Kickatingalong needs to get a kickalong

by Ian Grant on 26 Mar 2002 The hope for happy go lucky sailor Geoff Smith to make the start of the Brisbane -Gladstone yacht race was fading in the wind off the New South Wales central coast at dawn this morning.

Skipper Smith who hails from Church Point will need a lot more than a prayer for wind to take part in the 54th Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race starting from Shorncliffe at 11am on Good Friday.

Smith and the Kickatinalong crew had a good chance to soak up the scenery as the Adams 13 sloop sailed more for fun rather than winning yacht races weathered Tacking Point late yesterday as the tailender in the 469 n/ml Forrester Kurts Properties Sydney to Mooloolaba yacht race.

The jovial ocean-racing sailor gave no indication of concern when he reported Kickatinalong had another 290 nautical miles to sail before reaching the Mooloolaba Race finishing line off the Sunshine Coast surfing Beach of Alexandra Headland.

They always nominate to race with the fun factor in mind but as their progress has pointed out the winds have been far from kind as Kickatinalong had drifted in fickle breezes and was 'parked' in the calms to log a super slow 3.5-knot average during the 51 hours since leaving Sydney Harbour on Saturday.

However her determined sailing master kept her bow pointing north and there was no indication of retiring from the race when her position was reported to the race control centre at the Mooloolaba Yacht Club.

Sometime today skipper Geoff Smith will have to make a serious decision because the present 3.5 knot boat speed will need to be increased to 7 knots to reach Mooloolaba by Thursday and then immediately head south to take a place on the Gladstone race start line the following morning.

The Kickatinalong crew are not alone as the small Mumm 30 Tow Truck from Lake Macquarie and the high performance Sydney 38 sloops Next and Love Byte also were racing against time with over 230 miles to sail.