Tasmanian yacht heads Melbourne to Vanuatu Race fleet

by Peter Campbell on 25 Jun 2014 2014 Melbourne to Vanuatu Race - Tasmanian yacht Alive heads a small fleet contesting the 1885 nautical mile race across the South Pacific from Melbourne to Vanuatu Race which starts off Portsea, just inside Port Phillip Heads, this coming Sunday, July 29.

The long race starts is the second stage of owner Phil Turner’s extensive campaign leading up to this year’s 70th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Turner, a Derwent Sailing Squadron member currently based in Thailand, bought the Reichel/Pugh 66, previously known as Black Jack, earlier this year and enlisted fellow DSS member, Brisbane-based Tasmanian Duncan Hine as his skipper.

In his first races with the powerful, canting keel ocean racer, Hine skippered Alive to victory in Queensland’s Great Keppel Island race and then the Brisbane to Gladstone race last Easter, winning IRC and ORCi handicap honours and the prestigious Courier-Mail Cup.

Turner was not aboard for the Brisbane to Gladstone race, but will sail in the race to Vanuatu where the long race will finish at Port Vila. Other Tasmanians in the 13-man crew include Hobart sailmaker Stewart Gray, Simon Desmarchelier and Simon Webster.

Alive is the biggest and potentially fastest yacht in the fleet of seven for the race, which is being conducted by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria.

Apart from Alive, the other yachts represent Melbourne yacht clubs and include: Ariel II, Jeanneau 36.2 (Ashley Stephens, Hobson’s Bay Yacht Club), Cartouche, Beneteau First 50 (Steven Fahey, Royal Brighton Yacht Club), Escapade, Farr 38 IMS (Debra Allen, HBYC), Geomatic, Hanse 495 (Adrian Lewis, Mornington Yacht Club), Jazz Player-TPF, Bakewell-White Z39 (Matthew Lawrence, Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron), Trybooking.com, Elan Impression 434 (Grant Dunoon, Royal Brighton Yacht Club).

'The forecast is for full-on running conditions virtually all the way, so it should be a fast race for Alive,' said Stewart Gray, a Tasmanian who has been sailing and working overseas for the past 12 years, including making sails for the Volvo Race and two America’s Cups. He now runs North Sails loft in Hobart.

Over the years a number of races have been sailed from Australian ports to Vanuatu, an archipelago of 83 islands with a unique blend of intact tribal communities, resorts and modern living in the capital and port of Port Vila. Geography ranges from fine beaches to accessible active volcanoes to pristine underwater environments.

Races have started from Sydney, Brisbane and from Melbourne, with the ORCV holding its inaugural event in 2006.

Following the Melbourne to Vanuatu race, Alive will sail back across the Pacific to Sydney to contest the race up the New South North Coast to the Queensland Gold Coast, starting on July 26. Then she will then head further north to contest Hamilton Island Race Week which gets under way on August 16.

Alive then sails back south again to prepare for the 70th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, one of at least six Tasmanian yachts expected to enter, include Maluka of Kermandie and Natelle Two which have already been nominated.