Three racing berths for Blue Water Classic

by Martin David on 10 Oct 2006 Sailors from around the world are racing in some of Australia’s best know offshore races and regattas.

The category One 414 nautical mile Gosford to Lord Howe race starting October 28th, provides an early form indicator leading into the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race.

A Sydney based company, Sailing Services, provides racing berth opportunities for sailors from around the world to race in one of Australia's classic blue water events to an amazing destination, Lord Howe Island.

Lord Howe Island was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1982 for its rare collection of plants, birds, marine life and exceptional natural beauty. It is one of a handful of places in the world, and one of just four island groups, to be awarded a World Heritage listing.

Born from a volcanic eruption some seven million years ago, it has the southern-most coral reef in the world. The Island is 11 kilometres long and barely two kilometres at its widest point. Two-thirds of the island is covered in natural forests, Banyan trees and Kentia palms. The waters are crystal clear, the beaches are pristine, there is no pollution, birds and marine life abound.

The pristine waters surrounding world-heritage Lord Howe Island are home to 500 species of fish and 90 species of coral. Its sparkling lagoon is protected by the world's southern-most coral reef creating a spectacular line of white surf against a blue backdrop of the South Pacific ocean. A State Marine Park was declared in 1998 and a Commonwealth Marine Park in 1999.

The towering peaks of Mt Lidgbird and Mt Gower dominate the southern tip of the Island.

Now in its 33rd year the Category 1 ocean race is numbers restricted due to limited sheltered moorings as a result of the environmental vision of the Island. Three or four days of blue water racing clears the mind for the scenic joys of an unspoilt ecology.

This is the Sailing Services Kioni's third trip to Lord Howe Island. Given our previous results, we expect to be on our mooring at Lord Howe by midday Tuesday 31st October. After 24 hors to rest and celebrate we expect to depart for Sydney by midday on Wednesday 1st November which should get us back into Sydney during Saturday 4th November.

Kioni the Beneteau First 47.7 has just returned from her second tip to the Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island regattas. In December she will again compete in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race with a British team. She sailed south in 2004 as Fineline and again in 2005 with a mixed UK, US and Australian crew.

Sailing Services Operations Manager Nick Athineos provides an update. ‘We take offshore racing seriously. For those races we prefer crewmembers to have recently completed a Safety at Sea and Survival Course. We operate on a safety first basis, sailing conservatively and until now we have expected mid-fleet results.'

‘This year we are emphasising safety and training as always, but we are expecting gains on the performance side. We have started Kioni on an optimisation program, with improved performances expected through the rest of 2006.

What does it Cost? Crew Berths on the Beneteau First 47.7, PFD, Safety gear, food, three full days training, race entry fee, insurance, fuel, berthing fees. Documentation. Excluded is travel, accommodation, personal Epirbs and wet weather gear. Cost is A$1,500 per crew member.

But call Nick as you might be able to negotiate a last minute price so late in the piece.

The race start line is between Barrenjoey and Lion Island and follows a course north to a mark off Terrigal Beach, and then a sharp right and then off across 414nm of bluewater ocean racing. Since this is a Category 1 race at least 50% of the crew must have already completed a Cat 1 or equivalent race and a minimum number of crew have to have Marine Radio, first Aid and Safety at sea and survival training. The existing crew have these requirements covered so any new crew will not need to be so experienced. The crew has begun training during October 2006 on Sydney Harbour.

'The training days are important, they allow for crew familiarisation and assessment. Of course we all yarn and tell each other stories that we then need to live up to. The day before an offshore race we all get together and the skipper coordinates all the details, in terms of ensuring everyone’s equipment is right and that all the food and all the sailing equipment is on board.’

'Please register your interest in joining this crew ASAP. Final training and paper work has to happen now. Call on 0438082616 to discuss qualifications and how we can help you to achieve these by race entry time.'

Visit the links below to discover more about the race, race rules, notice of race, entry conditions, etc

www.gosfordsailingclub.com.au, www.lordhoweisland.info

Sailing Services Pty Ltd

Email: info@sailingservices.com.au

Mobile: +61 (0) 438 082 616

Fax: +61 (2) 9405 5891

Address: 37 Dorset Rd, Northbridge, Nsw 2063

Website www.sailingservices.com.au