Getaway-Sailing.com to reach Lord Howe tonight

by Peter Campbell on 29 Oct 2006 The Volvo 60 Getaway-Sailing.com is expected to take line honours late tonight in the Hempel 33rd Gosford to Lord Howe Island Yacht Race, but lightening winds in the Tasman Sea appear to have ended her chances of a race record.

At this afternoon’s position report from the fleet, Getaway-Sailing-com, skippered by Sydney-based New Zealander Peter Goldsworthy, and sailing for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, reported her position as 100 nautical miles from Lord Howe Island.

To break the record for the 414 nautical mile course of 33 hours 34 minutes 21 seconds set by another Volvo 60, Merit, in 2002 Getaway-Sailing.com will need to finish by 10.34pm race time this evening.

Whilst she has averaged close to 12 knots since the start from Broken Bay yesterday, the strong to gale force southerly winds have eased away during the day giving the 18 boat fleet pleasant sailing conditions across the Tasman.

All yachts safely weathered the south-westerly gale of yesterday and last night, with boats reported up to 45 knots and heavy seas during the night that saw most of them sailing with double-reefed mainsails and small headsails.

At the 1505 hours (3.05pm) position radio report Getaway-Sailing.com had opened up a huge lead of 60 nautical miles ahead of David Forbes and Richard Brooks’ Kaiko 51 Merlin, from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. Only four miles astern of Merlin came the CYCA boat AFR Midnight Rambler, Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas’ modified Farr 40 One Design.

AFR Midnight Rambler has revelled in the heavy weather downwind sailing and this evening holds a commanding IRC handicap lead from Merlin and the Middle Harbour Yacht Club entrant Local Hero, a Murray 36 skippered by Peter Mosely.

With her big lead over the fleet, Getaway-Sailing.com heads the PHS division on progressive corrected time, with E Z Street, Bruce Dover’s Warwick 44 from the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, in second place. The Lake Macquarie Yacht Club’s Inner Circle, the IOR Harr 40 skippered by Dennis Cooney, is in third place.

Cooney, an RTA truck driver, is an enthusiastic sailor and won the PHS division of the inaugural Sydney to Mackay Race in August.

Azzuro, Trevor Cosh’s Warwick 48 from the SASC and PHS winner of the last two Lord Howe Island Races, is back in fifth place in progressive PHS results so far.

Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club’s Aurora, another much travelled IOR Farr 40 skippered by retired medico Jim Holley, is having a comfortable sail, with Jim’s wife Mary sailing her first race to Lord Howe.

Aurora is currently ninth on corrected time in the IRC Division in her qualifying race for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race which will be Jim’s 19th and Mary’s 10th.

The smallest boat in the fleet, Illusion, skippered by Graham Jackson and representing the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Broken Bay, is sailing well in her comeback to ocean racing.

Illusion, a Davidson 33 which won the 1988 Sydney Hobart Race overall, is also using the Lord Howe Island Race as a qualifier for December’s Hobart Race. She is currently sixth in the IRC division on handicap and 10th in the fleet, ahead of a number of bigger boats