2015 Fremantle to Bali Race - Leading yachts pursue different tactics

by Marina Valmadre on 19 May 2015 At 9:00am WST this morning 19 May, almost 24 hrs since the 1440 nm race commenced, the fleet leader Indian owned by Craig Carter was 130nm off the Western Australian coast sailing a NW course at approximately 16.5 knots.

In the 2013 race after 24 hours of racing the 2013 line honours winner Super Sled was 70nm ahead of Indian’s current position. But with Indian utilising to great advantage the 17 knot SE breeze the fleet has enjoyed for most of the night she is making particularly fast progress on her race to Bali.

Indian is 26nm ahead of Garth Curran’s 17m Walk on the Wild Side which is sailing a more northerly and rhumb line course at around 12 knots of boat speed with the bulk of the rest of the fleet approximately 70nm behind.

The lead boats are both well west of Geraldton and the Abrohollos Islands while the rest of the fleet is hugging the coast utilising the SE wind and calmer inshore seas. Should these yachts continue their current course they will need to make some decisions on whether to pass east or west of the Abrohollos Islands which are 80nm off the Geraldton coast. No doubt there will be plenty of on board discussions regarding the relative merits of both courses.

Endorphin a Sydney 47 fresh from the 2014 Sydney to Hobart race and sailed by Michael Giles is 70nm south of Indian and trailing Brian Todd’s Sue Sea by 20nm.

During the night Don Brooker’s rally yacht Dorade suffered some boom problems and has entered Jurien Bay to complete repair work. Preliminary information indicates that all on board are fine and the damage was minor but with 1300nm to go the skipper decided that repairs now, while Dorade was still conveniently located adjacent to the coast, was the best course of action.

The Rally leader on distance at this stage of the event is Ron Webster’s 14m Ron Given designed Playground which is currently 22nm south of the Southern Abrohollos Group and 36nm from the coast. The remainder of the Rally group is in close quarters approximately 18nm off Greenhead in partly cloudy conditions and 20degree temperatures.