Teens cut their teeth in Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

by Di Pearson, CYCA Media on 28 Jul 2014 Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2014 - Five teenagers in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race are learning the art of offshore racing from some older experienced hands in the annual 384 nautical mile race – in fact three are learning from their fathers and are currently placed in the top of the 55-boat fleet overall.

Youngest of the ‘first time’ offshore racers is Will Haynes, the 16 year-old son of Sam Haynes, who owns and skippers CYCA entry, Celestial. This morning, the Rogers 46 is likely to be declared the overall winner of the race.

St George Midnight Rambler is the Ker 40 co-owned by veteran CYCA yachtsman, Ed Psaltis, who has his just turned 18 year-old son Ben aboard, along with Ed’s experienced brother Arthur. Still on the race course, the yacht is currently in 10th place overall.

Both Ben and Will have done numerous offshore delivery trips back from races, but this is their first time competing in a major offshore race, and they could not have better teachers. Ben comes from a long line of ocean racers; his grandfather, Bill Psaltis, was Commodore of the CYCA from 1963 to 1964, following stints as Vice and Rear Commodore. He skippered his famous yacht Meltemi to victories around the world and contested numerous Sydney Hobarts.

Among the untold trophies in Ben’s father’s cabinet, is the famous Tattersall’s Cup, which Ed claimed for winning the fatal 1998 Hobart on a little Hick 35 named AFR Midnight Rambler. So Ben is learning from one of the best in the business and has his sights set on competing in the 70th Sydney Hobart race in December.

Will Haynes’ lineage does not go back so far, but in the short time Sam has owned racing yachts, he has made an impression, including Celestial’s third overall in the 2013 Rolex Sydney Hobart. He also won the Brisbane Keppel race and his class at the NSW IRC Championship that year. Then after a fight to the end, Celestial was second in the prestigious 2012 Blue Water Pointscore Series hosted by the CYCA.

'It’s great to have Will with us. He’s had plenty of experience doing ocean deliveries with us and he’s in the CYCA’s Youth Academy. It’s good to get kids involved the sport and this is the perfect opportunity,' Sam said at the start of the race.

Self-assured Will was playing it cool: 'Yeh, it’s good; I guess I’m excited. Dad and I are on separate watches, so there’ll be no chance for disagreements,' he said smiling.

At 18, Queenslander Samantha Scott is getting the best possible training on Roger Hickman’s 29 year-old Farr 43, Wild Rose.’ Hicko’, a tough but fair taskmaster, is renowned for training new crew up to first class ocean racers. Sam also has her dad and crew regular, Andrew, aboard to show her the ropes. She plans to contest her first Hobart in December and the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race is her baptism by fire.

'She’ll do the whole Blue Water Pointscore Series with us to prepare,' said Hickman, who is the defending champion of the Series which commences each year with the Gold Coast race. He is unsurprisingly leading Division 4, won the 1993 Hobart under IOR in conjunction with an IMS winner, and can boast many other wins.

Two 19 year-olds from the CYCA Youth Academy got a lucky break when CYCA director Noel Cornish invited them to race on his Sydney 47, St Jude. Emma May and Nicola Bradley were overjoyed to get the opportunity - and with the two full sets of brand new ocean racing wet weather gear, paid for by the QLD (Quiet Little Drink).

'Nicky and I said at the beginning of the year that we wanted to start doing long ocean races. The plan was to start with the Land Rover Winter Series and get some big boat experience under our belts and then see how we could get into ocean racing,' Emma said.

'We’ve had some training and the rest of the crew have been really great to us – showing us the ropes and getting us familiar with the boat. I’m really excited and a bit nervous, but I can’t wait to be on the start line and in my first ocean race,' she ended.

QLD convener and record 48 Sydney-Hobart veteran, Tony Cable, said it was 'a worthy cause'. He said the QLD was happy to help.

'We want the girls to be comfortable and we’d like to think they will keep offshore racing – so they need this gear. It’s good to keep the young blood coming through our sport,' said Cable, who is also competing in the race aboard Damien Parkes’ Judel/Vrolijk 52, Duende.