All done and dusted for another year

The fifth annual Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is done and dusted for another year. The crews have ventured off to their next port which is either home or onto Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island for race weeks.

A highlight of this years race was with Wild Oats XI setting a new race record of 24 hours, 20 minutes and 22 seconds.

Peter Millard and John Honan’s super maxi Lahana was the overall winner taking out both IRC Overall and IRC Division 1.

“A huge thank you to everyone for making us welcome into this race and looking after us so well. It’s a lot of work getting 22 guys off a boat, out of the bar and onto a bus to the airport but the team at Keppel Bay Marina managed to just make it happen,” said Millard.

Congratulations go to all the competitors and the following winners:

IRC Overall and Division 1
1st – Lahana – Peter Millard & John Honan
2nd – Wild Oats XI – Robert Oatley
3rd – Ocean Affinity – Stewart Lewis

IRC Division 2
1st – GOA / NOVA – Chris Tyquin
2nd – Trumpcard – Craig Coulsen
3rd – Georgia Express – Andrew Knights

PHS Overall and Division 1
1st – Wot Eva – David Pescud
2nd – Sweethart – Laurence Pidgeon
3rd – Arcadia – Tim McCall

PHS Division 2
1st – Georgia Express – Andrew Knights
2nd – Dream Lover – Rick Morgan
3rd – GOA / NOVA – Chris Tyquin

Farr 30 Line Honours
GOA / NOVA – Chris Tyquin

Cruising Division
1st – Too Impetuous (Rudy Webber)

Navigators Prize
GOA / NOVA – Combined effort of the crew – gave an ETA within 1:37 of their finish time by using a $1.99 app downloaded from the iTunes store.

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, hosts of the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race has extended their thanks to Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Bay Sailing Club, Rockhampton Regional Council and the Capricorn region for their continued support and hospitality.

Planning is now underway for the sixth year in 2012.

Race Website – www.brisbanetokeppel.com

The Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Tourism Queensland’s Season of Sailing.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is pleased to acknowledge the principal sponsors of the 2011 Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race; Club Marine, David Bray Yachts, Club Super, Morgan’s Seafood, Angove Family Winemakers, Bundaberg Rum and the Rockhampton Regional Council.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina and Keppel Bay Sailing Club.

RQYS Commodore talks about B2K

The newly appointed Commodore of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS) was on board the Ken Down owned and skippered Farr 40 Bribie Star for the fifth Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race.

We talked to the Commodore, just a month into his 24 month term.

‘I sailed the last two Gladstone’s on this boat with Ken Down, who is the former Commodore of the Mooloolaba Yacht Club. We first raced against each other, back in the good old half tonner days.

‘We were pretty happy with our result for this Brisbane to Keppel race. We started in breeze and it held all the way out of Moreton Bay. Having the race start three hours earlier at 12 noon meant the fleet was pushed out of the bay before the sun went down. Have to say that getting out of the bay early definitely helps.

‘We had plenty of breeze for most of the night and then when the sun rose she brought with it new challenges that the crew had to keep on top of.

‘I’m lucky to race with such a great bunch of sailors who also consider themselves to be hilarious comedians. I’ve been given a new nickname that may just stick… Apparently I’m now known as the Falcon. Not really sure I can share the story but it just goes to show that even when pressed during a yacht race there is always time for a laugh.

‘This is really the signature yacht race for RQYS. Our aim is to make the race bigger and better every year as we continue to make our stamp on the offshore racing calendar.

‘My vision for the squadron is pretty simple. Provide world class racing and the chance for people to get on the water and enjoy what nature has to offer.

‘We have got a great facility at our Manly, Brisbane location and are spoilt with space and over 500 marina berths.

‘2012 is set to be a very busy year for us hosting the Laser Masters, Radial Mens and Radial Youth World Championship and the relaunch of the Sail Noumea Cat 1 race that we are working on jointing with our Kiwi friends from Royal Akarana Yacht Club.

