AAPT takes line honours in slow race to Lord Howe

by Peter Campbell on 2 Nov 2004 Sydney yachtsman Sean Langman last night added yet another victory to the impressive results achieved with his much modified, re-painted and renamed Open 66, AAPT, by taking line honours in the 31st Gosford to Lord Howe Island ocean race.

AAPT (ex Grundig), often described as ‘a skiff on steroids’ crossed the finish line off Lord Howe Island’s unique coral lagoon at 8.47pm eastern daylight saving time to record an elapsed time of 54 hours 47 minutes 23 seconds for the 414 nautical mile race.

The 66-footer’s time was the slowest in eight years and way outside the race record, with the race from start to finish being sailed in headwinds, increasing to 20-25 knots yesterday afternoon, conditions never conducive to a record dash across the Tasman Sea.

The race was obviously longer than anticipated for Langman and his eight man crew. ‘We’re very short of supplies on board,’ advised Langman, in a radio call to Clive Wilson at the Lord Howe Island race radio control as he sailed the final 40 nautical miles to the island.

Langman asked if supplies could be ferried out to the boat offshore and two crew members taken off to fly by back to Sydney before he set sail again late last night back to the mainland.

Meanwhile, the Gosford Sailing entry, Grasshopper,
skippered by Graham Jackson, has retired from the race and is returning to the mainland.

Two of the oldest boats in the fleet are duelling for IMS handicap honours, with Love and War, skippered by 80-year-old Cruising Yacht Club of Australia member Peter Kurts, holding a narrow edge on corrected time from Chris Dawe’s Polaris of Belmont from the Gosford Sailing Club. Both boats were built more than 30 years ago but have been maintained in first rate racing trim.

In third place on progressive IMS calculations is Impeccable, skippered by 81-year-old John Walker, a member of Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

In the PHS handicap category, the little CYCA sloop Debonair, skippered by Eric Frank, heads the progressive corrected time placings from Bright Morning Star (Hugh O’Neill, Sydney Amateur Sailing Club) and Seaquest the Weapon, skippered by Phil Darling from the Royal Motor Yacht Club.