Brisbane to Keppel Race record set to fall to Wild Oats XI

by Suellen Hurling on 6 Aug 2011
The 100’ super maxi Wild Oats XI (Robert Oatley) is on track to smash the Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race (B2K) record which was set by Lahana (Peter Millard) in the 2010 race.

The record to beat is 27 hours, 11 minutes and 22 seconds which Lahana holds after narrowly beating the 66’ Wild Oats X by just 22 seconds on the 7th August 2010.

Five time Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race line honours winners Wild Oats XI, skippered by Mark Richards, was 55 nautical miles from the finish line at 0800 hours this morning. The crew reported clear skies and 14 knots of breeze as they weaved their way through the many ships off Gladstone.

'We’re not there yet but we are pushing hard to get the best time we can. We are very excited to be on track to break the record for the fifth B2K race which hopefully will be a keeper for years to come. The crew have done a great job,' said Richards.

Lahana’s ETA to the Keppel Bay finish line is today at 1500 hours.

Wot Eva (Sailors with disAbilities, David Pescud) reported they were having a perfect ride north along the tropical Queensland coast.

Navigator Michelle Gilfoyle said the team were all on the rail last night after working hard all afternoon.

'We had about eight sail changes before the NW Fairway mark alone!' said Gilfoyle.

B2K is the signature offshore race of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and Commodore Greg Clarke is on board the Farr 40 Bribie Star (Ken Down). They gained momentum overnight after a slow start and are now set to be the fifth boat home with an ETA on 1040 hours on Sunday morning.

Local Keppel Bay entrant Arcadia owned and skippered by Tim McCall reported blowing one of their spinnakers at 0700 hours this morning.

'We blew the 1.5a spinnaker and prodder and can’t fly the code zero either,' said McCall who is currently placed fifth in IRC Division 1.
Sailing with his three children Bronson, Joshua and Lauren, Arcadia is still on pace and performing well.

'We’ve spotted loads of whales off Indian Head. We’re sailing on and hoping the breeze stays behind us at 10-15 knots,' continued McCall.

More to come.

Race Website - www.brisbanetokeppel.com

The Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Tourism Queensland’s Season of Sailing.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is pleased to acknowledge the principal sponsors of the 2011 Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race; Club Marine, David Bray Yachts, Club Super, Morgan’s Seafood, Angove Family Winemakers, Bundaberg Rum and the Rockhampton Regional Council.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina and Keppel Bay Sailing Club.