‘I am a dinghy sailor. I grew up through 470s, Sharpies and 505s so I know the importance of what I call a good rigging and launching area and the Squadron has got that great grassed area and now multiple ramps, that will be really important when the Lasers come.

More to come.

Race Website – www.brisbanetokeppel.com

The Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Tourism Queensland’s Season of Sailing.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is pleased to acknowledge the principal sponsors of the 2011 Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race; Club Marine, David Bray Yachts, Club Super, Morgan’s Seafood, Angove Family Winemakers, Bundaberg Rum and the Rockhampton Regional Council.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina and Keppel Bay Sailing Club.

Just five boats to finish!

A rush of boats finished in the last six hours in the fifth annual Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht.

In IRC Division 1, Peter Millard’s super maxi Lahana is the provisional winner ahead of Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI, third was Ocean Affinity, then Sailors with disAbilities Wot Eva.

In IRC Division 2, Chris Tyquin’s Farr 30 GOA/NOVA was provisionally the winner. She was six minutes ahead of Andrew Knight’s Mumm 36 modified Georgia Express on corrected time and 13 minutes ahead of Craig Coulsen’s Van de Stat 42 Trumpcard.

In the Performance Handicap Division 1 Wot Eva was four minutes ahead on corrected time ahead of Laurence Pidgeon’s Jutson 39 Sweethart with Tim McCall’s Archambault 40RC Arcadia in third.

Performance Handicap Division 2 is still wide open and with Too Impetuous still 35 nautical miles from the finish line she currently leads on corrected time, ahead of Georgia Express and Dream Lover both of whom are berthed at Keppel Bay Marina.

Dockside some interesting comments

GOA/NOVA – Skipper Chris Tyquin, quote from Darren ‘Twirler’ Jones

‘It’s a long race in a Farr 30 but we took advantage of cruising the wake of the bigger boats who towed us up the course. This race is quite tactical and being that we were one of the five Farr 30′s we really had to stay focused for the entire time. Definitely happy to be the first Farr 30 home. We gave our ETA at the Tropic of Capricorn which was just over a minute out from our finish time. Can’t complain’

GOA looks like a special for the Navigator’s Prize.

Sydney 38 Mondo – Ray Sweeney

‘We were quite surprised with how much the breeze died down and then picked up again. Plenty of sail changes kept the crew pretty busy. Definitely a slow day coming into the finish today but we took advantage of the quiet sail, had a sleep. We had a few crew members feel the effect of the sloppy sea’

Arcadia – Tim McCall , ‘Definitely disappointed that we shredded the 1.5a and couldn’t fly the code zero from early on Saturday morning however all that’s put aside because we just had a great time out there. I’m so lucky to be sailing with not only a great bunch of crew but also my three kids Bronson, Joshua and Lauren. Sailing into our own home waters is the best way to finish a yacht race. We will be back next year!’

Dream Lover – Rick Morgan – ‘Great race. But my daughter Penny couldn’t make it because she was too sick to sail so we are dedicating this pineapple to her.’

Patriot – Tony Love ‘Welcome to the tropics! It’s great to be back’

Five boats are still on the water, in ever softening conditions.

Clayton Debenham and Craig Ellis’ Sydney 36 Gauntlet, Greg Zyner’s Radford 12 Copernicus, Chris Morgan’s J130 Ragtime, John Finkins Millennium 390 and the 1983 Admiral’s Cup hero Too Impetuous a Holland 32 which has been lovingly restored by Rudy Webber.

Five boats have retired from the race. Southern Cross Yachting is motoring to Keppel Bay Marina and is close, while Sirocco arrived this afternoon. Blunderbuss has arrived in Bundaberg under motor and Meltemi is close to the same port. Asterix is now at Urangan. All crew are safe and well.

More to come.

Race Website – www.brisbanetokeppel.com

The Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Tourism Queensland’s Season of Sailing.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is pleased to acknowledge the principal sponsors of the 2011 Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race; Club Marine, David Bray Yachts, Club Super, Morgan’s Seafood, Angove Family Winemakers, Bundaberg Rum and the Rockhampton Regional Council.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina and Keppel Bay Sailing Club.

