Grundig skipper rapt at second placing

by Peter Campbell on 28 Dec 2002 After an extraordinary race the 66-foot Sydney flyer Grundig has finished second across the line in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, just 44 minutes behind the 90 foot maxi Alfa Romeo and eleven miles ahead of the 97 foot British yacht Canon.

Dockside after berthing his boat skipper Sean Langman said that he had been hoping for a top five placing, and coming second was fantastic. He said that he wasn’t at all disappointed that he was beaten by Alfa Romeo. “Alfa Romeo is a superlative boat. We would have needed our ideal conditions all the way to beat her.

“Neville (Crichton, Alfa Romeo’s owner) has put in a lot of work. I told my wife before the race I quietly wanted him to win.”

He did say though that he would like the chance to race Grundig alongside Alfa Romeo in Grundig’s optimum conditions of broad reaching in flat water, though that was not to be.

“We thought the (2002 Rolex Sdney Hobart) race would be a good race for second. There were a number of boats who could have come second to Alfa Romeo. Ourselves, Canon, Nicorette, Australian Skandia Wild Thing, Brindabella.

“We pushed the whole way, though we did have some problems and had to nurse the boat.”

Langman said that they lost their wind instruments at the top of the mast early on in the race, which made things difficult, although with two former world champion 505 skiff sailors on board “we got through without them.”

Crew member Joe de Kock spent much of the race at the top of the mast dealing with halyard problems as well.

Langman described the race as the easiest of his 11 Hobarts, reminiscent of his very first when the boat he was on was becalmed in Bass Straight.

Grundig did find pressure though as it rounded Tasman Island in flat water, when she reached speeds of 26 knots..

“This boat is fantastic on dead flat water. We were trying to get her through 30 knots but we ran out of runway.

It has been a remarkable performance by what is mostly an ex-skiff crew on a boat described as a skiff on steroids. Also a remarkable performance for a boat valued well below that of the big maxi’s.

“Grundig is a home grown product built out of pieces of other boats. Under a million dollars in value. We have been vindicated,” he said.

When asked if this was a victory for the battlers, Langman just grinned.