Wedgetail set to soar

Australia's fastest 12.8m sloop prepares for the Brisbane to Gladstone race

Bill Wild’s sensationally fast Hugh Welbourne designed ocean racer Wedgetail has achieved a meteoric rise to claim the ranking as Australia’s fastest 12.8m sloop.

The Wedgetail racing team led by her highly competitive owner skipper Bill Wild and builder/sailing master Kevin Costin have the proven long race record to become the number one challenger for corrected handicap honours in the 58th Brisbane to Gladstone classic starting on Good Friday.

Wedgetail still had traces of boat yard dust in her bilge when she outpaced a number of more fancied rivals to finish second in her maiden race from Southport to Mackay last July.

That result convinced Bill Wild that he was on the right track to sail in the fast lane while also having the potential to be very competitive under the IRC corrected handicap ratings when the crew completed her fine tuning program.

Her crew enjoyed enormous pride when they continued to be ‘giant killers’ with an outstanding 9.08 knot average speed for the 630 n/ml Rolex Sydney-Hobart race in December.

Sure the record breaking performance of Bob Oatley’s super maxi Wild Oats deserved to dominate the headlines with her race record winning performance.

But in reality Wedgetail measuring 12.8metres recorded a faster average based on overall waterline length, she completed the tactically demanding Hobart with an impressively fast .71 knot per metre ratio against the .49 knot per metre average achieved by the 30m Wild Oats.

As expected every hour and hard fought mile of offshore sailing has helped to accelerate the learning curve for her talented crew who claimed a deserved reward with an overall third place in the Sydney to Gold Coast race last week.

This performance has confirmed Wedgetail as a favourite to outsail her 1.213 IRC rating and claim her first major race win in the equaling testing 308n/ml Brisbane to Gladstone race.

However winning the Gladstone will be a tactically tough assignment when they enter the battle to record a faster corrected handicap course time against several other proven champions including four time Gladstone race winner Wistari (Ross Patrick) and Hobart Race winners Koomooloo (Michael Freebairn) Michael Spies ( Sirromet Life Style Wine) and Quest of Queensland (Kevin Miller).

But it is difficult to overlook the improving Wedgetail after her crew completed the Sydney to Southport race with a commanding corrected time margin over the lower handicap rated Koomooloo, Sirromet Life Style Wine and Quest of Queensland to claim the Bronze Medal placing behind Wild Joe (Stephen David) and Quantum Racing (Ray Roberts).

It’s been a tough haul for the Wedgetail crew over 1,532 nautical miles of demanding ocean racing but every mile has proved the exciting sloop is race prepared to deserve her ranking as Australia’s fastest in her class and a short priced chance to celebrate Easter by winning Queensland’ premier Blue Water racing trophy The Courier-Mail Cup.