Nick Moloney inspires Cadets going to Worlds

by Teri Dodds on 1 Mar 2007 International (and locally born) yachtsman Nick Moloney entertained a captivated audience with his sailing stories, at a special post – twilight race function held at Royal Geelong Yacht Club, in Victoria. Nick donated his time for the night, which was aimed at raising funds to help send two cadet crews to Wales in July for the Worlds, and those in attendance were not disappointed.

After an introduction by Immediate past Commodore Peter Stephens, where he was described as the ‘ Classic Australian Quiet Achiever, who is better known overseas than in Australia’. Nick began to unfold his life in a choreographed slideshow, to over 160 mesmerised yachties. The slides began with Nick as a child on the beach in Ocean Grove, where he believes his love for the water began. Then for the next one and a half hours Nick showed slides and movie clips of his America’s Cup (aged 23), being in New Zealand in 1995 at the National Maritime Museum and seeing the Jules Verne Trophy, through to his three goals in his sailing career – (you’ll have to buy his book to find out what they are).

He retold stories of his well documented windsurfing across Bass Strait, his round the world world record on Steve Fossett’s catermaran Orange, finishing on his 34th birthday in just over 64 days. Then onto the Vendee Globe, where he survived the southern ocean to turn left at the infamous Cape Horn and be elated, only to be shattered when his yacht Skandia broke the keel and retired off Rio de Janeiro. But the ever positive Nick returned to his team at Skandia and organized repairs to the yacht and completion of the race, returned to the original spot where the keel broke in the Atlantic Ocean and went on from there to finish his journey in France.

Nick then met the four Geelong Cadet members, off to the Cadet Worlds in Wales and had some Q & A time, where they were all clearly inspired by his presence.

The Geelong team consists of Tom Kelly (aged 17), his crew Tristan Witty (8) who will be sailing Sure Thing and Callum Wilkinson (15) and his crew Jessica Case (11) who will be sailing Skeeta.