Maria Island Race test for Sydney Hobart yachts

by Peter Campbell on 20 Nov 2008 Five of the seven boats that will represent Tasmanian yacht clubs in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will sail their qualifying ocean race in this weekend's Tasports Maria Island Race.

The Maria Island Race will start from Hobart's Castray Island at 1900 hours (7pm) this Friday, 20 November with the strong 22- boat fleet setting sail on the often demanding 190 nautical mile ocean around the south-east coast to the elongated island off Orford and back to Hobart.

This is the 61st annual Maria Island Race conducted by The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, making it one of the oldest ocean races in Australian waters and a significant lead-up event for Tasmanian yachts contesting the Rolex Sydney Hobart and the Heemskirk Consolidated Melbourne to Hobart races in late December.

First winner of the Maria Island Race in 1947 was Guy Gibson Westward which went on to win the Sydney Hobart Race the same year.

Doctor Who, Roger Jackman's Davidson 52 has been the most successful competitor, six times winning the IMS or IRC rating division and once also winning PHS honours, as well as many times taking out line honours.

Sponsorship of the 2008 Tasports Maria Island Yacht Race extends the role of the Tasmanian Ports Corporation (Tasports) in hosting and supporting the race end for the Sydney Hobart, Melbourne Hobart and Launceston Hobart ocean races and the recent Bass Strait Race from Melbourne to Stanley.

The 2008 Tasports Maria Island Race will see the return to ocean racing of RYCT member and Beaconsfield medico Tony Lyall with his rebuilt and re-rigged Valheru which was forced to retire following a collision soon after the start of the 2002 Sydney Hobart Race.

After a protracted settlement case, the Elliott 13 has been repaired by builder Peter Milner and given a new rig configuration by Fred Barrett.

Last year's 60th Maria Island Race made Tasmanian yachting history with Hobart woman Sally Rattle skippering her Archambault 35 Archie to victory in the IRC division. Archie went on to win the Melbourne to Hobart Eastcoaster Race.

This year there will be three woman skippering their yachts, possibly the most ever in an Australian long ocean race - Sally Rattle as co-skipper with Scott Brain aboard Archie, Sally Smith as co-skipper with her father Dr Tony Fisher on his Dynamique 62 Helsal IV and Dianne Barkas skippering her Sydney 38 Asylum which earlier this year won the 2008 Bruny Island Race.

In the absence for the first time in many years of Doctor Who, the battle for line honours is wide open, with Helsal VI the biggest boat in the fleet but more cruiser orientated. Valheru, with her new rig, probably will prove the fastest boat in the fleet.

Rob Fisher's Helsal III, the potentially fastest Tasmanian boat, has withdrawn from the Maria Island Race.

Valheru, Helsal III and Helsal IV will contest this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race along with other Tasmanian boats competing in the Maria Island Race: Nest Property, Murray Wilkes' Peter Cole designed Traditional 30, She's the Culprit, Todd Leary's Hart/Jones 36 (the ex Fruit) and Pisces, Graham McKibben and David Taylor's modified Sydney 36.

The other yacht nominated as representing a Tasmanian yacht club in the Rolex Sydney Hobart is the Sydney-owned Maluka of Kermandie, the restored 32-year-old gaff-rigged cutter which skipper Sean Langman will sail under the burgee of the Port Huon Yacht Club.

In addition to last year's IRC division winner of the Maria Island Race, Sally Rattle and Scott Brain's Archie, the PHS winner Kaiulani, Malcolm Cooper's half tonner, is also back again for the 2008 event.

Making their Maria Island Race debut will be David Creese's recently acquired Sydney 38 Creese Properties, the former NSW champion Transfusion, and David Bean's powerful Beneteau 44.7 Auch.

Also entered for the often rugged race is Robert Gourlay's Thompson 10 sports boat, Tasmanian Mariner Construction, the former ABN AMRO which the late Bruce Calvert sailed to victory some years back in the Bruny Island Race.

The sponsorship of Tasports for the Maria Island Race was announced at the launch of the 61st annual event at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania last evening.

'Tasports is pleased to further support the growth and development of these events through its support to another of the races' qualifying events, the Maria Island race, now to be known as the Tasports Maria Island Race,' said Charles Scarafiotti, Executive Manager - Marketing, of the Tasmanian Ports Corporation Pty Ltd.

'Tasports also supports the race end for the recent Melbourne to Stanley race, another qualifying event for these ocean races.

'Tasports identifies how important these events are, not only for the development of sailing and ocean racing but also, and importantly, for the promotion of Tasmania and the strategic attributes and natural assets it has with its waterways and sailing destinations offering a wide range
experiences for racing and cruising.

'The sponsorship for the event is a natural fit for Tasports,' Mr Scarafiotti points out.

The maxi ketch Tasmania, skippered by well-known RYCT member Bob Clifford set the current race record of 19 hours 50 minutes and 1 second in 1994 and then went on to take line honours the following month in the 50th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.