Last boat finishes Audi Sydney Mackay Yacht Race

by Lisa Ratcliff on 5 Aug 2007 After a stop start race, Ian Sanford’s Northshore 38 Tartan from New South Wales this morning finished the 898 nautical mile Audi Sydney Mackay Yacht Race ahead of a fresh 15-20 knot sou’westerly breeze.

Tartan was one of 72 yachts which left Sydney Harbour last Saturday afternoon following the start of the Audi Sydney Mackay and Audi Sydney Gold Coast yacht races. The Audi Sydney Gold Coast fleet pulled in to port at Southport while four yachts passed through the finish line and continued on to Mackay. Tartan was the last to finish, at 6.50am this morning, marking the end of the longest ocean race in Australia.

Skipper Ian Sanford was delighted with the outcome of his first ocean race, 'no breakages, no seasickness and the crew of long term friends are still long term friends' but wasn’t as thrilled with being becalmed off Fraser Island for a day and a half.

Frontrunners Limit and Sailors with disAbilities had sufficient wind and therefore boat speed to take on the 1.5 knot opposing current with little resistance but by the time Amante and Tartan reached Fraser Island there was barely a breeze blowing.

Engine trouble two days out from the finish left Tartan powerless. Luckily for them the wind again filled in from the south and they surfed towards the finish in a 30 knot sou’wester, recording a top boat speed of 11.5 knots.

Dennis Cooper’s Amante was the third to finish, at 1.51am this morning.

The official race prizegiving was held this afternoon where the IRC and line honours trophy went to Alan Brierty’s Limit and the PHS handicap trophy to David Pescud’s Sailors with disAbilities.

Official race website http://mackay.cyca.com.au