Australia Day Williamstown to Geelong race starts

by Rob Kothe on 26 Jan 2008
Every Australia Day, Saturday 26th January, one of the iconic Melbourne events is the historic 34 nautical mile Skandia Geelong Week Passage Race from Williamstown to Geelong.

This morning there were blue skies overhead as 351 boats milled around, off Williamstown, with the Melbourne CBD in the distance. Quite quickly the breeze built from three knots to six, then seven, then eight as the fleet spread along the 1,000 metre long startline.

The Premier of Victoria John Brumby fired the start gun from the VIP vessel, watched by Skandia CEO Ross Laidlaw, Skandia Geelong Week Patron John Bertrand, Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood, and RGYC Commodore Graeme Ritchie.

There was a riot of colour as the fleet began hoisting their spinnakers. Midline Grant Wharington’s 30 metre (98 foot) super maxi Skandia had her Code One up as she hit the line, above most of the IRC racers.

Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest was well to the right of the lead bunch, while Karl Kwok’s Reichel Pugh 45 Beau Geste started at the other end of line.

Less than five minutes after the start, a pressure line came in from the north, suddenly the breeze was blowing at 17-20 knots, the sea was still flat but the sudden change in conditions caught many of the smaller boats by surprise. There were broaches mid-fleet.

Up front Skandia took off. Quest by now was upwind of her, but the TP52 look like she was anchored as Skandia sailed away.

Frazer Read’s little 29 footer Steiner keel boat One Steel, looking more like an 18 footer, flew into third place.

Behind her more to the north was Bruce Taylor’s Caprice 40 Chutzpah, fourth ahead of Rob Hanna’s Rogers 46 Shogun, Graeme Wood's TP52 Wots Yot, Graeme Ainley’s Georgia, then Alan Whiteley’s TP52 Cougar II, Michael Hiatt’s Cookson 50 Living Doll and Chris Dare’s Flirt.

Behind them another 341 boats streamed towards Geelong.

The monohull record to beat is held by Skandia. She sailed this race in an elapsed time of 1hr 40mins 17secs set in 2006. If the breeze holds Skandia could give it a shake today.

By late this afternoon there will be 500+ boats in and around the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. Tomorrow Corio Bay and the Outer Harbour will become the sailing battleground for this giant fleet.

More soon.