Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2011 – Loki looking for a repeat

by Jennifer Crooks on 18 Jul 2011 At the close of entries for the 26th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race on Friday, a high calibre fleet of 70, including super-maxi Wild Oats XI, reigning Audi IRC Australian champion Loki, and ‘the boat to beat’ Hooligan, will head north from Sydney Harbour when the start signal is sounded at 1.00pm on Saturday 30 July.

Commenting on the number of entries, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Garry Linacre said, 'It is great to see another great fleet proving the race’s popularity as a feeder race to other northern regattas such as Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.'
 
'We are pleased to see how dynamic the fleet is this year. There will be a great battle to see who’ll be crowned this year’s overall winner,' Commodore Linacre concluded.
 
Leading contenders for the overall win include Stephen Ainsworth’s Reichel/Pugh 63 Loki, representing the CYCA, back to defend her title against a bullish pack led by Marcus Blackmore’s highly-fancied TP52 Hooligan, which comes fresh from her latest win, the Brisbane Gladstone Race.

Blackmore, from Sydney, is the leader Class A in the Audi IRC Australian Championship by three points from defending championAinsworth and both will be keeping each other in check as they battle it out for glory in this race, the third event of the Championship.
 
Michael Hiatt’s Farr 55 Living Doll sits a further three points adrift of Loki in the Championship, and together with fellow Victorians Rob Hanna’s TP52 Shogun and Nicholas Bartels’ Cookson 50 Terra Firma, will take it to their New South Welshmen adversaries Syd Fischer’sTP52 Ragamuffin, and Colin Woods’ Cookson 50 Pretty Fly III.
 
Runner-up to Loki in the CYCA’s 2010-2011Blue Water Pointscore, Darryl Hodgkinson’s highly fancied CYCA entry Victoire, is the leader of Class B in the Audi IRC Championship and the Beneteau First 45 can be counted on to put in another competitive performance.
 
Audi Australia’s managing director, Uwe Hagen, said the company is extremely happy to see such a high level of entries for the 26th event.
 
'It’s important to have a highly-competitive fleet for this yacht race, and with so many boats having entered this year, there’s a great chance to see a spectacular and hotly-contested race,' Mr Hagen said.
 
'We are looking forward to seeing the spectacle of this outstanding fleet depart Sydney Harbour later this month and of course, enjoy a fast race to the Gold Coast. From the big maxis to the smaller yachts, there is always a high level of competitiveness coming from this race.'
 
After spending time in the shed since last year’s Hobart race, Bob Oatley’s super maxi Wild Oats XI will make another attempt to break the 12 year old race record of 27 hours 35 minutes 43 seconds, set in 1999 by the conventionally ballasted Jutson 80, Brindabella, which is also entered in the race.

Wild Oats XI has undergone significant hull surgery over the past two months that has included the forward rudder being removed and replaced with twin retractable centreboards – all aimed at improving the yacht’s speed both upwind and downwind.
 
Wild Oats XI will be challenged by fellow 100ft super maxi, Anthony Bell’s Investec Loyal, which has also undergone a facelift and body work since Bell took sole ownership of the yacht after last year’s Hobart race.
 
Determined to make the yacht perform to its full potential, Bell made modifications to the hull, keel and rig; and with new sails on order and some high-calibre crew added to the mix, Investec Loyal should give Wild Oats XI a run for her money, along with Peter Millard and John Honan’s 98ft Lahana.
 
At the other end of the scale, but no less competitive, Harvey Milne's Archambault 31, Aroona, is the smallest boat in the fleet at 31ft (9.6m). She will be skippered to the Gold Coast by renowned small boat sailor, Anthony Paterson, the former owner of the much decorated Ker 11.3 Tow Truck.

Spectators are welcome to watch the start of the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. The 384 nautical mile course takes the fleet from the Nielsen Park start line up the Harbour and out through Sydney Heads before turning left to head to the finish line off Main Beach at Southport, Queensland.
 
The CYCA’s proven yacht tacker system will allow family, friends and yachting enthusiasts to follow the race and their favourite yachts for its duration.  Each yacht will be fitted with a Yellowbrick tracker that will obtain a position using the GPS satellite network, and then transmit that position back to Yellowbrick HQ using the Iridium satellite network.
 
Each yacht’s position is then visualised on the race yacht tracker map or overlaid on Google Earth. In addition, the yacht tracker system also shows distance to finish line and progressive corrected time positions under the IRC, ORCi and PHS handicap divisions.
 
Audi Australia, together with One HD, will show highlights from the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race as part of the eight episode wrap of the Audi IRC Australian Championship.
 
Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race website