Iain Murray steers Bumblebee 5 to victory in Telstra Cup invitation race

by Peter Campbell on 11 Dec 2000 International yacht designer Iain Murray underlined his talent on the helm by steering Bumblebee 5 to an impressive in the IMS handicap division of today's Telstra Cup invitation race off Sydney Heads.

The Telstra Cup, a seven race offshore and inshore regatta, starts on Wednesday and continues through to next Sunday as a final lead-up to the 2000 Telstra Sydney to Hobart Race starting on Boxing Day, December 26

With none of the maxi yachts competing, the Murray/Burns/Dovell-designed Bumblebee 5 led the fleet around the offshore course in the south-easterly breeze that varied in strength from 12 to 18 knots, but mostly stayed around 14-16 knots.

Calling tactics for Murray was CYCA immediate past commodore Hugo van Kretschmar, with the 62-footer winning comfortably from Syd Fischer's Farr 50, third place going to Andrew Lygo's Beneteau 40.7, Shipping Central, with Michael Spies on the helm.

British yachtsman Chris Bull had his first race aboard the Nelson/Marek 46, Quest, which he has chartered for the Telstra Cup and Telstra Sydney to Hobart Race, placing fourth in the IMS division and second to Shipping Central under PHS handicaps.

The recently imported US-built Farr 52, Loko, turned in another impressive winning result, with owner/skipper David Coe electing to sail in the IRC handicap division today rather than under an IMS rating.

Loko won the IRC division from another imported yacht, Stephen Ainsworth's Swan 48, Loki, with Warwick Sherman's New Zealand-built Cookson 12, Occasional Coarse Language, placing third.

Another Telstra Sydney to Hobart entrant to do well was Pippin, the Farr 38 owned by Anne and David Taylor, which narrowly beat the 1998 Hobart Race winner, AFRF Midnight Rambler (Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas) on corrected time in IRC Division .