Melbourne to Vanuatu Race - Finally there were none

by John Curnow on 18 Jul 2010 Melbourne to Vanuatu race has finished with the arrival of Slinky Malinky into Port Vila.

On 18/07/2010 at 12:10:49 AEST, Slinky Malinky finished the 2010 M2V. As the last boat in, this piece actually finishes the coverage of the racing section of Australia's longest Category One ocean epic. It may be two weeks and a little bit of change since they started, but Eric Marsh and crew have relished the challenges, worked through the lows and most importantly, been there for fellow competitors in a time of need. Well done to the Slinkies on so many fronts!

Off to the results then: Line Honours was, first Tevake II, then Turbo and the 51st Project. In International Rule, Club, it was Turbo (as a mark of their magnificent achievements), Tevake II and The Secretary, which is a sensational effort, as they were the only two-handed crew left in the race. The Performance Handicap System went to Turbo, as well, then The Secretary and Garisenda, who got in late on Saturday night, so this is a good present, indeed.

We will bring you pictures of the presentations and also the container and its contents, as soon as is practicable. A big thank you to all those who dug deep and got Robyn Brooke's container so full of humanitarian aid. To Rotary International, Extra Transport for getting the container to the ship and APC Logistics for getting it to Vanuatu, we say ‘cheers’.

Cheers also to all the competitors. Well done. Competitors need fantastic Skippers, who get their boats ready and enter them. Well done to those ten magnificent people, especially the ones making it for the first time. To those that did not quite make it, we hope (and actually kind of know) you'll be back for more. We also really appreciate you making the time to send us updates of your travels, too.

Well done to the ORCV Sailing Committee, as well. A race like this needs a heap of organisation and the individuals responsible for this were Chairman Simon Dryden, Race Director Bob Tanner, Rear Commodore Don Fraser for all the effort with the Tracker, Sally Williams, Dennis Livingston and Tanya Stanford in the office, Peter Clancy, Coast Radio Hobart (specifically Stuart Braunholz) and Kordia for being on those radios, AMSA for responding so efficiently along with the Victoria and Queensland Police Forces and also Customs and Immigration. The authorities in Noumea who expedited Mirrabooka’s entry into New Caledonia, after her retirement, are also very much appreciated.

On the ground locally in Vanuatu were the Vanuatu Cruising Yacht Club Commodore Sam Bell and Secretary, Jesse Bell. Showing that it is a sport based on camaraderie, were Brian Pattinson and Rob Date, who were there at Vila, welcoming the crews in, despite not being able to make it with their own boats.

A big thank you also to the all the media outlets that covered the race and all the activities that went a long with it. Finally then, to all the readers, thank you for your interest. It has been appreciated and we certainly acknowledge your effort to call or email and let us know what you thought. Very kind.

There will be more, eventually...

The pictures of Port Vila are to show why everyone is so keen to get there.

http://www.orcv.org.au