West Coast versus East Coast in Melbourne to Hobart

by Peter Campbell on 8 Dec 2009
Intense rivalry is building up between competitors in the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria's two races from Melbourne to Hobart in late December - which yacht will be first to Hobart from the fleets competing in the traditional Wester Coast Race or the recently introduced East Coaster Race.

At stake is a special trophy and plenty of bottles of red wagers between skippers and crews on which coast will prove the faster. There's only 20 miles difference in distance of the two ocean races, but the weather can be vastly opposing as they race in different directions across Bass Strait and then down the east and west coasts of Tasmania.

The Heemskirk Consolidated Melbourne to Hobart x 2 Races were launched at the Derwent Sailing Squadron by Dr Claire Ellis, Director, Infrastructure and Development, Tourism Tasmania. Dr Ellis is co-owner with husband Anthony Ellis, manager of the DSS, with the Lotus 10.6 Moonshadow, which will be competing in this year's Sargisons Jewellers Launceston to Hobart Race.

In total, some 41 yachts will be lining up off Portsea, just inside the entrance to Port Phillip on Sunday, 27 December for the combined start of the three races to Tasmania: 16 for the East Coaster (M2HE), 10 for the West Coaster (M2HW) and 14 for the Melbourne to Launceston (M2L), which finishes at Low Head at the entrance to the River Tamar.

However, skippers have until the briefing on Sunday, 20 December, to nominate in which race they will be participating with ORCV Commodore George Shaw commenting 'Maybe there will be a late switch, when the weather pattern has been analysed.'

Commodore Shaw, however, is committed to the M2HE race in his J244, The Secretary, as is Kevin Robinson, CEO of sponsors, the global mining conglomerate Heemskirk Consolidated, who is again skippering his Farr 39, No Fearr.

Last year, the honours went to the West Coast, with Matthew Short's former TP52 Shortwave. He and his extended family slashed five and a half hours off the previous record for the 440 nautical mile race, leading the fleet on a
south-westerly course across Bass Strait and then down the remote Tasmanian West Coast.

The ORCV's traditional West Coaster dates back to the early 1970s and takes the fleet around South-West Cape and past Maatsuyker Island at the very southern tip of Tasmania.

The East Coaster, which came into its own as an annual fixture last year, is over a 460 nautical mile course, taking the fleet eastwards across Bass Strait to pass to the south of Wilson's Promontory, then either side of Deal Island before rounding the top of Flinders and heading south to towards Tasmania's East Coast.

Race Director Simon Dryden in Hobart today described the ORCV's races as the club's 'Tassie Trio', each with different demands on boats and crews. 'Depending on the weather, the M2HW can be a drag race across Bass Strait
and down the West Coast or a tough beat to windward most of the way,' he said. 'In contrast, in the M2HE, success will hinge on tactical navigation as the fleet sails through changes of course direction, tidal gates and variable wind patterns.'

'The Kidder Williams Melbourne to Launceston race for the historic Rudder Cup has an added attraction this year - there's $1000 up for grabs for the first boat to break the existing race record of 19 hours 55 minutes 43 seconds for the 198 nautical dash across Bass Strait.'

Dreyden described the West Coaster as a 'a race for older and more determined members', citing Robin Hewitt and his stoutly-built steel yacht Yoko, this year sailing its 28th M2HW. He predicted a line honours battle between Angus Fletcher's Tekake II, Laurie Ford's Spirit of Downunder and Andrew Lawrence's Jazz Player.

A spinnaker run across Bass Strait and a reach towards Tasmania's East Coast could see some fast sailing between the newly launched Veloce, an Elliott 44CR, skippered by Simon Simpfendorfer, XLR8, Ray Shaw's Reichel/Pugh 46
and Ocean Skins, Tony Fowler's Rogers 46.

Each of the 'Tassie Trio' races will again be part of a series, all three starting with the Cock of the Bay on Melbourne's Port Phillip on 26 December. The M2L will be followed by the Tasports Series while in Hobart, the King of the Derwent will decide the Sovereign Series for the M2HW fleet and the new Salamanca Series for the M2HE fleet.

Trophy for the Salamanca Series will be a chunk of granite from the Heemskirk Consolidated mine at Salamanca in Spain, as well as linking it to Hobart's famous waterfront precinct.