Hobart winner launches First National Real Estate

by Di Pearson on 24 Sep 2004 Last year’s Rolex Sydney-Hobart IRC and IMS overall winner and current race record holder, Michael Spies, launched his brand new Beneteau 44.7 at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia yesterday afternoon.

A big crowd gathered as the yacht was christened ‘First National Real Estate’ by Bill Hall, one of the company’s directors and the man responsible for signing on with Spies last year.

‘We only signed on with him at the last minute just before the Hobart race last year – and he won – we had no alternative but to come back! Our new signing is for twelve months and will take in the 2004/2005 summer/autumn racing program, including the Southern Cross Cup, Rolex Sydney-Hobart, Skandia-Geelong Week and the Brisbane-Gladstone races,’ a happy Bill Hall said this afternoon.

First National has 500 offices throughout Australia, but it was Hall, whose office is in NSW, who took the initiative and talked the other partners into signing on to what proved to be an instant winner – not something a lot of sponsors can boast.

Spies has put together the nucleus of crew from last year’s Hobart race and other winning campaigns, including Angus Roxburgh, Stuart Broom, Warren Miller, Luke Ratcliff, Glenn ‘Hedgy’ Cooper, Doug McGain and Stuart Graham.

On launching the boat, Spies, said they wanted the best of everything.

‘First National Real Estate has really looked after me, but others have come to the party too, and we wouldn’t be there without them. Ray Marine (supplier of all electronics), Ian Short (the sailmaker) and Beneteau Vicsail, Harken and Lewmar (deck hardware), we have half and half.

These are the people in particular, who have looked after us, along with quite a few others – between them, we have a great racing boat.’

Beneteau Vicsail in Sydney supplied Spies with the basic production yacht and since that time, he has made the modifications he sees as necessary to be a competitive race winner.

‘We had the keel and rudder faired and made minor modifications to the rig to make sure that she stands up to the rigours of Bass Strait. I don’t like to take chances. I’ve changed the deck layout to make it racing friendly and more comfortable for a long race. ‘We’ve upgraded the running rigging and installed a plotter in the cockpit too.

‘The IRC rule is less open for exploitation than IMS was, but having said that, we are not carrying an extraneous penalties in that regard with this new boat.'

Of his ongoing association with Beneteau, Spies said, ‘this is our fifth year with Beneteau and last year was obviously our best result.

We feed them our technology information in regard their designs which often finds it way into their factory and is taken into consideration in their new designs. We have a good working relationship.’

In the lead up to the Rolex Sydney-Hobart race, Spies and crew will do a couple of 90 milers, a 180 miler and use the CYCA’s twilight sailing nights to get the crew work up to scratch.

‘It doesn’t matter how well organised or prepared you are though – you need the right breaks and all the modifications done properly to go sailing,’ he commented.