“Sailors” keeping busy

Coming to you LIVE from the “moter vessel” Southern Cross Yachting as we motor towards the party at the finish line.

Having run out of wind, humour and kites we took a vote at midnight and retired from the race. We have been motoring for 13 hours now and as you can see are getting pretty bored! As well as ripping all the kites we have a badly leaking rudder and the boat was soaked. We have so much stuff hanging off the boat drying we are worried that Julia might arrest us as a refuge boat and send us to malaysia.

ETA at the harbor 1750. Eta at the bar 1751.

Joby

Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn

The bulk of the fleet in the fifth annual Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is expected to finish tonight, but conditions are softening.

While the line honours winner Bob Oatley’s 100 footer Wild Oats XI finished at 12:22 yesterday, behind her was Peter Millard’s Lahana at 15:30, the TP52 Wot Eva crossed the finish line at a cold 0328 in a 6-8 knot breeze, while Stewart Lewis’ Marten 49 Ocean Affinity come in at 06:12, just before sunrise and the crew had a hearty breakfast in the sunshine at the Keppel Bay Marina.

It is a perfect winter day, at Rosslyn Bay with south east trades dropping from around eight knots a few hours ago, but it is now eased back to four knots.

Lucas Down’s Farr 40 Bribie Star with current Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Commodore Greg Clarke on board, just crossed the finish line at 12:47:45. Another 10 miles further down the coast, is RQYS past Commodore Tony Love on the J133 Patriot who are 13 miles astern sailing along with Tim McCall’s Archambault 40 RC Arcadia and Dave Turton’s FT10 Likatiger.

Then around the Tropic of Capricorn there is a host of boats all in sight of each other. There is Andrew Knights’ Georgia Express, Chris Tyquin’s Farr 30 GOA/NOVA, Tim Faragher’s Ultimate Positioning, Laurence Pidgeon’s Jutson 39 Custom Sweethart, Ray Sweeney’s Sydney 38 Mondo, the former Easy Tiger, Michael Lazzarini’s Farr 39 Samurai Jack, Craig Coulsen Trumpcard, Rick Morgan’s MBD 40 footer Dream Lover are either just north of Cape Capricorn or just south 30 nautical miles down the rhumbline.

With conditions softening it appears to be a big boat race, on handicap Lahana leads Wild Oats XI and Ocean Affinity overall in IRC Division 1. Division 2 sees GOA/NOVA a few minutes ahead of Georgia Express and Trumpcard.

In PHS Division 1 Wot Eva leads Sweethart by an hour, with Arcadia another hour back, while in PHS Division 2 Too Impetuous leads Georgia Express with GOA/NOVA third.

Dockside David Pescud the skipper of Wot Eva was all smiles ‘We had a perfect race with only a few incidents. One in particular was a spinnaker mishap with our bowman but we’re not allowed to go into that because of the old saying, what happens on tour stays on tour.

‘We are very glad that we decided to do this race and will definitely be back next year. Don’t know what boat yet but Sailors with disAbilities will be represented. On board we have four disabled sailors. Two are deaf and we use sign language to communicate. The other two, including myself are dyslexic.’

Deaf sailor Tom Murphy, who received the Man of the Match award from his fellow crew chimed in ‘I lip read and use sign language but have to keep reminding everyone that I can’t hear in the dark! It’s pretty funny.’

Ocean Affinity’s Stewart Lewis commented ‘We are stoked that we are running third on IRC. We had a magic run up the coast. For us we couldn’t have asked for better conditions. Now we head off to Airlie Beach then onto Hamilton Island Race Week.’

Four boats have retired from the race. Southern Cross Yachting advised of retirement at 0005 Sked Sunday, they are continuing to Keppel Bay Marina under motor as is Sirocco who similarly advised yesterday at the 1705 Sked Saturday.

Blunderbuss also advised of retirement at 0705 Sked Sunday and is now heading for Bundaberg under motor. She is expected to arrive mid afternoon.

