Bronson McCall finds his calling

by Suellen Hurling on 6 Aug 2010 At 1500 hours today, Friday 6 August, Keppel Bay local Bronson McCall will start his first ever Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race.

At just 14 years of age, Bronson has his sights set on a Volvo Ocean Race but today his focus is on the 348 nautical mile challenge that will see him sail from Manly in Brisbane, up the tropical Queensland coast, and back to his home port at Keppel Bay Marina.

Bronson will set sail with with his father Tim and and brother Josh as well as six other crew on board the Archambault 35 Arcadia which won the 2009 Audi IRC Australian Championship under the former owner Rod Jones.

'Arcadia is a fast boat and I can't wait to start racing,' said Bronson. 'I'm excited by not nervous.'

Bronson started his sailing in yachts and has no desire to be a dinghy sailor.

'I'm a yachtie. I want to get as much knowledge and practice as I can so that one day I can sail around the world in a Volvo Ocean Race,' said a confident Bronson.

The crews of the 34 competing boats are putting the finishing touches on board and checking their internet connections. Skype, MSN and email will be used to communicate with the boats as they make their way north.

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS) was buzzing with people this morning with spectators provisioning before an afternoon on the water.

RQYS Commodore Russell McCart said that is was great to see so many people enjoying the facilities.

'I'm looking forward to watching the yachts set off and just wish I was part of the fleet again this year. It's looking like it will be a close race between the 40 footers,' said McCart.

'This is our signature yachting event and it's great to see the fleet building each year,' continued McCart.

Race Website: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com

Tracker: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com/yacht-tracker/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brisbane2keppel/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brisbanetokeppel.com/

SMS Registration: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com/sms

The Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Queensland Tourism's Season of Sailing calendar and is proudly sponsored by O'Reilly's Real Estate, Angove Wines, Morgan's Seafood, Capricorn Tourism, Rockhampton Regional Council and of course Club Marine.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.