Ladies Day in Tasports 61st Maria Island Race

by Peter Campbell on 21 Nov 2008 The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's 61st annual Tasports Maria Island Yacht Race will be making Australian, if not world, offshore yacht racing history this weekend when four women skipper their boats in the often rugged race off the south-east coast of Tasmania.

The race starts this evening off Hobart's historic Castray Esplanade where, in late December, yachts racing from Sydney, Melbourne and Launceston will finish their long ocean races to the capital city of Tasmania, the nation's
island state.

Maria Island Race history was created last year when Hobart yachtswoman Sally Rattle sailed her Archambault 35 Archie to an IRC victory - the first ever win by a woman owner/skipper in the 190 nautical mile race from Hobart
to Maria Island off the east coast of Tasmania and back to Hobart.

Joining Sally in the 21 boat fleet will be Diane Barkas, helming her Sydney 38 Asylum, Sally Smith, skippering her father Dr Tony Fisher's Dynamique 62 Helsal IV and Julie Hunt as skipper of the syndicate-owned Farr 31 Wildfire.

Diane has also already made her mark on Tasmanian yacht by winning the RYCT's historic 89 nautical mile Bruny Island Race, first held in 1898.

For Sally, the Maria Island Race will be her first offshore race as a skipper and a qualifier for the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Likewise, this will be Julie's first offshore race as a skipper, although she has had consider ocean cruising experience.

A fleet of 21 boats are expected to start the race at 1900 hours (7pm), including five of the seven boats representing Tasmanian yacht clubs in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and others preparing for the Melbourne to Hobart and Launceston to Hobart races, all of which start just after Christmas.