Slow return trip for Mackay sailors

by Lisa Ratcliff on 4 Aug 2006 Half the fleet contesting the inaugural Sydney Mackay Yacht Race are now safely berthed at Mackay Marina Village with the latest to finish, AFR Midnight Rambler, providing a rather slow return trip to Mackay for the four local sailors on board.

Sydney yachtsman Ed Psaltis and Mackay based Bob Thomas have been sailing buddies for 16 years, Ed picking Bob’s name off a list of people looking for a ride south in the 1990 Sydney Hobart. Bob signed on as navigator and since then the pair have sailed thousands of miles together, their most significant achievement coming in the stormy 1998 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race when their tiny Hick 35 battled the atrocious conditions to claim the overall handicap win.

They sold that AFR Midnight Rambler and bought a Northshore 369 which they then replaced in 2004 with their current Farr 40.

After a 'drawn out' second leg from Mooloolaba to Mackay, Bob Thomas admitted he was feeling better after a few celebratory drinks, and that like all of frustrating ocean races he’s finished, all the worst parts would be quickly forgotten.

'The weather made the second leg very drawn out. Four times we were becalmed for half a day but when we were sailing it was magnificent, I’ve never seen so many whales and the weather was superb.

'I love the concept of this race but everything went against us this year,' said Thomas.

AFR Midnight Rambler finished fourth over the line behind Skandia, Living Doll and Sailors with disABILITIES just before midday today and looks set to claim third on IRC results.

An IRC overall win is now impossible for the smallest boat in the fleet, Anthony Paterson’s Tow Truck which needs to finish by 2.39pm today to knock Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll out of the number one position. Currently Tow Truck’s ETA is 8.45pm tonight.

The final three boats, Matthew Percy’s Alacrity, Peter Voigt’s Hasta La Vista and Darren Cooney’s Inner Circle are all due tomorrow, exactly one week from the start of this 903 nautical mile race last Saturday from Sydney Harbour.