Asterix advised of her retirement at 0005 Sked Sunday and is now at Urangan.

More to come.

Race Website – www.brisbanetokeppel.com

The Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Tourism Queensland’s Season of Sailing.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is pleased to acknowledge the principal sponsors of the 2011 Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race; Club Marine, David Bray Yachts, Club Super, Morgan’s Seafood, Angove Family Winemakers, Bundaberg Rum and the Rockhampton Regional Council.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina and Keppel Bay Sailing Club.

Wild Oats XI sets new race record

5th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race. Bob Oatley’s Reichel Pugh 100, Wild Oats XI, has smashed Peter Millard’s Lahana’s 2010 race record.

The old B2K record was 27 hours, 11 minutes and 22 seconds. Wild Oats XI was well inside that, finishing at 12:22:20 today and the new record now stands at 24 hours, 22 minutes and 20 seconds.

‘We had a fantastic race,’ said Mark Richards (Ricko) just after they got the line honours gun. ‘A glorious day, postcard sailing and a good way to get to Hamilton Island!!

‘We enjoyed it so much last year we had to come back this year. The hospitality at Keppel Bay Marina is just fantastic.’

Lahana’s ETA to the Keppel Bay finish line was 15:10 today, as at her last report just over an hour ago when she was 16 miles from the finish line, doing 12-13 knots.

Sailors with disAbilities Wot Eva, the Nelson Marek TP52 rounded the tip of Breaksea Spit in clear third place and she is expected to finish in the wee hours. Their tracker is not working, ‘we are in stealth mode’ commented skipper David Pescud.

Stewart Lewis’ Marten 49 Ocean Affinity is in fourth place. Both yachts are sailing in soft easterlies.

The bulk of fleet is tacking up Breaksea Spit, in a light north easter.

Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson commented a few minutes ago, ‘It was exciting to see Oats XI finish in such perfect conditions in this fifth Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race and beat the record. Tomorrow there’s going to be some exciting finishing as most of the fleet will come in together.’

While there was light rain here last night, the early cloud has burnt off and the cumulus is now back over the ranges. It’s bright sunshine with a seven-eight knot south easterly blowing and as Ricko says ‘Postcard conditions’.

Ricko, Grant Simmer, Adrienne Cahalan and all the crew are sitting having a relaxing lunch just outside the Race Office. Their beverage of choice seems to be divided between Stones Ginger Beer (Race sponsors) and Wild Oats wine.

Sail-World.com will provide more news from the finish line as it comes to hand.

by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World.com Team

Race Website – www.brisbanetokeppel.com

Brisbane to Keppel Race Record Set to Fall

The 100’ super maxi Wild Oats XI (Robert Oatley) is on track to smash the Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race (B2K) record which was set by Lahana (Peter Millard) in the 2010 race.

The record to beat is 27 hours, 11 minutes and 22 seconds which Lahana holds after narrowly beating the 66’ Wild Oats X by just 22 seconds on the 7th August 2010.

Five time Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race line honours winners Wild Oats XI, skippered by Mark Richards, was 55 nautical miles from the finish line at 0800 hours this morning. The crew reported clear skies and 14 knots of breeze as they weaved their way through the many ships off Gladstone.

“We’re not there yet but we are pushing hard to get the best time we can. We are very excited to be on track to break the record for the 5th B2K race which hopefully will be a keeper for years to come. The crew have done a great job,” said Richards.

Lahana’s ETA to the Keppel Bay finish line is today at 1500 hours.

Wot Eva (Sailors with disAbilities, David Pescud) reported they were having a perfect ride north along the tropical Queensland coast.

Navigator Michelle Gilfoyle said the team were all on the rail last night after working hard all afternoon.

“We had about eight sail changes before the NW Fairway mark alone!” said Gilfoyle.

B2K is the signature offshore race of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and Commodore Greg Clarke is on board the Farr 40 Bribie Star (Ken Down). They gained momentum overnight after a slow start and are now set to be the fifth boat home with an ETA on 1040 hours on Sunday morning.

