Peter Teakle - Seaman’s milestone

by Ian Grant on 26 Jul 2010 There is no mistake about the personal passion which Hamilton Island’s entrepreneur Peter Teakle has for supporting the international Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

Normally the fanatical fisherman would be helming his luxury Riviera to his secret ‘Hot Spot’ on the edge of The Great Barrier Reef but this will not be the case when the battle lines are drawn to decide the 2010 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week class champions over a week of highly competitive racing from August 21-28.

His special rods will remain in the rack while the colourful lures and flesh baits will be placed on hold when Peter Teakle again offers his skippering skill and vessel as a media boat.

Naturally the experienced sea man loves the roar of the engines and steering a straight line in the fast lane but this year he will have a special interest in the Performance Handicap class fleet where two yachts from his self sponsored ocean training program will compete for championship honours.

'The Ocean Mentor program set up at the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron and The Southport Yacht Club essentially provides the opportunity for youth sailors both female to ‘learn the ropes, it’s proving to be a very successful program'. Peter Teakle said.

Both yachts Squadron Mentor from Adelaide and Ocean Mentor from the Gold Coast are identical Sydney 32 class sloops which promise to stage their own Americas Cup style match race within the Performance Handicap fleet which has also attracted an entry from the former Rolex Sydney Hobart Race record holder Nokia now owned and raced by Hamilton Island’s Bruce Absolon as Nikon Spirit of The Maid.

As to be expected Peter Teakle will have a personal excuse for focusing his attention on the Performance handicap racing fleet

However skipper Peter Teakle will take a break on the official rest day and set a fast track for the reef with two special guests who are very familiar with braving the wildest commercial fishing elements on the planet.

Fortunately there will be no growling seas or ice flows in their path when the co skippers of Time Bandit Jonathon and Andy Hillstrand stars of the world famed television series The Deadliest Catch soak up the warmth of the winter sun in the Whitsunday Islands when they replace their cold crab trap fishing technique with rod and reel angling in a more human friendly tropical environment...