Sunshine Coast sailors looking for Magic

Wed, 12 Apr 2006

Sunshine Coast ocean racing sailors are expecting to face a supreme test of light wind offshore racing during their tactical struggle for honours in the annual 308 n/ml Brisbane to Gladstone race.

Hopefully the forecast of light variable winds and smooth seas will change but the experienced dual winner race winner Bob Robertson is expecting to have his light wind sailing skills challenged in his bid to win the prestigious race trophy The Courier-Mail Cup for the third time with his Bavaria 42 Monkey Magic.

The race forecast for the 11am start off the historical Sandgate Pier at 11am on Good Friday morning looks far from promising with Cape Moreton recording a ‘glass out’ calm before dawn yesterday while Double Island Point was almost calm with the water surface rippled by a three knot southerly.

Race Officials from Queensland Cruising Yacht Club are hoping for the slow moving high pressure system located in the Tasman Sea to move off or generate a more stable south east wind flow.

The Sunshine Coast veteran Robertson has had two previous wins in the Gladstone Race. But in both cases on Sellers Witchcraft ll (1987) and Corrobboree (1992) these were achieved in moderate to fresh spinnaker sailing winds.

Robertson was more concerned with the preparation off Monkey Magic to worry about the race forecast.

'You just have to do the best with the wind that blows over the deck and we are all basically in the same boat trying to win'. Robertson said.

However while the Gladstone Race veteran showed no signs of concern he would prefer a brute breeze to be blowing when he plots the course for Monkey Magic to weather the Caloundra Fairway exit from Moreton Bay before sunset on Good Friday.

He and his Monkey Magic crew including the gifted Gladstone Race winning helmsman Andrew Wicklund have a passion about protecting their hard won reputations and this years race is no different with Robertson committed to a few private Bundy & Coke bets against rival crews.

But more importantly skipper Robertson takes enormous pride from being the best performer representing the Sunshine Coast.

Protecting this honour will become a difficult task with the trio of Mooloolaba sloops Corum (Michael Balkin) Amity (Peter Willey) and the father and son combination of Ken and Lucas Down in Ticket of Leave equally favoured to feature in the tactical struggle to record the fastest corrected course time.

The present forecast will not hamper the 2004 race record breaker Skandia from winning the line honours trophy for the second time in three years.

by Ian Grant