Top performance - Brisbane to Gladstone

by Ian Grant on 26 Mar 2008
It would be fair to say Mooloolaba Ocean racing skipper Jon Sayer has a very strong affiliation with the sea, in fact he is the complete package.

Jon Sayer designs and builds high performance yachts and then expresses his kill as an offshore sailing tactician and navigator by spending endless hours at the helm to ensure the yacht races to her full potential.

Just on 12 months ago Jon Sayer and his sole crew mate Murray Bucknall were racing Ryujin FGI across the Pacific Ocean towards a class win in the 5,500 n/ml Melbourne to Osaka Race.

This event ranked as the Everest of short-handed ocean yacht racing because the crew of two are required to commit to living on freeze dried food and survive a super human test of endurance even to finish let alone win.

For Jon Sayer this was his fourth super marathon in yachts which he has designed and built firming his reputation as Australia’s best in shorthanded long distance races with four Melbourne-Osaka class Gold Medals in his personal trophy cabinet.

As expected he and Murray Bucknall were back in a familiar role when Ryujin FGI sailed past Pt Cartwright on Good Friday afternoon locked in a nip-n-tuck duel with the Lucas Down skippered Wasabi for Performance Handicap honours in the 60th Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race.

This race was basically an overnight sprint compared with the 30 day commitment to win the Melbourne to Osaka race but the challenge to win the class trophy in the 308 n/ml Brisbane Gladstone classic was equally challenging.

The Melbourne to Osaka race champions had a reputation to protect and they were under some pressure to protect their status when Lucas Down helming the Jon Sayer designed and built Wasabi tracked Ryujin FGI in a speed sailing drag race.

Wasabi which rates slightly higher on handicap was the aggressor in a boat on Boat mate against mate match race which lasted for almost 31 hours before Ryujin FGI crossed the finish line 3 minutes 48 seconds in advance of Wasabi.

Skipper Lucas Down and the Wasabi crew while respecting the talent onboard Ryujin FGI pressed the champions to one of the most exciting class results ever recorded in the 60 year history of the Brisbane Gladstone classic.

In terms of boat speed the difference between Ryujin FGI and Wasabi after 308 n/mls of intensely competitive match racing was 1.35 seconds per nautical mile a margin which the Ryujin FGI crew converted into winning the Performance Handicap class trophy from Wasabi by 7 minutes 23 seconds while the Bill Wild skippered Wedgetail was another 1 hour 6 minutes away third.

The Wasabi crew while being narrowly beaten deserve to be happy with their result.

They were up against a champion crew and never gave up the fight extending the experienced Jon Sayer to a match racing second by second dog-fight which ultimately allowed the exciting Sunshine Coast designed and built sloops to claim their deserved results over their 51 class rivals.