Cats make fast time

Peter Campbell reports on the Hydro Tasmania Three Peaks Race

The two catamarans, Slingshot and Orana Respite Mersey Pharmacy, are tonight heading for Hobart on the final sailing leg of the Hydro Tasmania Three Peaks Race.

In fact, Orana Respite Mersey Pharmacy, the 14m catamaran designed by co-skipper Rob Chamberlin, has given an ETA in Hobart of 9pm.

The big catamaran, owned by Chamberlin and Devonport pharmacist Terry Travers, with a strong sailing and running team, cleared Denison Canal late this afternoon and is heading for Hobart.

With her was the smaller 9.2m catamaran Slingshot, skippered by Steve Walker from Wynyard, after both teams had recorded a fast overnight sail from Lady Barron to Coles Bay on the Tasmanian East Coast, followed by good running times to Mt Freycinet, despite atrocious weather.

Late this afternoon all but one boat had reached Coles Bay after the 145 nautical mile sail from Lady Barron on Flinders Island and the majority of the fleet is now on its way on the final leg to Hobart.

The final sailing leg is 100 nautical miles, followed by the 33km run and 1270m climb to the peak of Hobart's Mt Wellington and back to the finish at Constitution Dock.

In third place, astern of Orana Respite Mersey Pharmacy, the overall winner of the last three Three Peaks Races and Slingshot is Everybody Fitness, skippered by Jason van Zetten from Launceston in his first Three Peaks Race.

Then come the two Tamar River sisterships Haphazard (Nick Edmunds) and Wildcard (Richard Edmunds), followed by the NSW catamaran Incinerator (Kanga Birtles) which has dropped from second to sixth in the Main Racing division.