Local Keppel Bay entrant Arcadia owned and skippered by Tim McCall reported blowing one of their spinnakers at 0700 hours this morning.

“We blew the 1.5a spinnaker and prodder and can’t fly the code zero either,” said McCall who is currently placed fifth in IRC Division 1.
Sailing with his three children Bronson, Joshua and Lauren, Arcadia is still on pace and performing well.

“We’ve spotted loads of whales off Indian Head. We’re sailing on and hoping the breeze stays behind us at 10-15 knots,” continued McCall.

More to come.

The Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Tourism Queensland’s Season of Sailing.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is pleased to acknowledge the principal sponsors of the 2011 Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race; Club Marine, David Bray Yachts, Club Super, Morgan’s Seafood, Angove Family Winemakers, Bundaberg Rum and the Rockhampton Regional Council.

The race is hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron with the support of Keppel Bay Marina and Keppel Bay Sailing Club.

Race Website – www.brisbanetokeppel.com

Clear start for the 5th anniversary race

The 5th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race started in near perfect conditions at 12 noon today. The breeze was in from the south east at 10-15 knots. The only things missing were the sunshine and warmth!

Just 45 minutes prior to the start the conditions changed from warm and sunny to cold and overcast, however that change did bring the wind which was the key point missing from the forecast given to competitors at the race briefing on Thursday evening.

The 32 entered yachts were all on the line with a clear start at precisely 12 noon today on the waters east of Green Island on Moreton Bay in Brisbane. Wild Oats XI (Robert Oatley, skippered by Mark Richards), and Lahana (Peter Millard) began an early tussle weaving in between both the smaller yachts in the fleet and the eager spectators who ventured to the start line to catch a glimpse of these high profile maxi racers.

Peter Millard was all smiles as the media boat passed and gave a confident “thumbs up” when asked if he was excited to start the race.

The crews on board Wild Oats XI were in their serious racing mode not letting anything jeopardise their concentration to be the first boat over the line at the start.

The rest of the fleet ranges in size from 52’ (Wot Eva, David Pescud) right down to the Farr 30’s who have their own division with five of the one design yachts entered in the race.

Current Farr 30 Australian Champion GOA/NOVA (Chris Tyquin), led the other Farr 30’s off the start with Loco (Jon Dummond) right on their tail. The match racing between these two boats was intense with mainsails being pumped at every opportunity. The other Farr 30’s Italian Job (Lew Perrin), Asterix (Colin Loel) and RBS Morgans Immigrant (Jeff Paul) were hot on the heals of GOA/NOVA and Loco proving that it will definitely be a race to the end for these highly competitive one design performers.

Cruising boats Meltemi (SS34, Fergus Keegan) and Sirocco (Beneteau Oceanis 50, Greg Egan) were all taking a relaxed approach at the start. Sirocco were keen for their first sundowners at sea with a spectacular menu on offer for the chilled out crew.

The majority of the fleet is now off Tangalooma (Moreton Island) with the trackers updating every 15 minutes. The first scheduled radio reporting time is 1705 hours this afternoon when all boats will report their positions to the Radio Relay team who are shadowing the fleet north.

The first boat to finish is expected to arrive at Keppel Bay Marina on Saturday afternoon where they will be greeted with a fresh local pineapple and a carton of refreshments.

More to come…

For the latest visit www.brisbanetokeppel.com

B2K to start at 12 noon today

The 5th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race (B2K) is due to start at midday today east of Green Island on Brisbane Moreton Bay. The fleet of 32 yachts ranging from 100 to 30 feet in length, are at this time making their way to the starting area with storm sails hoisted as part of their entry requirements.

B2K is the signature offshore race of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron as the ideal way for yachts to get their teams north for both Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island Race Weeks.

The forecast of light northerly conditions means the race record held by the 30m maxi Lahana in the 2010 race of 27 hours, 11 minutes and 22 seconds could stand, however the crew of Wild Oats XI are quietly confident that they will bring the record down.

