Rebuilt Desparado now going Flat Chat

by Ian Stripey Grant on 15 Mar 2002 Sailing Flat Chat will become a reality when the rebuilt modified Grainger 38 speed sailing catamaran resumes her challenge to claim a place in Brisbane to Gladstone Multihull race history over the Easter weekend.

Over the past 12 months there has been an enormous transformation of the former Desperado, which was dramatically dismasted in the first hour of last years race record challenge.

Dreams and ambitions can be cruelly crushed as proved when Desperado appeared to be comfortable sailing above record pace then seconds later the rig fell into the sea.

However the fleeting glimpse gave four times Gladstone Race line honours winner Jamie Morris the opportunity to realise this catamaran had the potential to be an ocean racing sprint machine.

Morris has since stretched the Grainger 38 to 40ft added a complete wardrobe of high performance Quantum sails and is now race ready to sail in the fast lane.

A name change to Flat Chat suits the performance and the desired racing attitude of her crew that includes the vastly experienced Duncan Van Woerden a sailor who has won more Gladstone line honours than any other person afloat.

Van Woerden has won four on the former Scott Jutson designed modified formula 40 Simply The Best and many others in maxi sloops Apollo and Windward Passage.

He has no need to talk it up but there is still the same highly competitive attitude which will be a real factor when Flat Chat sets her record challenge in place at 1100 hours on Good Friday Morning.

Apart from slamming into a shark doing 18 knots at the half way point in her record breaking win Surf to City race win in late January the transformation into a record challenger has been impressive.

Skipper Morris totally understands the racing limit of Flat Chat and while he remains confident the challenge rests with the prevailing weather system.

'Flat water with good pressure will suit us best and Flat Chat will need those conditions to have an edge'.

'If the seas become lumpy then we will be forced to back off'. He said.

However the Flat Chat crew including skipper Morris sailing master Van Woerden, Roger Overell, Graham Argall and Shane Dickson are physically and mentally prepared to enter into a drag race with the defending champion and race record holder Rogntudjuuu (Phillipe Coste) and Ama Two (Bob Burgess) for the prestigious first to finish prize in Australia's most important Multihull class ocean race.