Close competition looms in Sydney City Marine X-Yachts Australia Cup

by Jody O'Brien on 11 Oct 2010 An impressive fleet of 13 X-Yachts will take to Sydney Harbour this Friday (October 15) in the Sydney City Marine X-Yachts Australia Cup.

Ranging in size from biggest, the X-482 Gaia, to the smallest, the X-34 Matrix, the racing will be fiercely contested, with some well known names featured amongst the crew lists, including sailmakers Ian Short, Alby Pratt, Ben De Coster, Cameron Percival and Toby Munns, along with sailing legends, Jack Young and Frank Walker.

Organisers are predicting close competition across the fleet, particularly in the sports division.

The IMX-40, Nips N Tux is among an impressive list of favourites to take out the sport division, and is one of Australia's most famous X-Yachts, with a solid collection of trophies already in the cabinet, including the Rolex Trophy, and the CYCA Blue Water Championship.

Nips N Tux, owned by Howard De Torres, is approaching her 10th birthday, and like a good bottle of Hunter Valley red wine, she just gets better with age – continuing to be very competitive in the CYCA Ocean and Short Ocean Pointscore Series.

Tony Kirby's X-41 Patrice Six will also race in the Sports division and it's expected Kirby and his crew will enjoy a close tussle with the X-442 Toy Box, keen to settle the score from the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta in March.

The Sydney City Marine X-Yachts Australia Cup will be a great warm up for the Patrice Six Crew, which will include world champion sailor, Anthony 'Jack' Young, as they prepare for another busy summer in the CYCA Blue Water Pointscore and the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Another boat to watch will be the X-412, Cyrene 3 – a regular campaigner in Monday and Wednesday twilights on Sydney Harbour and the CYCA Ocean Pointscore.

Owners Mike Selby and Elena Wise and their crew are known for their consistent ability to sail the boat well, and will be using all their local knowledge to outsmart their competitors.

The first X-43 to come into Australia was Great Xpectations, and whilst Rob Willis and his crew mainly race offshore, they've been together for many years, and are pretty handy around a short course, proven by their winning form in the 2010 RSYS Winter Series.

And whilst the X-412, Sextant, has taken owners Denis Doyle and Lyn Smith on some amazing cruising adventures in the Pacific, she's also set up for racing, with a number of Rolex Sydney Hobarts on her file, as well as being a regular competitor in the CYCA Short Haul Pointscore.

Sextant is another strong contender for the Sports Division winners flag.

Sydney City Marine is the facility of choice for the commissioning and maintenance work for
X-Yachts, and Customer Sales Manager-Racing Yachts, Rob McGrath said the sponsorship of the Australia Cup is a natural fit for the relationship.

'We have built an exclusive relationship with X-Yachts and we're delighted to take on the naming rights and help with the Sydney City Marine X-Yachts Australia Cup' he said.

Andrew Parkes, who took on the Australian X-Yachts dealership at the beginning of the year is confident that Friday's regatta will be a great day for everyone.

'We've increased the number of yachts entered from previous years, and with the sponsorship from Sydney City Marine, we're taking the event to a new level' he said.

For more information on the Sydney City Marine X-Yachts Australia Cup – go to www.x-yachts.com.au - and to find out about the world class facilities at Sydney City Marine, go to www.sydneycitymarine.com.au