Coastal Classic: Multihull record possible

Then Team Vodafone now Frank Racing at the start of the 2016 PIC Coastal Classic © Richard Gladwell

Two of the wind feeds used for course routing in Predictwind are showing an elapsed time that is very close to the multihull record set by the ORMA60 then Vodafone sailing, now Frank Racing.

The two feeds show an elapsed time of 5hrs 18mins and 5hrs 25 mins against the record set four years ago of 5hrs 23 mins.

Two other feeds show longer times of 6hrs 51min and 7hrs 5 min - which are well outside the record, in what was expected to be a slower and longer race in lighter breezes.

The key to the race record appears to be what happens in the first hour after the start, with the two faster feeds seeing a slow start to the race, but only for less than an hour before the breeze cracks in at over 14kts and the ORMA60 is predicted to hit speeds of 27-30kts at times.

Winds are expected to blow from an East to SE direction - reckoned to be ideal for a fast ride up the coast and once the trimaran rounds Cape Brett, the final stretch to Russell is relatively straight forward, provided the wind stays in a favourable direction.

The Zhik sponsored ORMA60is predicted to average over 22-23kts to break the record.

The predicted time for a record run is for Frank Racing skippered by Simon Hull to be rounding Cape Brett at 2.30pm and finishing just under an hour later off Russell.