Antipodes first in for Gold Coast Race

by Peter Campbell, CYCA on 28 May 2005 The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia yesterday received its first official entry for this year’s 20th Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, the club’s second biggest ocean race on its annual ocean racing calendar.

Sydney yachtsman Greg Newton has entered his Beneteau 47.7, Antipodes, for what will be his sixth and the boat’s fourth race to Southport, to kick-start an expected strong line-up for the popular race north.

This 384 nautical mile coastal race to Southport on the Queensland Gold Coast is the curtain opener for the winter northern racing circuit - the Hogs Breath Mooloolaba to Airlie Beach Race, the Hogs Breath Regatta and the Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week.

Antipodes, a consistent ocean racing yacht since being launched, is unique in Australia, being the only Beneteau here with a shoal draft, wing keel designed by Bruce Farr, drawing only 1.8 metres.

She also carries a full inventory of Tasker sails, with Greg Newton and his son, Sam, owning the East Coast franchise for the sails made famous by 1956 Olympic silver medallist Rolly Tasker who, now aged 86, still runs the business out of Phuket.

Antipodes most recent successes have been in the expanding Port Hacking-Batemans Bay Regatta where she won seven of the ten major trophies under PHS. Newton has entered Antipodes for the PHS Division of the race to Southport.

‘We will be average punters in the Gold Coast fleet, finishing mid-fleet, but we have a good rating and the crew sail the boat hard,’ Newton said, recalling his best Gold Coast Race result of 2nd in IMS Division B in 2002. Last year, Antipodes won PHS Division 1 of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Series.

‘We are taking the boat all the way north, competing in all the events right through to Hamilton Island Race Week, but then the boat will be sold as we have a new Beneteau 52.3 arriving which will be Antipodes III,’ Newton added.

The Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race began in 1986 and is the first race in the CYCA’s Blue Water Pointscore, Cape Byron Series and Tasman Performance Series and the CYCA’s Long Ocean Pointscore for IRC and PHS.

It attracts top quality fleets of 60-70, including some of Australia's best known ocean racing yachts, with recent line and handicap winners including grand prix racers such as Konica Minolta, Grundig (aka AAPT), Brindabella, Ragamuffin and Quest.

Due to start at 1.00pm in Sydney Harbour on July 30th, the last Saturday of the month, the race takes the fleet north past all the major New South Wales coastal ports including Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Cape Byron and on to Southport in Queensland.

Brindabella (George Snow) set the race record is 27 hours 35 minutes 03 seconds in 1999.

The finishing Club is Southport Yacht Club, which has become famous for the hospitality it extends to the visiting yachties who enjoy first-class facilities in a superb location before they head back to their home ports or further north to continue the August Queensland racing circuit.

Footnote: Greg Newton’s 19-year-old son Sam, his partner in the Tasker Sails franchise, is part of the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy champion youth match-racing crew currently racing on the international circuit.

The Notice of Race and Entry Form is now available on the official website: http://goldcoast.cyca.com.au