Wild Joe continues her trail blaze

Ian Grant reports from the Sydney to Gold Coast yacht race

The honour board hanging in the plush boardroom at Iain Murray’s Gold Coast-based Azzura custom boat building complex will have to be updated when the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia officially confirm the Sydney to Gold Coast race results.

Azzura Yachts claimed International fame when the exciting Reichel/Pugh designed 18.57m Wild Oats led the Australian Admiral's Cup to victory during the 2003 Cowes Regatta in England.

Wild Oats become a trailblazer when she was launched into the Coomera River as the first maxi chaser in the World to be fitted with the revolutionary canting keel and twin foil technology.

At the time her original owner Bob Oatley was considered to have taken on an expensive gamble with the computer proven technology.

However with the expense set aside Wild Oats has triumphed on various race courses around the World winning the Hamilton Island Hahn Premium Big Boat title before setting a record dual honours win in the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race and racing as Wild Joe won the 2005 Hog’s Breath Race Week off Airlie Beach.

Her new owner skipper Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club sailor Steven David and his talented crew including World Etchells champion Cameron Miles and Chris Links showed that the four year old sloop remains very competitive with her 1.47 IRC rating.

The Wild Joe crew showed that the ‘pocket rocket’ is still Australia’s best maxi chaser when they retained the Sydney Gold Coast race line honours silver medal by a comfortable 2 hour 40 minute margin over her Azzura stable mate Stephen Ainsworth’s conventional keeled 60 Loki.

Sure luck with wind pressure can play a major part in separating two almost identical designed 18.57m sloops from the same designer and the same builder but it’s difficult to accept that it was all luck that contributed to the older Wild Joe recording almost 42 seconds a mile faster course time than Loki.

This performance was further enhanced on the official race clock with Wild Joe logging the fastest overall corrected handicap to be named as the provisional winner.

Wild Joe’s IRC rated course time of 2-5-22-41 was 12 minutes 49 seconds faster than the Ray Roberts skippered Mark Mills designed DK 46 Hollywood Boulevard competing for the Quantum Racing team.

Bill Wild’s sensationally fast Hugh Welbourne designed 12.8m Wedgetail reproduced her Rolex Sydney Hobart race form to finish in the top ten on line honours while placing third on corrected time only 8 minutes 15 seconds astern of Quantum Racing.

The Blue Water racing skiff has easily retained her title as Australia’s fastest under 13m racing yacht and her course average speeds will continue to improve as her crew become more familiar on how they can safely handle the stronger wind velocities before reducing the sail power.

However they gained valuable experience during the first night of the Gold Coast race when the cold sou’wester blasted over the deck at 30 knots.

During these stronger winds Wedgetail trimmed the ‘flight Feathers’ to outpace her handicap rating which was ultimately rewarded when she crossed the finish line off Main Beach Southport with another excellent result that has her firming as the outright favourite to win the 58th Brisbane to Gladstone Race starting on Good Friday April 14.