Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race fleet away in a light nor' easter
by Di Pearson / RPAYC media 11 Apr 20:29 NZST
11 April 2025
Luna Blue crew looking for pressure - Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race © Alex Dare
A light north-easterly breeze on a warm sunny day set the scene for the 2025 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race start off Barrenjoey Headland at 1pm today, with mono and multihull boats of all sizes and weights, inclusive of two handed-entries, vying for line, overall and division wins in the 39th edition of the 226 nautical mile east coast classic.
"We had a spectacular start in a 10 knot north-easterly breeze on quite a big outrunning tide out of the Hawkesbury," RPAYC Race Director, Nick Elliott said. "Everyone was well behaved and on it. It was pretty even off the start."
Pretty Woman, Koa and Anarchy were fastest off the line. The majority stayed on starboard tack aiming at Box Head. "If you tacked to port, it didn't look good with the amount of tide," Elliott explained.
The three multihulls lined up next and Dara Johnston had Slingshot wound up nicely as they shot off towards Box Head.
At 3.30pm, the race tracker showed Antipodes, Koa, First Light, Sticky, J'Ouvert, Wings, Awen and Wind Cheetah had made an early commitment to the offshore route while others are dancing around the rhumbline route.
Most were looking forward to more breeze after midnight when it is due to go around to the east and build to 12-15 knots offshore. Which move pays of remains to be seen.
Weather guru, Roger 'Clouds' Badham, offered this advice: "You'd have to go 20 or so miles out to make the best of the increased wind. It'll be a game of pick your way up the coast for maximum breeze and minimum current. There will be some rain tomorrow and little breeze in those places, so don't get caught!"
This morning, as the 32 boat crews made final preparations at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, each pondered their fate, as the wind gods have concocted an interesting forecast that could fool the best of them.
Although numbers are down, given Coffs Harbour Yacht Club marina is undergoing refurbishment and the region is still grappling with the after effects of Cyclone Alfred, it is an eclectic fleet and those two factors make it difficult to choose race favourites.
Seb Hultin owns Georgia Express, one of the smaller boats in the fleet. "A step below glamping," he suggested of his Mumm 36.
On a serious note, he stated, "It will be a very tactical race that will be won or lost in the first 12 hours or so.
"We are a very light boat, so with rain and the light parts of the race, it will be hard for us. Our strategy is to keep boat moving and negotiate the light patches. We'll try to capitalise on the fact we're light, so that when the drag race starts and we can't keep pace with the bigger heavier boats, we'll already be well positioned. We hope!
Even so, Hultin says, "We're looking forward to it because we haven't done much sailing since the Hobart. We're going to make it fun race and not worry too much about the results."
Mark Griffith is normally at the helm of LCE Old School Racing, but has joined forces with Andy Kearnan on the latter's TP52, Koa, which is in the running for line and overall wins. "Andy and I good mates, we sail on each other's boats as do some of our crews," he said.
"The forecast is for a light start. It will probably be east, then north-east, then south-east. A couple of the bigger boats might have the legs on us, but I think we have a chance."
Geoff Hill's Santa Cruz 72, Antipodes and David Hows' Open 60, Awen, skippered by Kiwi Olympian Sharon Ferris-Choat, are the big boats two in question.
"At this stage it looks like we will go wide on the course. The strong winds offshore will negate the current we'll be pushing," Griffith continued.
"A number of boats that could be in it (to win overall) as there's some tricky transitions thrown it. I think boats like Anarchy (Grant Pocklington's Bakewell-White 40) should be good once it gets into breeze. The small boats will get blown home, so if us bigger boats don't get away early, some of the smaller ones will come home in pressure," Griffith said.
Craig Douglas was among last year's mass exodus when just three yachts finished the race: "We were first to the bar and everyone ridiculed me - and then they all fell like dominoes!"
Douglas skippered Popeye to third overall the previous year, beaten to the punch by a pair of two-handed entries. Eying the forecast and his Beneteau First 47.7, Douglas said, "Thirteen tons heavy - full of French furniture - can't wait!
"To midnight it's light, but tomorrow it will kick in. We'll be OK we've got Julie Hodder navigating again - and we've got lots of food - so what can go wrong? We go very well when it blows, there's no doubts about it, so we hope to get our chance."
Darren Drew owns one of three multihulls in the race, Wind Cheetah, a regularly raced Arber 38 Cat Southeaster.
"The forecast is too light for my boat, but we do go well upwind when she points well, better than the other multis and a lot of the monos. It has to be 6-7 knots though. The race should be quite enjoyable. We've got good food and movies to watch. Better than my full-on racing days. I have a good crew, so I should be able to leave them to it and have a good sleep!
Now retired, Drew has plenty on the bucket list and has kept busy bringing Wind Cheetah up to a new level. "I've done a lot of preparation, because after the race, I'm doing four months of cruising, then the Alfreds' Sydney to Auckland race in October.
Drew has added more solar panels, a watermaker, handholds, stanchions and upgraded the electrics, "It's safer. We have a proper staysail too. It's the best condition the boat's ever been in and it's all for the Sydney to Auckland race. We'll stay on and do the Coastal Classic race there too."
Of his multi rivals, "Slingshot (a Gunboat 68 skippered by Dara Johnston with Adrienne Cahalan navigating) is powerful. If it gets breeze, it will be off, but will be sticky in light air," Drew surmised.
Back on the smaller scale is John Lattimore and Michael McDonald's Inglis 39, Stampede. Tactics, Lattimore said, "Is really up to the navigator, but we'll probably run up the shore and see how far we can get. Our aim is to finish."
Inner Circle is their main competition. "I live a couple of houses away from the skipper and we always have good competition with each other. Half the Stampede and Inner Circle crews came down from the Lake together on a bus this morning and we're both well supported by Lake Macquarie Yacht Club."
Stampede and her owners did their first Pittwater Coffs race in 2016. Lattimore remembers, "When we got up there, we stayed together in a house, drank too much and discussed chartering a boat for Cork Week (in Ireland) and stay in a castle. And we did. Who knows what will happen after this race..."
The appeal of the race, Lattimore said, "Is we love the race management here (RPAYC), it's an easy race to get ready for and it's not too far from home. I don't how we'll go in the race, but we'll all enjoy it."
On the line are the race records. The multihull record stands at 17 hours 3 minutes, set by Dale Mitchell and crew on Rex in 2023. The monohull record, set in 2022, is held by Peter Harburg's Black Jack in the time of 17hrs 10mins 31secs.
Follow competing yachts on the race tracker.
For all information, including entry list please go to: www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au.