke.
This will be the first time Perpetual Loyal and Wild Oats XI have met since last year’s Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and both have recently undergone modifications all aimed at making the super maxis even faster.
A fleet of 56 yachts representing the top echelons of Australian yachting will take on the 384 nautical mile race that finishes off Main Beach at Southport on Queensland’s Gold Coast, with line honours contenders aiming at WOXI’s open race record of 22 hours 3 minutes 46 seconds, set in 2012.
The start of the 384 nautical mile Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race is at 13:00hrs, Saturday 26 July 2014
The start line off Nielsen Park at Vaucluse. The fleet will then proceed out of Sydney Heads and turn left towards the Gold Coast, finishing just off Main Beach, Southport. 56 yachts including Wild Oats XI, Perpetual LOYAL, Brindabella, Black Jack, Southern Excellence II, Ichi Ban, Victoire and Balance.
THE 2014 RACE