Brisbane to Keppel – All over for another year

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

The 4th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race, hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, has wrapped up for another year with Wild Oats X taking out the overall IRC result and claiming the Club Marine Cup.

The race started on Friday 6 August at 1500 hours just east of Green Island on Brisbane’s Moreton Bay.

The final boat to cross the finishing line was the Hunter 45CC Tiara skippered by Randolph Ingram.

“We finally made it and it was great to be able to join the celebrations which went well into the night,” said Ingram.

Peter Millard and his crew on the 98′ maxi Lahana have set a new race record of 27 hours, 11 minutes and 22 seconds. Lahana and Wild Oats X, skippered by Mark Richards, crossed the finish line just 22 seconds apart after a challenging 348 nautical mile battle up the tropical Queensland coast.

Lahana also placed second on IRC in the overall and Division 1 result.

Bill Wild and his Hugh Welbourne 42 Wedgetail crew placed third on IRC both overall and in Division 1.
“It was great to be back again this year and are proud of our achievement,” said Wild. “The boys worked hard all race and to take a place just tops it off nicely.”

Wedgetail had an interesting start to their Brisbane to Keppel campaign with their new sails being sent to Angola in Africa instead of Brisbane, Australia.

“Our sails will have done more miles in a Fedex box than they will ever do at sea,” said Wild.

“Their trip so far has been from New Zealand to Angola (Africa), Caribbean, Dominican Republic and are now finally bound for Brisbane.

“The battens arrived today, but the sails missed the plane. They must have been having a drink at the airport bar,” laughed Wild.

Just 24 hours prior to the race start the Wedgetail crew was forced to have an old sail re-cut to ensure it measured in with their new IRC rating.

Brisbane sailor Lew Perrins and his Farr 30 Italian Job took out IRC Division 2 which is a major coy for the class.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard the results,” said Lew. “We just sailed as hard as we could but really had no idea that we had won. The guys are pretty happy and we are looking forward to doing it all again next year.”

Sydney sailor Darryl Hodgkinson and his Beneteau 45 crew on Victoire finished second in the IRC Division 2 with Gilbert Ford sailing the Hick Schooner Ceilidh Lass to third.

Peter Mosely on board Local Hero and his enthusiastic crew were delighted to have won the overall and Division 1 PHS category.

“We had a beautiful sail up the coast and enjoyed the live video skyping with the race committee. We had the laptop on deck so they could check out our sailing,” said Mosely.

Tony Kinsman on the Beneteau First 40.7 Blunderbuss placed second on PHS both overall and in Division 2. Third in PHS Division 2 was the Sydney 41 Southern Cross Yachting skippered by Michael Job.
“I can’t believe I won a prize!” laughed Job.

“We did the race with a relatively new bunch of sailors so getting a place will hopefully give them the encouragement to continue racing,” said Job.

Rod Jones and his new weapon Alegria IV, the GP42 finished third overall on PHS and first in the PHS Division 1.

Behind Alegria IV in PHS Division 1 was Wedgetail. Crew member Peter Elkington said that he couldn’t believe how fast the new GP42 was.

“That thing just trucks along at an awesome pace,” said Elkington.

Six Farr 40’s both one design and modified entered this year’s race giving the fleet a chance to have their own division.

The Farr 40 Type Division was based on elapsed time with Bribie Star skippered by Ken Down being the first to cross the line at Keppel Bay.

“We reached our goal of being the first one home but it wasn’t an easy race,” said Ken’s son and fellow crew member Lucas.

“The lead changed quite a few times which made everything pretty interesting. We found a few parking lots out there and had to really work to get the lead back,” continued Lucas.

The crew on the Sydney 36 Gauntlet won the Navigators prize with a predicted ETA just 8 minutes and 16 seconds out from their actual finish time.

“Like all the boats we ‘guessed’ our time when crossing the Tropic of Capricorn and got lucky!” said an excited crew member Sean Trotter.

During the presentation Keppel Bay Sailing Club and Capricorn Cruising Yacht Club were thanked for their support of the event.

RQYS Sailing Committee Chairman Mark Gallagher said that without the support of the local clubs the event would be very difficult to run.

“The Keppel Bay Sailing Club and Capricorn Cruising Yacht Club made their boats and volunteers available to assist with bringing crew ashore who had to make flights and for media to capture the race as boats crossed the finish line,” said Gallagher.

Kylie Smith, General Manager of Keppel Bay Marina said that is was an honour to be the finishing destination for the Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race.

“We are so proud to be associated with this race and it’s one of big highlights of the year,” said Smith during the presentation.

The last of the boats and crews have now departed from Keppel Bay Marina with most now travelling north to continue Queensland’s Season of Sailing. Airlie Beach Race Week is the next event on the racing calendar followed by Hamilton Island Race Week and Magnetic Island Race Week.

