Hot competition for the 2013 Audi IRC Australian Championship

Next month's 2013 Audi IRC Australian Championship is proving a major drawcard for a number of competitors who are making a special effort to be at Geelong for a shot at the prestigious crown.

Roger Hickman's Farr 43, Wild Rose, and Sally Rattle's Tasmanian Archambault 35, Archie, are just two in the current IRC line-up returning to Geelong after an extended break to test their skills as part of the 2013 Audi IRC Australian Championship.

"I'm so pleased that Yachting Australia has pulled the Audi IRC Australian Championship back to one regatta because you can commit four or five days, it's do-able for those with less budget and time," said Hickman, a yachting legend both in his current home state of New South Wales and birth state of Tasmania.

"It's every man's dream to be an Australian champion whether it's in a bathtub or to be named Audi Australian IRC champion," he added.

It's been five years since Wild Rose and Archie were Festival of Sails starters.

Rattle is taking a break over Christmas from doing long ocean races and is instead focusing on getting the boat and crew up to scratch for their inaugural Audi IRC Australian Championship crusade.

"We decided to do the IRC Championship rather than a big ocean race," said Rattle. "It's going to be challenging and I imagine very competitive. I like the idea of having all the races in the one spot".

Five of the eight mostly Derwent Sailing Squadron crew on Archie are women from the group of seven who won the Australian women's keelboat championship on the borrowed Archambault 31, Penfold Audi Sport, over the June long weekend earlier this year.

The women, ranging in age from 20 to mid-50s will be joined by three other crew including Sally's husband and Archie's regular helmsman Scott Brain.

Rattle will deliver the boat to Geelong a couple of weeks prior to the Audi Championship then fly black to compete. "If we want to compete at any of these big events we have to cross the wretched Strait, and back again" she jokes.

Hickman's Wild Rose will divert to Geelong from the finish of the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

"Wild Rose has a great history at Geelong; the old design loves the smooth water and fresher winds. The Championship will be fantastic because it's divisionalised. A realist knows we'll never beat Shogun or Hooligan, but in our own division we'll give it a bash".

Hickman has also competed at Geelong on larger keelboats including Flirt and Ichi Ban. "It's a great location and the fact the 2013 event is all based at Geelong is terrific".

So far 14 yachts have been nominated for the Yachting Australia endorsed Audi IRC Australian Championship and up to 30 are anticipated for the four day, nine race series, January 24 – 28 on Geelong's Corio Bay.

The Royal Geelong Yacht Club sailing office team are expecting another rush of entries just before the Friday 11 January deadline. After the 11th a late entry fee will be incurred.

festivalofsails.com.au