Counting down to the race start

Entries for the 4th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race officially close on Friday 23 July with the yachts due to set sail on Friday 6 August 2010.

38 yachts have entered the race, however the Mummery 45 Icefire (Peter Cox) has been a late withdrawal leaving the fleet at 37. In 2009 the race attracted 28 yachts.

While most eyes will be on the three big boat entries, Black Jack (Peter Harburg), Wild Oats X (Bob Oatley) and Lahana (Peter Millard), most of the competitive racing will be between the remainder of the fleet of forty footers. The six Farr 40s are also set to take the limelight with their own division, a first for this race.

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS) Commodore Russell McCart will be amongst the Farr 40 fleet in his one design yacht Night Nurse.

“It’s going to be a spectacular start and I’m really happy that we’ve ended up with a fleet of Farr 40′s,” said McCart.

“I’m looking forward to sailing through Breaksea Spit because its such a beautiful part of the world.

When asked how he would go against the other Farr 40′s, McCart said that he did hope to win.

“It would be great to be the first Farr 40 home but we haven’t really done the lead up work. But remember that it’s a long race, so anything can happen!”

Penny Morgan, daughter of Rick Morgan and crew on Dream Lover, said she is looking forward to the race which will be the yachts fourth time into Keppel Bay.

“We have raced Dream Lover in all the previous Brisbane to Keppel Races and in 2009 won the Navigators Prize,” said Morgan.

“This year we have joined the team with Morgan’s Seafood as a sponsor and look forward to being involved in years to come.

“The best part of this race is the people you meet, seeing a beautiful part of Queensland that you don’t get to see everyday and the time spent with my crew mates. An awesome start to Dream Lover’s annual voyage North!”

Newly appointed RQYS Sailing Committee member Michael Job, and skipper of the Sydney 41 Southern Cross Yachting is looking forward to the race which he describes will be at the back of the fleet.

“Despite being at the back end of the fleet, we look forward to a spirited battle with our old nemesis Sweethart,” said Job.

“Although Sweethart has a new owner now (Laurence Pidgeon), the rivalry remains.

“It’s all fun though at the end of the day and we always look forward to arriving at Keppel Bay Marina where you get looked after and they put on a fantastic party for the sailors,” continued Job.

The traditional gunfire will be made at 1500 hours on Friday 6 August with the start line set east of Green Island on Moreton Bay. Spectators are welcomed to the area to farewell the yachts as they embark on the 348 nautical mile course up the tropical Queensland coast finishing off Keppel Bay Marina.

This year each yacht will have a satellite GPS tracker attached to their boat supplied by UK company Yellowbrick. The trackers will be updated every 15 minutes for the duration of the race making it easier for virtual spectators to watch the action unfold.

Those not sailing can also stay up-to-date through social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. There will also be exclusive race information sent directly to those who register their mobile number through the race website.

“There is no reason for anyone to miss a moment of the action,” said race organiser Suellen Hurling.

“We are implementing as much technology as we can so we can bring the race closer to those who were unable to make it this year.”

A Yellowbrick tracker will also be attached to the radio relay vessel Harbour Island.

The Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Queensland Tourisms Season of Sailing calendar and is proudly sponsored by O’Reilly’s Real Estate, Angove Wines, Morgan’s Seafood, Capricorn Tourism, Rockhampton Regional Council, Rosslyn Bay Resort 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, Capricorn Cruising Yacht Club, Yeppon Coast Guard and Bundaberg VMR.

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