Full results and photos can be found on the race website – www.brisbanetokeppel.com
Results

Line Honours – Lahana (Peter Millard)

IRC Overall
1 Wild Oats X (Mark Richards)
2 Lahana (Peter Millard)
3 Wedgetail (Bill Wild)

IRC Division 1
1 Wild Oats X (Mark Richards)
2 Lahana (Peter Millard)
3 Wedgetail (Bill Wild)

IRC Division 2
1 Italian Job (Lew Perrins)
2 Victoire (Darryl Hodgkinson)
3 Ceilidh Lass (Gilbert Ford)

PHS Overall
1 Local Hero (Peter Mosely)
2 Blunderbuss (Tony Kinsman)
3 Alegria IV (Rod Jones)

Race Website: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brisbane2keppel/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brisbanetokeppel.com/

The Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Queensland Tourism’s Season of Sailing calendar and is proudly sponsored by O’Reilly’s Real Estate, Angove Wines, Morgan’s Seafood, Capricorn Tourism, Rockhampton Regional Council and of course Club Marine.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

Keppel Bay Marina buzzing with excitement

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

The finish line for the 4th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is just outside the harbour at Keppel Bay Marina and so far locals have been bedazzled by the boats that have arrived.

Lahana (Peter Millard) and Wild Oats X (Mark Richards) were the first two boats to finish and there was just 22 seconds between them. Lahana took the win and claimed the race record which was originally held by Black Jack (Peter Harburg) set in the 2009 race. Lahana beat their record by 2 hours, 12 minutes and 49 seconds. Black Jack was a shock withdrawal from the race just 20 minutes in due to hydraulic issues.

Rod Jones and his new GP42 Alegria begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting IV were the third boat to cross the line and did so at 08:20:12 this morning. They were followed by Ocean Affinity (Stewart Lewis), Wedgetail (Bill Wild) and Colortile (Warren Buchan).

The first Farr 40 Type (F40T) to finish was Bribie Star skippered by Ken Down. The crew reported that they had a fantastic race and achieved their goal of being the first F40T to cross the line.

“We had to work hard to regain the lead and it was a great feeling when we did,” said Ken’s son Lucas.

“This morning we had no idea where Lambourdini was and really thought they were in front, then we checked the yacht tracker and learnt they were nine miles behind us,” continued Lucas.

Bribie Star was followed by three of the other F40Ts being Cracklin Rosie (Bob Robertson), e11even (David Elliott) and Lambourdini (David Lambourne). John Leman and his crew on Bobby’s Girl have given an ETA of 13:20 this afternoon making them the last of the F40Ts to finish.

Wild Oats X is set to take out the overall IRC Division with Lanaha currently sitting in second and Wedgetail in third.

The fourth Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race started east of Green Island in Moreton Bay at 1500 hours on Friday 6 August with a fleet of 33 making their way north. The party is continuing at Keppel Bay Marina with live music, food and gift stalls as well as a caravan of camels taking kids for a journey around the marina.

More to come.

Race Website: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com
Tracker: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com/yacht-tracker/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brisbane2keppel/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brisbanetokeppel.com/
SMS Registration: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com/sms

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

Lahana takes the win and the record

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

At 18:11:22 hours this evening, Saturday 7 August, Peter Millard and his crew sailed the 98′ maxi Lahana across the finish line at Keppel Bay just 22 seconds ahead of the Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X to claim Line Honours victory in the fourth Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race.

The spectatular finish happened just on sunset and after 348 nautical miles the two big boats of the fleet provided exactly what the locals wanted – a photo finish.

“It doesn’t get much closer than that!” said an excited Peter Millard just after the finish.

“We had to fight hard to get back in front of Oats when they crept past us today but the crew was so determinded to do so and it really did pay off.

“It’s such a great acheivement. This is the first race I’ve done with Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in about seven years as the boat and the crew are based in Sydney. As a member it’s just fantastic to be here, to win the race and to take the record.

“You can guarentee that we will be celebrating this evening!” said Millard.

Lahana managed to hold their Code O and keep the boat moving after Wild Oats X opted to furl up and two sail reach to the finish.

“We were nervous coming into the finish but when we heard that finishing sound we all had a huge sigh of relief,” continued Millard.

This is the first time these boats have competed in the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race which is the signature offshore race of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.

Mark Richards said that although they didn’t hold their lead that it was a perfect but intense race the whole way from Manly in Brisbane to Keppel Bay Marina.

“We thought we could hold them but they just got away. We were thinking how great it would have been to have Black Jack here as well,” said Richards.

“We’ll be back next year and look forward to taking on Lahana again to steal the record from them,” continued Richards.

Now that the Line Honours result has been secured the focus will turn to the remaining 31 boats in the fleet. The races within races between the Farr 40 Types, Mumm 36′s, Farr 30′s and Beneteaus continues this evening and the next boat is expected to finish after sunrise on Sunday 8 August.

