What's next for 'Next'? Russian sailors bound for Hobart

by Rob Kothe on 23 Dec 2001 Sydney 38 owners' Richard Holstein and Craig Malouf will be sailing their Sydney 38 'Next' south to Hobart with a crew including Australia's sailing Olympian Nev Whittey and seven Russian sailors. The Russians have chartered the sloop to compete in their first Hobart.

Skipper Andrew Arbuzov and his mainsheet hand, both world class Soling sailors, flew in via Djakarta this morning. The other five Russian crewmen will arrive before Monday morning's Sydney to Hobart briefing.

A series of unscheduled delays in flying from a snow-bound Moscow via Tokyo and Djakarta to Sydney, is hardly the preferred preparation for their first trip south.

Whittey commented this afternoon, 'With such a short recovery period, we will be concentrating on letting our Russian crewmates rest and rehydrate. These guys are world-class sailors, so on Christmas day after a sleep-in, we will have a sail then lunch, a single vodka and the guys can have another sleep.

The Sydney 38 is a great offshore boat and it's an excellent charter choice because it's sea-kindly and an easy boat to sail.

'Next' is very well prepared and we expect to be competitive.

This venture is big news on the Russian sailing scene. The Sydney to Hobart is considered by the Russian's to be a premier ocean race and the fact that seven of their own are participating this year is very exciting news.'

For full coverage of the 2001 Sydney to Hobart, the Indec Melbourne to Hobart and the Strathfield Pittwater to Coffs, go to Sail-World, the largest sailing web site in the Southern hemisphere.

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http://www.sail-world.com/sydneytohobart
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