Sydney to Mooloolaba Yacht Race comes to a close

by Greg Peake on 12 Apr 2014 The Sydney to Mooloolaba Yacht Race finally came to an end when BOQ Team Australia crossed the finish line off Point Cartwright at 6.48pm yesterday evening, Friday April 11, 2014, with an elapsed time of 53 hours, 48 minutes and 40 seconds for the 468 nautical mile course.

Crew members Ben Kelly, Sean and Peter Langman, Larry Jamieson, James Ogilvie and Josh Alexander were relieved and elated when they stepped off the 60-foot trimaran that delivered them safely from Sydney Harbour to Mooloolaba and a round of well-earned cold drinks and applauding onlookers.

BOQ Team Australia’s skipper Sean Langman was happy to report that spirits stayed high despite an average speed of just 8.7 knots, which is practically standing still for the multihull that hit 39.6 knots when it set a new world speed passage record from Sydney to Hobart in February last year.

'It certainly feels great to have finished and to have been part of an iconic yacht race that is up and running again,' Langman said once berthed last night.

Despite the great distance covered he said there were no dramas.

'There were no mishaps, no problems with the boat. We had just come back from a refit so it was good to put a decent number of miles down.'

The crew enjoyed an easy time at sea and their progress recorded constantly via social media showed them getting up to their usual amusing antics and cracking jokes to pass the time.

'We got to learn more about the boat and didn’t run out of food and water, so we were all really happy,' Langman said.

While morale was high throughout BOQ Team Australia’s race, light winds and calm conditions for the duration prevented significant progress and the crew agreed with Kelly that 'you’d be hard pressed for a slower race'.

One of BOQ Team Australia’s on board reports said they were all getting plenty of sleep on the trip, unlike most others. Navigator and boat captain Josh Alexander joked that he had to watch out for bed sores and admitted they were many in contention for the ‘golden pillow’ award.

The benign conditions affected BOQ Team Australia’s only competition, Shaun Carroll’s Sea Cart 30 Morticia, which retired from the race on day two leaving BOQ Team Australia on their own to finish what they started.

'Apparently we are racing; it's pretty cruisy,' was the comment from Morticia’s skipper Chris Williams on Wednesday evening, April 9, the first night at sea before they pulled the pin concerned they had insufficient food, water and patience to press on. Langman and his crew were all disappointed at Morticia’s retirement but understood the decision.

The black trimaran left Nelson Bay today on a trailer headed home to Sydney rather than on to the Brisbane to Gladstone race, due to Cyclone Ita. Williams jumped aboard Steven Proud’s Swish yesterday as mainsheet hand for the Sail Port Stephens regatta.

Thoughts will now turn to next year’s expanded Sydney to Mooloolaba Yacht Race, an offshore contest back on the calendar and uniquely open to both monohulls and multihulls.

The inclusion of an IRC division in 2015 is likely to entice a number of keelboat owners and the continued support of the multihull community will no doubt expand the combined fleet event once again conducted by Middle Harbour and Mooloolaba yacht clubs.

'I’m excited about the Sydney to Mooloolaba race being back on the calendar, moreover that it’s going to be a monohull and multihull event,' added Langman.

As part of its northern campaign BOQ Team Australia is now preparing for the Brisbane to Gladstone Race starting April 18.