The Lahana and Wild Oats X crew are now enjoying a famous Keppel Bay Marina Banana Station steak overlooking the harbour.

More to come.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

Race Record Under Serious Threat

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

In the 2009 Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race, Peter Harburg’s Reichel Pugh 66 Black Jack claimed a race record of 29 hours 24 minutes 11 seconds. This record is now under serious threat with Lahana and Wild Oats X due to finish prior to 1700 hours today, Saturday 7 August.

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron sailor Peter Millard and his 98′ maxi Lahana are still holding their own and are leading the fleet of 33 boats. They are being closely trailed by Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats X skippered by Mark Richards.

Black Jack withdrew from the race just after the start yesterday due to a malfunction with the canting keel hydraulics.

“Our estimated time of arrival is 1800 hours tonight,” said Lahana navigator Willy Roberts. “But this is yacht racing and we expect light breezes towards the finish – anything could happen.”

Ocean racing superstar Adrienne Cahalan, navigator on Wild Oats X, said they were currently sailing in 16 knots of south easterly breeze.

“Lahana is just to windward of us. We’ve got a clear blue sky and there is plenty of water over the deck. Our boat speed is between 15-20 knots. We have about 90nm to the finish and we hope to keep the battle alive with Lahana until then,” said Cahalan. “Black Jack is sorely missed as it would have been good with the three of us out here together.”

When the two big boats in the fleet arrive they will be welcomed by enthusiastic locals at Keppel Bay Marina. There is a lot of activity gathering with everyone eager to see these famous boats.

Guests will be entertained by local band Nebraska Red, guest speakers and wine tasting as they cheer the first boats across the line.

More to come.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

A beautiful morning at sea

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

The 34 competing boats in the fourth Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race are enjoying a perfect morning at sea after a great night of southerly breeze.

Rod Jones and his Alegria IV crew reported a top speed of 19.6 knots in 20 knots of breeze.

“It was a beautiful clear night absolutely perfect sailing,” said Jones.

Lahana is still in the lead ahead of the Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X and the two boats were having a good tussle up the tropical Queensland coast.

Although he resides in Sydney, Lahana owner Peter Millard said he was a Queenslander through and through and is pleased to be representing Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in this years race.

As day broke this morning Wedgetail reported that they were surrounded by whales.

“There are so many out here! Let’s just hope they stay clear of us,” said Wedgetail crew member Peter Elkington.

Ken Down’s Farr 40 Bribie Star also encounted whales this morning.

“We had to make a major detour when one popped up right in front of us!” said Down.

“It’s just perfect out here off Indian Head. We’re in a tight battle with Robbo (Cracklin Rosie), Slimy (e11even) and Tubby (Lambourdini). Game on moles!” said Lucas Down.

The feirce rivalrey between the Mumm 36′s Georgia Express (Andrew Knights) and Corum (Geoff & Todd Anderson) continued through the night with Georiga Express edging ahead of their opponent.

A fan of Georgia Express posted a screen shot of the yacht tracker onto the Brisbane to Keppel Facebook page just in case the lead changed.

The Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race stared at 1500 hours on Friday 6 August and the first boats are expected to arrive at the finish line before 1700 hours.

More to come.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

Lahana in the lead

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Peter Millards 98′ maxi Lahana is currently leading Wild Oats X in the 4th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race. The race started at 1500 hours this afternoon, Friday 6 August in a light south westerly breeze east of Green Island on Moreton Bay.

Lahana’s navigator Willy Roberts said that they had settled down since the start and were sailing towards Indian Head.

“We’ve got beautiful conditions out here. Very clear night. Perhaps a little cool; tropical cool!” said Roberts.

As at 2200 hours Wild Oats was on their port quarter/transom.

When asked about the shock withdrawal of Black Jack, Roberts said, “it’s a great shame they aren’t out here because I’m sure we would have been close.”

Black Jack retired just 20 minutes into the race due to a malfunction with their hydraulics which control the Reichel Pugh 66′s canting keel.

David Elliott’s modifed Farr 40 is currently leading on IRC ahead of the inaugral 2007 IRC winner Wedgetail.

Tiara, the Hunter 45CC is casually making her way north at the back of the fleet. The cruising boat started the race with her bimini in tact and tender swinging in the light breeze.

More to come.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

Shock Withdrawal from the Race

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Peter Harburg’s Reichel Pugh 66 Black Jack has withdrawn from the 4th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race. Skipper of the boat Mark Bradford said the boat was having “hydraulic issues”.

Just minutes prior the start Black Jack was fully canted making it obvious to the fleet that they were having some troubles.

Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats X, sistership to Black Jack took off at the start but quickly sailed into a hole and parked.

