Scarlet Runner shows she will be a force up North

by Rob Kothe on 29 Jul 2009
Robert Date’s 52 footer Scarlet Runner was launched in Melbourne three weeks before she faced the starter’s gun in the 24th Audi Sydney to Gold Coast race last Saturday.

As Date explained ‘Steve Campbell and his Composite constructions team in Brayside built her. Prior to that they built Flirt, the Corby 49. We took delivery of the boat on the fourth of July.

'It has been a bit of a rush, she motored up from Melbourne. We had four hours where we sailed with the delivery gear on and the rest of the time it was too still. We’ve had two, two hour sailing sessions in Melbourne.

'We had a short sail against Michael Hiatt’s Farr 55 Living Doll but we were still setting the rig up.

'The Sydney to Gold Coast race was our first start line. We have a good mixture of Melbourne sailors from Skandia Wild Thing including 'GT', Graham Taylor, Dave Eickmeyer from Evolution Sails - our sails are Evolution, some of my Sydney 38 Scarlet Runner crew and others.

'The learning curve has started and will continue, but to be sixth across the line ahead of Living Doll and the TP 52s was quite a buzz. And to win Division 1 ahead of Geoff Ross’ Farr 55 Yendys and Graeme Wood’s TP52 Wot Now was very pleasing.

'We had a plan and we stuck to it and it worked, so we had a bit of luck. We had some breeze, 35 knots on the nose and we were all fairly shattered by the time we got to Southport. The whole 15 of us spent 24 hours on the rail.

'Our rating puts us in the middle of the TP52s; one or two of them rate a bit higher and one or two rate a bit lower.

'She’s comfortable – we’ve got lounge seats and cushions. Characteristics wise she’s a similar hull shape to a TP52 called Artemis, which was a Reichel Pugh designed boat.

'We’re about three quarters of a tonne heavier than the TP52’s, we are carrying about 20 per cent more sail and we’ve got a bit deeper keel. I think upwind is probably where have an advantage over them, but it's hard to tell in an ocean race where currents and different breezes comes into play.

'We’re just a little bit heavier and that would suggest that probably they’re going to be a bit quicker than us downwind and we’ll possibly be a little bit quicker upwind.

'She’s fairly full in the bow so in the lumpy stuff she handles it pretty well; she does not dig in.

'But if we start reaching then the Cookson 50’s like Ray Roberts Evolution will get an advantage on us because of the canting keel.

'She really is a cruiser racer; anyone who comes on board will realise that it’s not like a TP.

'She’s got lots and lots of volume downstairs, a great big galley and a beautiful settee area at the base of the companionway. My wife and family are coming up and we’re doing a ten day cruise from Southport to get her up to Airlie, so we’ve got to turn her into a big fat cruiser and have some fun as well. First stop will be Lady Musgrave then we will day sail north.

'I’ve never done Airlie before; we’ve heard great things and we are really looking forward to the Tropical Shirt regatta.

'We know that doing Airlie Beach is a really important part of getting a boat up to speed for Hamilton Island.

'It’s new and it’s fun and in two week’s time, hopefully, we’ll have big smiles on our faces and feel confident about picking up some trophies later in the year.'

Late entries are still being accepted for Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week- enter now from the event website www.airliebeachraceweek.com.au