CYCA yacht in Melbourne to Vanuatu race

by Peter Campbell on 25 Jun 2006 CYCA member Andrew Short's Volvo 60, Andrew Short Marine, is heading off on its longest voyage since its Round the World Race next Sunday, 2 July - the 1,850 nautical mile race from Melbourne to Vanuatu.

It will also be the longest ocean race for its owner, who bought the Laurie Davidson-designed boat three years ago and has since competed in most CYCA ocean races, including the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Among the crew of 11 will be CYCA director Rod Skellet and also the experienced round-the-world sailor Mark Willett.

Conducted by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, the race from Melbourne to Port Vila, the tropical capital of Vanuatu, has attracted a fleet of 23 yachts, most of them from Melbourne, but also from NSW, Tasmania and Queensland.

The fleet will head out into Bass Strait at 12 noon next Sunday, 2 July.

The race is the first leg of the Queensland Government-sponsored South Pacific Boomerang Series with the Australian yachts being joined by several international boats for a 1150 nautical mile race from Port Vila to Mackay, North Queensland, starting on 1 August.

Largest yacht in the fleet at 20.18m LOA is the much-travelled veteran sloop Nautalis Marine Helsal II, skippered by Bill Rawson, but the 19.5m LOA Andrew Short Marine is expected to start favourite for line honours.

Other big boats in the fleet include the Open 60 Gusto (Brian Pattinson and Peter Giudice) and the Swan 47 Lady Godiva (David Currie) while among the IRC racers is the DK 46 Dekadence, skippered by Sandringham Yacht Club Commodore Philip Coombs.

'We are confident of leading the fleet to Vanuatu and from there the boat will be delivered to the Whitsundays for Hamilton Island Race Week,' Andrew Short said in Sydney today.