Light winds continue for Three Peaks as catamaran holds lead

by Peter Campbell on 20 Apr 2003 The leading yacht in the Hydro Tasmania Three Peaks Race, the champion catamaran API Mersey Pharmacy, is not expected to reach Coles Bay on the protracted, light wind second sailing leg down the Tasmanian East Coast until after dark tonight.

Light winds have continued to plague the fleet for the third day since this combination of sailing and endurance cross-country running around the Tasmanian coastline started from Beauty Point on Friday.

In fact, race officials changed the rules late yesterday to make Eddystone Point the start of the second sailing leg, originally to have been from Lady Barron on Flinders Island.

After motoring to abeam of Eddystone Point, the fleet started sailing early today in a light westerly breeze, but at last report the leading boat after the first sailing and running legs, API Mersey Pharmacy, owned by Terry Travers from Devonport and the boat's designer, Rob Chamberlin from Caloundra, Queensland, was still 30 nautical miles from Coles Bay.

'We are off the Friendly Beaches and doing some rowing... to maintain some boatspeed,' Travers said in a radio call just before 3pm.

The 38-foot catamaran was close to 20 nautical miles ahead of the next group of boats which included Hydro Wind Power (Richard Edmunds) from Sidmouth, the Hobart boats Antarctic Adventure (Mark Ballard) from Hobart, Underwater Video Systems (Jeff Cordell) and the Beach (Andrew Ostler), along with the Kettering entry, Smart Reading (Martin Johnston).

Early today, veteran Sidmouth sailor Nick Edmunds elected to retire from what was his 15th Three Peaks Race, to tow the disabled catamaran from Devonport, Austchoice (Phillip Marshall), back to the Tamar River.

Austchoice's outboard motor blew up on the long motor-sail from Lady Barron to Eddystone Point and Edmunds in Haphazard took her in tow.

However, the two runners from Haphazard, Sam Thompson from Launceston and David Wright from Bridport, joined the crew of Hydro Wind Power to 'continue on as a fun run.'

API Mersey Pharmacy, Austchoice and Haphazard were the first three boats to reach Lady Barron early yesterday and the first to leave after their runners had completed a tough 65 km cross-country run that included the climb to the peak of Mt Strzelecki.

While API Mersey Pharmacy still holds the overall lead in this 15th Three Peaks Race and is well in the running to win her third consecutive event, the race committee has to make time adjustments as a result of the re-start to the sailing leg from Lady Barron to Coles Bay.