Melbourne to Launceston race has high quality fleet line up

by Peter Campbell on 15 Dec 2010 One of the highest quality fleets in years will line up for this year’s Melbourne to Launceston ocean race across Bass Strait, including the skipper of the line honours winner from last year’s longer Melbourne to Hobart Eastcoaster race.

The Melbourne to Launceston race is one of the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s Heemskirk Consolidated ‘Tassie Trio’, with one fleets setting sail for Launceston and two for Hobart; one via the traditional Westcoaster, the other the newer Eastcoaster.

The three-race fleet of 47 yachts will start together from Portsea, just inside Port Phillip Heads, at 12.30pm on 27 December, but once through The Rip, they will sail in different directions: the 192 nautical mile overnight dash across Bass Strait to Launceston, finishing at Low Head, the 440 nautical race down the West Coast of Tasmania to Hobart, and the 460 nautical mile race around the top of Flinders Island and then down the East Coast to Hobart.

Amongst the leaders of the Melbourne to Launceston fleet will be Tony Fowler’s third Ocean Skins, which is a Sydney 39 Cruiser/Racer. Tony took line honours in last year’s Melbourne to Hobart Eastcoaster, with his second Ocean Skins, a Rodgers 46. She was also the first into Hobart that year, winning the Red Wine Cup in the process. This is the trophy for the contest between first in from either the Eastcoaster and Westcoaster fleets.

Other boats that have elected this year to partake in Australia’s oldest ocean race include Under Capricorn, Phil Bedlington’s 12m Borresen design, which he’ll sail two-handed with Caroline Killick. The other two-handed crew out there will be George Shaw and Robyn Brooke in The Secretary, who are taking on the mighty Westcoaster.

Also in the Launceston fleet is No Fearr, Kevin Robinson’s Cookson 12. No Fearr won the West Coaster in 2006 and is now owned by Heemskirk Consolidated’s Managing Director, Kevin Robinson. Seven, Andrew Steenhuis’ Beneteau First 45 has a number of first-timers aboard. Also relatively new to the game is Chris Tucker’s First 40, Halcyon.

The 2010 Melbourne to Launceston fleet is headed by Alan Saunders’ Farr 47 Ninety Seven, which took line honours in the stormy 1993 Sydney Hobart Race – the smallest boat to lead the fleet home, other than the inaugural winner Rani, back in 1945.

This year there are no Tasmanian yachts in any of the three races from Melbourne.

Tamar Yacht Club will again finish the fleet from Melbourne and host the yachts at its Beauty Point clubhouse and marina.

http://www.orcv.org.au/