Hog's Breath Australian Sydney 38 Nationals

by Ian Grant on 20 Jun 2001 Whitsunday Sailing Club's ideal match racing courses on Pioneer Bay will become a tactical playground for some of Australia's best ocean racing crews in August.

The venue, which hosted the Hog's Breath Australian Sydney 38 class championship with a fleet of four yachts last year, has attracted a record fleet for the popular Race Week series.

Crews representing clubs from Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Singapore and New Zealand have accepted the Notice Of Race from Race Week director Miles Wood.

A Sydney 38 class official has indicated the possibility of fleet of 14 sloops to face up for the Australian championship including the defending champion The Business representing the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.

Skipper Vaughan Stibbard who won the title by the narrow margin of one point following a lengthy measurement rule protest will be the target for tactical attention when the impressive fleet lines up for the Hog's Breath sponsored national series.

Stibbard and crew will need to keep their tactical options open in what promises to be the highlight of another highly successful regatta.

The Business and arch rivals Barry Moore and John Sheehan in Blowfly should be the pacesetter with the dual Sydney-Hobart race winner Lou Abrahams of Melbourne helming Another Challenge.

Abrahams heads a very impressive challenge from several new owners in the class, which also includes well known Sydney skipper John Messenger in Utopia.

Both of these skippers have raced a lot of miles in a wide range of classes and their experience will complicate the chance for The Business to mount a successful defence.

However Stibbard, Moore and Sheehan have the advantage of sailing at the venue before and this could provide them with a marginal edge over the fleet.

Wayne Kirkpatrick will again race under the Hamilton Island Yacht Clubs 'battle-flag' with his sloop Asylum and is expected to be in the front line with the major title contenders.

Skipper Kirkpatrick and crew have generally dominated line honours in the interclub racing in the Whitsundays and the value of this racing experience particularly in the tricky local waters is expected to flow into their title challenge.

Another interesting entry is the Tasmanian challenge headed by the tenacious Craig Escott.

Escott, told he would never walk again following a motor vehicle accident at Airlie Beach in 1994 has proved his personal fighting spirit to helm the Royal Tasmania Yacht Club entry Gourmet Express.

There will be no shortage of tactical racing talent supporting Escott's determined challenge.

Former Fireball World champions Stuart Hamilton and Dave Connor have accepted crew positions with Americas Cup and Admirals Cup sailors David Rees, Jim Reed and Paul Wyatt.

They are on board to celebrate Craig Escott's return to competitive One-Design racing and also aim at winning a major medal before going on to represent Tasmania in the Hahn Premium Race Week at Hamilton Island later in August.