Surfs up for Toecutter

by Rob Kothe on 29 Dec 2002 Melbourne sailors Robert Hick and his Toecutter crew are surfing hard towards Hobart, in a tough battle for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart

Before the race, Robert Hick, the designer and builder of the 31 footer high tech racer, Toecutter had high hopes for his new racer.

Hick’s been ‘pottering around boats’ all his working life. The storm tossed 1998 Sydney to Hobart winner AFR Midnight Rambler was one of his designs.

The weather forecast told him his new carbon fibre racer would keep sailing up to the his larger competitor. However this experienced sailor said ‘I’ve seen it all before, a great forecast can just fizzle out’

But the forecast has proven better than Hick could possibly imagined.

Surfing towards Tasman Island, Toecutter is wild and wet, with a 30-knot northerly blowing she seems to be blasting to victory.

She’s sailed thru her larger rivals, the 47 footer Peugeot Racing, the 40 footer P&O Ned Lloyd and now she’s toe to toe with the 2000 Coffs Harbour winner Nips N Tux. Ahead of her is Lou Abraham’s Another Challenge and behind her is Jim Dunstan’s Zeus II. Any of these boats could win the race.

To hear the pre-start interview with Robert Hick

http://www.sail-world.com/multimedia/Robert_Hick.mp3