At the compulsory competitors meeting, International Race Office and B2K Race Director Denis Thompson reminded crews of the importance of safety. Thompson discussed their obligations to keep safety in the forefront of their minds at all times.

All yachts have been fitted with Yellowbrick Trackers. The tracker page is Flash enabled however also has a version for iPhones and iPads.

More to come

For the latest visit www.brisbanetokeppel.com

The Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race is part of Tourism Queensland’s Season of Sailing.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is pleased to acknowledge the principal sponsors of the 2011 Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race; Club Marine, who has renewed their commitment as naming rights sponsor for the 5th year, David Bray Yachts, Club Super, and Morgan’s Seafood, Angove Family Winemakers, Bundaberg Rum and the Rockhampton Regional Council.

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

B2K – A Family Affair

Sailing is a family sport, this is epitomised in this years’ 5th Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Yacht Race. Some of the family members sailing together have significant sea miles under their belts. Witnessed at the marina in recent times are families preparing their boats for the race for supremacy, sails being hoisted, rigs adjusted, excess weight removed and safety gear being audited.

Father and son team, John and Rob Fowell will crew together on Mondo alongside owner and skipper Ray Sweeney. Mondo’s results have improved all year and the boat is due for a good result in an off-shore race, they should be one to watch.

The two Mumm 36’s, Corum and Georgia Express will provide the usual entertainment for yacht tracker viewers. The intense rivalry between these two boats always results in some close racing. The racing on these two is very much a family affair. Corum with father and son team, Geoff and Todd Anderson accompanied by well known identity David Rose and his daughter Taylor . Georgia Express is skippered by young Christopher Knights with his father, and the yacht’s owner, Andrew Knights on board. Which crew will reach the bar at Keppel Bay Marina first?

The Kinsman clan will team up on Blunderbuss whilst Tim McCall and family race the Archambault 40 Arcadia towards its home port at Rosslyn Bay. A podium finisher in this year’s Brisbane to Gladstone, RBS Morgans Immigrant will be skippered by Jeff Paul with his wife Janet running the pit. Dream Lover with Rick and Penny Morgan are regular competitors. These are but some of the families racing to Keppel Bay this year.

What masterful plans are in place for this years’ race? You may well ask. Off-shore racing is well regarded for close finishes and the odd controversy. Given the intense discussions being overheard in the RQ Bar of late about this years’ IRC ratings, there are many questions being asked as to how did boat get that rating and how much did it cost? The recent round of IRC revalidations appears to have generated quite a stir amongst some the sailors. Posts on sailing forums are postulating theories on the black box rating tool and how this year’s ratings have changed.

The fleet of 32 yachts vary in length from 30 to 100 feet. Many seasoned skippers and some not so seasoned will tough it out. As this is being written the Sydney to Southport is underway and light conditions are presently indicating some yachts may not finish until Tuesday or Wednesday. Will this year’s Brisbane to Keppel be a drifter? Huey, what do you have in store for the crews this year? Of one weather condition you can be sure, it will be cold, cold and cold. Yachts are starting near a high tide which will give them a kick along through Moreton Bay towards Caloundra. When will the yachts clear the Caloundra Fairway and head for Fraser Island? Going on recent years, this will be during hours of darkness and hoping to beat the tide. The low tide at Caloundra is 6.30pm on Friday night, after this, yachts will be punching tide to get to the Fairway Marker.

After this point, tactical decisions will be made, both informed with those yachts with tech savvy crews and on-board computing power, or the more ‘seat of the pants’ sailors who will watch the changes in wind strength and direction and will chose to stay inshore, out of the off-shore current or head out chasing greater breeze.

Those of us at home watching the Yacht Tracker will no doubt be set for several nights of interrupted sleep, logging on to the race website to check on who is where and who has passed who. The tracker along with the Live Updates will be almost like being on-board, except for being warm, able to drink warming beverages at will and able to sleep on a level bed!!

Good luck to all competing, may the wind blow, your sails fill and the bar at Keppel Bay call loudly for you to arrive.

Mystery Yacht Racer