Rugged race to Tassie

Peter Campbell reports on the Bass Strait Race

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race yachts Skandia and Georgia from Victoria and Matangi from Tasmania sailed impressively in a rugged race across Bass Strait from Melbourne to Stanley on the north-west tip of Tasmania over the weekend.

The 152 nautical mile race is a qualifier for the Rolex Sydney Hobart and also for the Heemskirk Melbourne to Hobart race, with ten of the fleet among the 90 yacht fleet when applications to enter closed with the CYCA last Friday.

Heading the record fleet of 45 boats that set sail from Queenscliff, just inside the entrance to Port Phillip bay, at 0130 hours on Saturday morning, was Grant Wharington’s 30m super maxi Skandia, one of four 30m maxis in the Sydney Hobart fleet.

While the Mornington Yacht Club-based Skandia easily took line honours to Stanley, her elapsed time of just under 16 hours was one hour and 22 minutes outside the race record.

Skandia and Georgia, the newly acquired Farr 53 of Sandringham Yacht Club members John Williams and Graeme Ainley, were the only boats to finish before midnight on Saturday.

Third to finish, in the early hours of Sunday, was Cougar II, Alan Whiteley’s imported TP52, another newcomer to the Melbourne growing offshore racing fleet, and also an entrant for the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Matangi, the sole Tasmanian yacht in the Stanley race, won on the PHD division in an impressive qualifier.

Skippered by David Stephenson, the Frers 39 again proved herself in a rugged race, sailed in rough seas and south to south-easterly headwinds that at times reached 45 knots over the course almost due south from Port Phillip to the finish at the historic seaport on the north-west tip of Tasmania.

Stephenson, one of the winning crew of the British yacht Aera in winning the 2004 Rolex Sydney Hobart, has put together a highly experienced ocean racing crew for this year race.

As the stormy weather in Bass Strait battered the fleet overnight, five yachts retired and several took shelter at Grassy, King Island. By midday today, two boats still had to reach Stanley with most finished boats sheltering until the weather abates before heading back to their home ports.

An earlier retirement soon after the start, apparently due to gear problems, was the newest Chutzpah of prominent Melbourne yachtsman Bruce Taylor, a Reichel/Pugh designed Hart 40. This was to have been her first offshore race.

Matangi won the PHD division on corrected time from Slice of Heaven, Anthony Weeks’ Sayer 44 from Royal Brighton Yacht Club and Paul Buchholz’s DK46 eXtasea from Royal Geelong Yacht Club, which also took first place in the IRC and AMS divisions.

In the IRC division, eXtasea won from Skandia and Georgia, while under AMS handicaps she took first place from Alien, a Lidgard 36 skippered by Mark Welsh from Sandringham Yacht Club. Third place went to the smallest boat in the fleet, Godzilla, Tom Fowler’s Hick 31 from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.

Extasea and most other boats in the fleet are expected to compete in the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s Centenary Rudder Cup which is open to yachts in both the Melbourne to Hobart and Melbourne to Launceston Races which start from Port Phillip on 27 December.

The Melbourne to Hobart fleet will sail down the East Coast of Tasmania this year after passing through a gate at the finish line of the Melbourne to Launceston race off Low Head at the mouth of the River Tamar.