Lahana skippered by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron member Peter Millard made an impressive appearance on the start line weaving in between the fleet of forty footers.

2009 Audi IRC Australian Champion skipper Rod Jones and his GP42 Algeria IV also sailed into no breeze and had to watch the fleet sail past.

Now that Black Jack has withdrawn it leaves the line honours battle down to Lahana and Wild Oats X.

As of 1615 hours Ken Down’s Farr 40 Bribie Star was in the lead and looking famous. They are being followed by Warren Buchan’s Colortile. Both made a tactical decision to tack inshore of Mud Island and take advantage of the filling land breeze.

The 34 boats in the fleet had a clear start in a light south westerly breeze and are now making their way north. The first boat is expected into Keppel Bay Marina late tomorrow (Saturday 7 August) afternoon.

More to come.

Race Website: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com

Tracker: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com/yacht-tracker/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brisbane2keppel/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brisbanetokeppel.com/

SMS Registration: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com/sms

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

Bronson McCall finds his calling

Friday, August 6th, 2010

At 1500 hours today, Friday 6 August, Keppel Bay local Bronson McCall will start his first ever Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race.

At just 14 years of age, Bronson has his sights set on a Volvo Ocean Race but today his focus is on the 348 nautical mile challenge that will see him sail from Manly in Brisbane, up the tropical Queensland coast, and back to his home port at Keppel Bay Marina.

Bronson will set sail with with his father Tim and and brother Josh as well as six other crew on board the Archambault 35 Arcadia which won the 2009 Audi IRC Australian Championship under the former owner Rod Jones.

“Arcadia is a fast boat and I can’t wait to start racing,” said Bronson. “I’m excited by not nervous.”

Bronson started his sailing in yachts and has no desire to be a dinghy sailor.

“I’m a yachtie. I want to get as much knowledge and practice as I can so that one day I can sail around the world in a Volvo Ocean Race,” said a confident Bronson.

The crews of the 34 competing boats are putting the finishing touches on board and checking their internet connections. Skype, MSN and email will be used to communicate with the boats as they make their way north.

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS) was buzzing with people this morning with spectators provisioning before an afternoon on the water.

RQYS Commodore Russell McCart said that is was great to see so many people enjoying the facilities.

“I’m looking forward to watching the yachts set off and just wish I was part of the fleet again this year. It’s looking like it will be a close race between the 40 footers,” said McCart.

“This is our signature yachting event and it’s great to see the fleet building each year,” continued McCart.

Race Website: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com

Tracker: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com/yacht-tracker/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brisbane2keppel/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brisbanetokeppel.com/

SMS Registration: http://www.brisbanetokeppel.com/sms

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

Less than 24 to go

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

The 4th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race countdown timer is clicking through the hours and minutes and there is now less than 24 hours until the start gun is fired.

The competing boats are going through their safety inspections as well as having their trackers attached to monitor their progress for the duration of the race.

Principal sponsor and Club Marine representative Brett Edmonds said he was thrilled to be associated with the race again this year.

“This is the third year Club Marine has been the principal sponsor of the Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race,” said Edmonds. “We are looking forward to another great race this year.”

Rod Jones and his new GP42 Alegria IV are ready to take on the fleet.

“We are excited and nervous about the race,” said Jones. “We’ve only had the boat for two weeks and this is our first race. I’m just hoping the crew and I can keep up with her!”

Peter Mosely docked his BH36 Local Hero on the RQYS Bill Kirby Jetty in the early hours of this morning and is putting the final touches together in preparation for the star.

“The crew are looking after a very important job this afternoon,” said Mosely. “They are cooking our dinners for the next few nights. I think we are having some sort of coconut curry and a beef stew… I can’t really tell from looking at it!”

The compulsory competitors meeting starts at 1830 hours this evening at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron who are the hosts of the race.

The race starts at 1500 hours on Friday 6 August and the boats will be farewelled by a fleet of spectators east of Green Island on Moreton Bay.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

Trackers are Alive!

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

For the first time in the short Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race history, satellite GPS trackers will be installed on each boat and will follow the fleet from Manly to Keppel Bay Marina.

Host club Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron has partnered with British company Yellow Brick and boats positions will be updated on the race website every 15 minutes.

“We laid the trackers out on our Sailing Academy rigging lawn, and within 15 minutes they had worked out that they were no longer in London and found themselves in Manly,” said race organiser Suellen Hurling.

“They have since been turned off and will go live again on Thursday once they have been installed on all boats,” continued Hurling.

The units are completely wireless and will track boats and they sail up the Queensland coast showing speed, distance to go and heading.

This is the first time this particular tracker has been utilised in Australia.

The races starts at 1500 hours on Friday 6 August east of Green Island on Moreton Bay in Brisbane. Spectators are welcome to watch the boats as they sail off into the sunset.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.