LOCO TAKES HANDICAP DOUBLE IN CYCA'S CABBAGE TREE ISLAND RACE

by Peter Campbell on 13 Nov 2000 The US-built Telstra Sydney to Hobart Race contender, Loco, underlined her strong prospects under the IRC
handicap category with a convincing overall win in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Cabbage Tree Island Race
over the weekend.

The Farr 52 One Design, owned by CYCA members David Coe and David Lowe, won both the IRC and IMS division of
the 180 nautical mile to Cabbage Tree Island, north of Port Stephens, and return to Sydney.

The new Loco, which raced originally in the USA as Scream, replaces Coe and Lowe's original Loco, a Sydney 40, in
which they won a Telstra Cup and Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race. Calling the shots in the Cabbage Tree race was
round-the-world navigator Adrienne Cahalan.

Ausmaid, owned by Adelaide yachsman Kevan Pearce, placed second in both IMS and IRC, with George Snow's
maxi, Brindabella, third in IMS, and Sea Jay (Scott Wheelhouse) third in IRC.

Apart from being a CYCA Bluewater Pointscore (IMS) and Cape Byron Series (IRC), the Cabbage Tree Island Race
was the 38th race for the Halvorsen Bros Trophy and the 28th race for the Woollahra Cup and a qualifying race for the
2000 Telstra Sydney to Hobart.

Surprisingly, Brindabella was beaten for line honours by Xena, a water-ballasted Open 60 owned by young Sydney
yachtsman and former skiff sailor Sean Langman.

The race started from Sydney Harbour last Friday evening and with the fleet racing north overnight in an 18-knot
nor'easter, Brindabella rounded Cabbage Island soon after sunrise ahead of Xena and Loco.

However, on the long spinnaker reach back to Sydney with the breeze still fresh, Xena pulled to the front and got the
gun by just over 12 minutes - the Open 60's first line honours in a long ocean race.

BIRD ISLAND RACE DOUBLE TO AFR MIDNIGHT RAMBLER

The 1998 Telstra Sydney to Hobart overall IMS race winner, AFR Midnight Rambler, owned by Ed Psaltis and Bob
Thomas, won a handicap double in the CYCA's 90 nautical mile Ocean Pointscore overnight race to Bird Island,
which also started on Friday night.

AFR Midnight Rambler, a Hick 35, won both the IMS and IRC handicap category divisions. In the IMS Division she
won from Dick Cawse's Vanguard and Miss G Fuss Moment (Stephen Collibee and Colin Wilson).

In the IRC Division, she won from Geoff Phillips' Forzado and Warwick Sherman's new Cookson 12, Occasional
Coarse Language, just returned from her fine IMS victory in the Gosford to Lord Howe Island Race.

Line honours went to Wild Thing, skippered by CYCA director Geoff Lavis.