Telcoinabox Airlie Beach Race Week 2012 – the stage is set
by Telcoinabox Airlie Beach Race Week media on 9 Aug 2012
Team Vodafone Sailing - Airlie Beach Race Week 2011 Stu Mackinvern
Sailing in the 23rd annual Telcoinabox Airlie Beach Race Week is just a day away. The event runs until August 16th with a record number of sailors racing in a strong 120+ boat fleet.
At the briefing tonight for the Telcoinabox Airlie Beach Race Week the 2012 skippers will be told that after a warm week with soft winds, the latest weather forecast indicates a week of tradewinds ahead.
The first warning signal for the 2012 event will be at 10:55am on Friday and Principal Race officer Jim Hayes has confirmed his intention of running the Cone-Armit race, the traditional series opener, as scheduled.
As the fleet streams north, the IRC Racing and Multihull fleets will sail a 31 nautical mile course from the Pioneer Bay start line upwind to a Mandalay clearing mark, a fast down-wind leg to Double Cone Island, a reach across to Armit Island and then further west to Olden Island and back to Pioneer Bay.
It will not be surprising if the giant ORMA 60 trimaran, Simon Hull’s TeamVodafoneSailing, is across the finishing line before some of the fleet has reached Double Cone.
The IRC Cruising, Super 30, Performance Racing and Cruising fleets will sail a shorter 23 nautical mile course, turning for home after rounding Armit Island while the Cruising Div 2, Non-Spinnaker and Sports Boats will round Double Cone and head back, sailing just 19 nautical miles in all.
The stage is set.
More information is available on the Telcoinabox Airlie Beach Race Week website at www.airliebeachraceweek.com.au
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