Old Salts - New Challenge in Brisbane-Gladstone

by Ian Grant on 27 Feb 2008 A physically tough and expensive 26 years of ocean racing has failed to quell the enthusiasm of the highly respected Sunshine Coast skipper Bob Robertson.

The Caloundra sailor better known in the ocean racing ports between Hamilton Island and Hobart as ‘Sir Robbo of Queensland’ is preparing a new challenger Crackling Rose for the 60th Brisbane to Gladstone Race starting off Sandgate on Good Friday March 21st.

Bob Robertson was a relative ocean racing rookie when he entered the sloop Hot Prospect for his inaugural Brisbane to Gladstone classic in 1982. In that year very few of his race rivals failed to rate the offshore racing ‘rookies’ as a hot prospect but that progressively changed when Hot Prospect power sailed under spinnaker past her home port of Mooloolaba holding a promising fleet position on corrected handicap.

The Hot Prospect crew experienced a number of heart palpitations sailing on the fine edge between distinction and disaster when the breeze progressively freshened into a strong wind warning.

But the skipper and his crew of young thrill seekers were reluctant to back off and applied their dinghy skills to racing on the ocean driving Hot Prospect to the limit.

Their reward for being constantly drenched in spray was the thrill of ride and being among the first crews to have a warm fresh water shower and a frosted XXXX at the Gladstone Yacht Club.

Skipper Bob Robertson backed by the support of his equally enthusiastic group of Bramble Bay dinghy sailors paved the way for Hot Prospect to finish third overall behind previous winners Noel Patrick’s Gladstone sloop Wistari and the
Graeme Jones skippered New South Wales yacht Beach Inspector.

However while skipper Robertson was personally thrilled with the result he was two places and 2 hours 8 minutes 31 seconds away from becoming a winner. Robertson spent another four Easter holidays away from the warm dry and stable deck of his Sunshine Coast home before achieving his ambition when he skippered Sellers Witchcraft II to win the 1987 race and The Courier Mail Cup after a thrilling 308 n/ml match race against rival Farr 40 skipper Ian Kenny in The Gambler.

The margin between the two almost identical yachts at the finish was 5 minutes 16 seconds the equivalent of 1.025 seconds per nautical mile.

This remains among the highlights of a memorable career which also includes a third in the gruelling Sydney Hobart Race with Queensland Maid.

As expected the Gladstone Race veteran remains confident of another major result with Cracklin Rose in spite of racing against a very competitive fleet including Sunshine Coast rivals the 2007 Audi Australian offshore champions in the Rod Jones skippered Alegria and the 2006 Brisbane-Gladstone champion Michael Balkin’s Corum.

However while the experience of the Cracklin Rose crew will be seriously challenged her veteran owner skipper confidently believes they are a strong chance to win the Performance Handicap trophy and also be the first Sunshine Coast yacht to finish ahead of Alegria, Cadi, Corum, Shiraz and Wild Spirit.