Tasports Maria Island Race - Storming across Storm Bay

by Peter Campbell on 20 Nov 2009 Tasports Maria Island Race - The sports boat Tasmanian Marina Constructions (TMC) late this evening was setting a cracker pace across Storm Bay in the Tasports Maria Island Race, regaining the lead from the bigger boats Valheru and Liberte Express.

‘We are sailing along comfortably with cracked sheets at the moment, about 10 miles from Cape Raoul, with the breeze about 15 knots from the south,’ skipper Rob Gourlay reported by mobile phone shortly after the 1035 hours (10.35pm) position report from the 20 boat fleet.

At this stage Gourlay thought his boat was about fourth in the fleet, but a tactical decision to sail deeper into Storm Bay after rounding the Iron Pot has clearly paid dividends and fleet positions reported to the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania at the ‘sked’ indicated the Thompson 920 was actually closer to Tasman Island than her nearest rivals.

‘We had a good battle down the river with Valheru and a couple of other bigger boats on a cold and wet evening, but the rain has now stopped and the crew is quite relaxed,’ Gourlay added.

Once around Tasman Island, the fleet should have an exhilarating spinnaker run north up Tasmania’s east coast and Gourlay predicted that if the current breeze continued overnight they should be a the top of Maria Island by dawn.

TMC is the former ABN AMRO sailed with great success by the late Bruce Calvert and is certainly the lightest displacement boat in the 190 nautical Maria Island Race. A crew of eight is sailing the boat, which has minimal creature comforts below decks.

‘We are a big apprehensive about the strong wind warning issued to us by TasRadio this evening, with the forecast of 10 to 20 knot south to south-westerlies freshening during tomorrow to15 to 25 knots from the south-east,' Gourlay said. ‘But we will take it as it comes and sail accordingly.’

The fleet will leave Maria Island to port, giving some flatter water for the beat to windward down the east coast. 'If it kicks in too hard we can duck in behind Eaglehawk Neck or into Fortesque Bay,' Gourlay added.

Late this evening Tony Lyall’s Elliott 13 Valheru was having a close tussle across Storm Bay with Peter Williams’ Beneteau 47.7 Liberte Express after taking a line closer to Wedge Island.

Astern of these two came the Sydney 38 Asylum, skippered by Dianne Barkas, one of three women skippers in the Maria Island Race, and Jeff Cordell’s modified Mumm 36 Host Plus Executive.

Bringing up the tailend of the fleet across Storm Bay was Nest Property, Murray Wilkes Traditional 30, one of the five Tasmanian yachts using the Maria Island Race as their qualifier for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. The others re Valheru, Helsal IV and She’s the Culprit.

http://www.ryct.org.au/