Spud Gun wins Great Whitsunday Fun Race

by Ian Grant on 3 Sep 2007 Peter Millar’s power sailing Spud Gun retained her crown as the fastest yacht on Pioneer Bay when the Queensland champion catamaran outclassed the fleet to win her third consecutive 4MK FM Great Whitsunday Fun Race title.

Spud Gun, nominated as the pre race favourite when a moderate 15-20 South East breeze blew over Pioneer Bay, clearly showed her exciting all angle sailing speed averaging 11.2 knots on a triangular course to finish with a comfortable line honours win from Bob Thompson (Sirocco) and Rum Raider (Scott Millar).

The pre race hype predicting a twin brother match race between the dual Australian Multihull Offshore champion Rum Raider, helmed by the older twin Scott Millar and Spud Gun soon turned into a 'chase my wake type' race when Spud Gun set the pace on a blast reach to the first mark off Pioneer Rock.

However a rain squall temporarily dampened the breeze leaving Spud Gun to become almost motionless, forcing her crew to face a challenge when Sirocco and Rum Raider bridged the gap.

But skipper Millar and his tactician Dave Chittleborough while forced to apply a tight covering wind shadow on Sirocco during the windward slog eventually sailed clear in a freshening breeze.

Spud Gun flying the windward hull in triumph weaved a path through the spectator fleet when she logged her race best speed of 17 knots just prior to crossing the finish line.

Young Bowen skipper Jamie Jocheim, deputising for Bob Thompson at the tiller of Sirocco, gave the Spud Gun crew a scare when both crews chased the variable wind direction changes after the rain squall.

However the possible light wind match race fell away when Spud Gun romped clear after the wind freshened from a five knot drifter into a consistent 15 knots, giving her crew a spray drenching ride over the final 500 metres to claim yet another impressive line honours win in the 31 year old Festival of Sails classic.

The famed burgee of the Newport Yacht Club was proudly flown from the backstay when the magnificent American mast head sloop Nomadass, steered by Edwin Collins, won the mono-hull line honours trophy.

Skipper Collins was also presented with the traditional bottle of Bundaberg Rum as a trophy for the yacht which has sailed the longest distance to take part, while the Mooloolaba Yacht Club team led by jovial coastal cruising skipper Binky Manson in Magani and Tracey Johnstone in White Pearl, will have their names engraved on International yachting’s most worthless trophy an empty Bundaberg Rum bottle mounted on a crude slab of Mackay rainforest cedar.