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Vaikobi 2024 December

Il Duce celebrates the opening of boat watching season

by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 28 Jul 2018 16:28 PDT
The 'Aircraft Carrier' sets off for the Gold Coast and the welcome at Souhtport © Andrea Francolini

Il Duce (photographer Andrea Francolini) captured the beginning of the Australian Boat Watching Season, as the fleet headed North for Queensland's Gold Coast. The season is so named for the whales who are already there, and eagerly await the boats arrival.

Soon Francolini himself will join them as the season's big regattas begin in earnest, but in the meantime he provided us with this gallery of images from the light and slow start on Saturday.

Fours supermaxis on the start line are pretty easy to identify in the light conditions. You know this is so when even a 51-footer (Primitive Cool) looks small. - photo © Andrea Francolini
Fours supermaxis on the start line are pretty easy to identify in the light conditions. You know this is so when even a 51-footer (Primitive Cool) looks small. - photo © Andrea Francolini

About Time - well crew it may be slow, but that is better than a major from right on the nose! - photo © Andrea Francolini
About Time - well crew it may be slow, but that is better than a major from right on the nose! - photo © Andrea Francolini

Black Jack still with headsail, as Comanche looks to go BIG. - photo © Andrea Francolini
Black Jack still with headsail, as Comanche looks to go BIG. - photo © Andrea Francolini

Comanche gets that angle of heel going to reduce wetted surface area, with Wild Oats XI in the background. - photo © Andrea Francolini
Comanche gets that angle of heel going to reduce wetted surface area, with Wild Oats XI in the background. - photo © Andrea Francolini

Stampede affords Andrea Francolini an artsy moment... - photo © Andrea Francolini
Stampede affords Andrea Francolini an artsy moment... - photo © Andrea Francolini

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