Bakewell-White superboat General Lee smashes Geraldton Record

by Bernie Kaaks on 24 Oct 2010
Despite her customary solid start, General Lee found herself back in fifth place around the second mark near Fremantle Harbour, behind the 50 foot brigade which included Knee Deep, Sled and City of Fremantle (Optimus Prime).

It was not until the fleet rounded Rottnest Island and was able to set spinnakers that General Lee started to show its full potential.

As the wind freshened to well over 30 knot during the night, skipper Paul Eldrid kept the pressure on and passed the leaders one by one. In one burst the instruments showed a burst of 29.3 knots and was still accelerating when the mast mounted instruments were swamped in spray. Their only sail damage was a blown out A3, but the bin of broken sheets will supply their mates with mooring lines for months to come.

When the General turned into Geraldton Harbour, she had a clear lead of several miles over her nearest rival, and finished at 7:48 to blitz the old record for conventionally ballasted yachts by more than an hour.

Knee Deep entered the harbour next, but in the final leg to the finish line was caught on the wrong side of a windshift and watched helplessly as City of Fremantle broke through to claim second place by just 34 seconds.

Tony Mitchell's Farr 47 Sled underwent major surgery during the winter, with a new keel being fitted and the sail wardrobe update. Tony would have been delighted with his boat's performance, and despite General Lee being a clear winner on both IRC and YAH handicapping systems, must finish on the podium.