Martyn Riley on track for Brisbane to Gladstone

by Ian Grant on 11 Mar 2008
Melbourne Orthodontist Martyn Riley suffered a painful expense when his record breaking catamaran Raw Nerve was dismasted during a wild 40 knot gust in the Adelaide Port Lincoln race last month.

This was to be the Brisbane to Gladstone Race record holders final trial before leaving on her delivery voyage to Queensland and the defence of her line honours trophy in the 2008 Allyacht Spars Multihull Brisbane to Gladstone race starting from Darling Point Manly at 11am on Good Friday March 21st.

Her expensive carbon-fibre mast which had previously powered the super fast maxi-catamaran to smash the 308 nautical mile Brisbane to Gladstone Race record with the average speed of 16.28 knots was shattered in several pieces when a turnbuckle snapped.

However despite the expensive set back the Raw Nerve racing team will defend their Brisbane – Gladstone Multihull Race trophy with the smaller 9.24m ocean sailing sprint machine catamaran Raw to The Core.

Skipper Martyn Riley and designer Stuart Bloomfield confidently believe Raw to The Core yet to be tested over the physically demanding Gladstone Race course will provide them with the opportunity to win their fifth first to finish title in a row.

Raw to The Core has the proven speed over short sheltered water courses but will she be able to produce the same dominating sailing speed over the rugged open ocean water between Caloundra and Gatcombe Head the entrance to Gladstone harbour.

The proven catamaran sailing experience of Martyn Riley and Stuart Bloomfield will be ‘under the pump’ when they tension the sails for the 308 nautical drag race against the equally impressive Queensland crews headed by former Gladstone Race line honours champion Jamie Morris and his match racing team mate Joel Berg.

Morris and his principal crew mate Roger Overell in Raider One Design have an enviable Gladstone race log book and their match race against Australian champion Joel Berg (AYS Raider) and equally impressive Raw to The Core crew promises to be the most exciting tactical dogfight in the 44 year history of Australian Multihull ocean racing.