Raw Nerve on record pace

by Rob Kothe on 6 Apr 2007 Race leader Martin Riley's Raw Nerve is blasting north. She has already passed Noosa and is on record pace ahead of a building breeze, in the 308 nautical mile multihull Brisbane to Gladstone race.

Raw Nerve is sailing downwind under their large gennaker with boatspeed in the high teens to low twenties, and helsman Stuart Bloomfield reports she is 'on the pace' with a predicted finish time of 5:30am (at current speed).

The breeze is slowly building from the south and is currently around 15-20 knots. APC Max and Rongtudjuuu are still visible on the horizon to the south. The leader in the monohull fleet Ichi Ban, racing over the same distance, is a little further back again.

If Raw Nerve takes the gun tomorrow morning in Gladstone, this will be her fourth straight victory in the prestigeous Easter race.