Dehler Magic for Sydney to Hobart

by Ian Grant on 29 Oct 2007 Whitsunday Sailing Club offshore sailors Charlie Preen and Greg Tobin will sail into the storm tormented Bass Strait later this year to fulfil a taunting career ambition.

The happy sailing mate’s and co-owners of Dehler Magic will fly the Whitsunday Sailing Club burgee in the International 2007 Rolex Sydney to Hobart blue water classic an event already regarded among the most gruelling yachting challenges in the world.

However the tropical warm water sailors who will enter into a marathon delivery voyage to take part in the spectacular start on Boxing Day are keen to fill their dream by recording a Hobart Race in their personal log books.
Dehler Magic will be a worthy competitor and her co-skippers would be hoping for moderate to fresh head winds for part of the 630 nautical mile race to hold a chance of recording a class win.

The sloop designed and built in Europe has been a consistent performer in ocean racing around the Whitsunday Islands and her crew have not under estimated the challenge of spending long hours of slogging against cold blustery South West winds and steep foaming seas.

They expect the deck with be awash with foaming spray and life aboard will be unpleasant in comparison to the warm tropical environment experienced with sailing in the warm Whitsunday Islands.

Racing into the cold elements of Bass Strait and the wind tormented waters of Storm Bay will be a trough challenge however the Whitsunday Sailing Club crew are well prepared to master the physically demanding race.

Co-skipper Charlie Preen announced during the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week that he had plans to represent the Whitsunday Sailing Club in the 2007 Rolex Sydney – Hobart.

'There has always been a personal ambition to race the Hobart'. He said.
Dehler Magic will be racing within a very high standard fleet including the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week champion the Geoffrey Ross skippered Yendys and Bob Oatley’s super maxi Wild Oats XI which will be aiming for her third consecutive line honours title while also defending the race record of 1 day 18 hours 40 minutes 10 seconds set in December 2005.

Wild Oats XI which shattered her expensive mast in the Rolex Maxi championship in Europe during September will face a supreme test of tactical racing to retain her Hobart Race line honours title when her crew enters into a 630 n/ml match race against the English maxi Leopard and the super fast New Zealand big boat Maximus.

However while the trio of big boats are jointly listed as the favourites for line honours the Dehler Magic crew will remain positively focused on completing the course and taking part in the New Year Eve ‘yachties party’ on Hobart’s historical Constitution Dock.