Wilparina ll leads Multihull Brisbane Gladstone

by Ian Grant on 21 Mar 2008 Victor Harbour multihull ocean racing skipper Rob Remilton steered his power sailing trimaran Wilparina ll to a provisional lead in the Brisbane to Gladstone race earlier tonight.

Skipper Remilton and the Wilparina II crew sailed fast and smart during the light winds on Moreton Bay and entered the open ocean of Caloundra in third place behind APC Max (Tony Considine) and the Martyn Riley skippered Melbourne catamaran Raw to the Core.

All three leading crews selected the right tactical options in the light winds and this ultimately allowed them to dominate the race for line honours.
They all enjoyed a fast spinnaker reach past the northern Sunshine Coast beaches shortly after dusk as the new breeze continued to freshen into a perfect speed sailing breeze.

Boss Racing had also sailed impressively to hold fourth place ahead of the Jamie Morris skippered Raider One Design.

Morris a former multiple line honours winner with Simply The Best and Flat Chat held the edge in his match race against the Joel Berg helmed AYS Raider but their race fell apart north of Mooloolaba when a rudder snapped.

At the time Raider One Design had moved into second place on OMR handicap behind Wilparina and their unfortunate retirement paved the way for AYS Raider to move into second while race line honours favourite Raw to the Core improved to hold third place.

The South East breeze continued to freshen as the fleet tracked a fast course towards Double Island Point.

These conditions proved to be the best sailing angle for Wilparina II as she firmed her claim to win the race outright on OMR and Performance Handicap.