Less Than 24 Hours until the start of the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race
Friday, August 1st, 2008
Final preparations are underway for the start of the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race due to start at 1100 hours on Saturday 2nd August.
The start will see 24 yachts and a large number of spectator boats create a brilliant spectacle on Moreton Bay, as the fleet departs for the 348 nautical mile race bound for Keppel Bay Marina.
Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson said “It’s going to be a great start out of Moreton Bay with moderate south westerly breezes forecasted. The southerly is predicted to lighten, but should hang in until the finish.”
Amongst the fleet are local schoolboy sailors Curtis Skinner and Nicholas Moriarty.
Nick Moriarty is sailing on the Mumm 30 GOA/PDL, a crew made up of Brisbane Boys College students and coaches. Nick recently competed at the 2008 School Team Racing Championships in Sydney, where the team walked away with the bronze medal.
Nudgee Schoolboy Curtis is sailing on the Beneteau 44.7 On Y Va for his second Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race.
The young sailor recently competed in the OAMPS Insurance Brokers Queensland Youth Week held at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, placing a respectable second in the Laser Radial fleet. Curtis is now an integral part of the On Y Va crew and one of South East Queensland’s up and coming sailors at only sixteen years of age.
Local entry Wedgetail is set to defend their title after they won both the IRC and PHS divisions in the inaugural race last year. Squadron member Bill Wild took home the best result for an RQYS boat in a major offshore race at the 2007/2008 Senior Presentation in May this year.
The race website will feature short mobile updates from competitors, a yacht tracker and frequent news updates.
Competitors from the race will be sending mobile updates to the race website, allowing spectators to further immerse themselves into the action out on the water.
Interested spectators can also sign up for free SMS updates throughout the course of the race.