Marten Yachts Continues to Celebrate

by Martine Ballantyne on 5 Feb 2009 The premium yacht brand continues its domination of the cruiser racer market. Demonstrating the diverse capabilities of the range, the Marten 49 Perpetual Mocean claimed line honours in the 2009 RPAYC Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race amongst a strong fleet of 60 competitors.

Competing in their first ocean race, owners Bruce Hogan and Tina Clifton enthralled spectators to claim victory in the tightest finish in the race’s 28 year history.

And if that wasn’t enough for the newly crowned champions, they followed up the win to take out first place in the shorter Solitary Island Race, effectively wrapping up the series.

Welcomed by the applauding Coffs crowd, owners Bruce Hogan and Tina Clifton said they were ‘absolutely thrilled’ with their win.

'I felt a bit lucky, but a fantastic feeling to win my first ocean race,' admitted owner/skipper Hogan.

'It was a hard slog but the conditions were just ideal, very benign and the boat performed really well. I owe it all to the crew who were simply fantastic and with the experience of the likes of Peter Antill and Jason Rowed on board and these other guys, who gave it 100%.'

'The wind speed was 10-20 knots with the occasional gusts, but it was just extraordinary and unusual with a South Easter all the way, so you couldn’t ask for anything better for this race to stay on the one tack the whole way. In the end it was very, very close. We just never gave up,' said Hogan.

The impressive performance of Perpetual Mocean follows the unrivalled race results achieved by sister ship Optimus Prime. Western Australian owner Trevor Taylor, an experienced offshore racing skipper competed in the prestigious Rolex Sydney Hobart Race to finish sixth in the IRC division 2.

Having previously owned Ausmaid, the Farr 47, Taylor had completed several passages across Australia before he decided it was time to make them a bit more comfortable. This led to the decision to purchase the Marten and call it Optimus Prime due to its ability to transform between racing and cruising modes.

Taylor's Marten 49 has received critical acclaim for its consistent form. Optimus Prime delivered the fastest time and second overall in the Fremantle to Carnarvon Race, 1st and fastest in the first leg of the Valmadre Series and first and fastest in the Dolphin Race, the first leg of the Farrawa Cup.

The Optimus Prime crew last week sailed in the highly competitive Skandia Geelong Week 2009.

On the international race scene, Marten 49 Pace is competing in the Acura Key West Race Week 2009, one of the premier races on the racing calendar. This is the first year London based owners Johnny Vincent and Simon Tate have entered with their one year old Marten 49.

Now in its 22nd year, Acura Key West 2009, features world-class racing with representation from every region in the continental United States and numerous European entries in addition to those from as far as Russia and Turkey.

Testament to the success of the Marten brand, construction of the state of the art yachts is at full capacity. Whilst other yacht manufacturers are shedding staff in the midst of an uncertain economic climate, Marten Yachts has expanded production and is currently seeking skilled workers to support the growing demand for their highly successful dual purpose yacht.

The Marten 49 will be displayed at the upcoming Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in Queensland, Australia in May this year.

The company applies cutting edge technology and revolutionary carbon fibre construction techniques to produce a range of premium quality yachts including the Marten 49, Marten 67, Marten 72 and Marten 85 models. The next Marten 49, hull 16 is available for delivery late 2009.