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61 yachts confirmed for the 2009
Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Offshore Race
15:48 AEDT Wednesday 17th December 2008. |
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Article By Damian
Devine - RPAYC.
Photos by Peter Andrews. |
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A fleet of 61
yachts has been confirmed for the start of the 2009 Pittwater
to Coffs Harbour Offshore race commencing on 2nd January
at 12pm, hosted by The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.
At the close of the extended deadline on Sunday 14th December,
RPAYC Commodore Russell Murphy said, "we’re
extremely pleased with the 61 starters for the 28th Pittwater
to Coffs Harbour Ocean race" adding "absence
makes the heart grow fonder, having missed out on getting
to Coffs last year. We’re hoping the weather Gods
will deliver better conditions for the race and we can’t
wait to get to Coffs in the New Year. The launch at the
Coffs Harbour Yacht Club and the announcement by the Department
of Lands to dredge the marina entrance last Friday was
welcomed with the customary hospitality by the Coffs locals,
volunteers and media, so we’re all set to go." |
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Julian Farren-Price's Cookson
12 About Time at the start of the 2007 Pittwater
to Coffs Harbour Offshore Race.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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| One of the first
entries received and the largest yacht in the fleet is the
CYCA’s Matthew Short’s TP 52 Short Wave, who
will come into the race as line honours favourite and a contender
to take out the handicap double. Previous owner of the Farr
40 Short Shipped, Matthew acquired Short Wave in April this
year. Optimised for IRC offshore racing, their first offshore
race with the TP52 was the 2008 Southport race where they
placed 4th overall and 4th on divisional handicap. |
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Matthew Short's TP52 Shortwave
running down to the heads under spinnaker after
the start of the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race,
earlier in 2008.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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It will be a
family affair for the Short family with just about every
member of the crew somehow related including Matthew’s
wife Christine, daughters and extended family all part of
the team. This will be Matthew’s 8th Coffs race and
3rd as a family, having previously completed the journey
on the Farr 40 Short Shipped.
Says Matthew, "We’re really looking forward
to the Coffs race, it’s a fantastic mid-distance
offshore race and it’s a great family event. My wife
used to drive up to meet me in Coffs when the kids were
young but now their with me all the way, either up the
bow or up the mast and we enjoy sailing together. In terms
of line honours favouritism Matthew commented, "we’ll
be out there battling and will give it our best shot. We’ll
be hoping for the breeze across the beam - it should be
fun, can’t wait to get there." |
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Steven David's Reichel Pugh Wild
Joe after a great start in the Pittwater to Pittwater
Ocean Race 2008. Wild Joe's success at the start
had continued through the night as the boat led
the fleet for the entire race to take line honours
the following morning.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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| Another contender
for line and handicap honours will be Pretty Woman, the IC
mod Farr 45 who finished 3rd over the line in 2007 race behind
Wild Oats XI and Wild Joe and will have co-owner and RPAYC
Commodore Russell Murphy on board and experienced offshore
yachtsman and past Commodore Richard Hudson (also co-owner)
along with a mix of experience, talent and youth from the
RPAYC youth Development program like 20 year Tom Spithill,
brother of AC helmsman James and match racing sister Katie. |
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Looking down a line of starters
with Barrenjoey Head and lighthouse in the background
after the start of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour
Offshore Race in 2008.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Race debutant
and another to be amongst the front runners will be the new
Marten 49 owned by RPAYC member Bruce Hogan who only took
up the sport of sailing six years ago. Along with wife Tina,
this will be their 1st race to Coffs but they will be backed
by plenty of experience including race veteran and accomplished
offshore yachtsman Peter Antill who has competed in all but
two Pittwater to Coffs races.
"We’re learning fast," says skipper Hogan adding "this
boat has a delightful balance, with the comforts of cruising
and she’s also very quick. We don’t have unrealistic
expectations on winning but we’ll be competitive and we’re
really looking toward this terrific event as a team and being
part of the major event of the year for the Alfreds."
In terms of handicap contention there’s a bunch of boats including
the Beneteau 44.7 Le Billet, the Cookson 12 About Time, the South Australian
entrant Spirit of Lexus, a Farr 42 cruiser / racer and the custom Murray
37 Dark & Stormy Witch. |
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Bill Ebsary's Beneteau 44.7 Le
Billet after the start of the Pittwater to Coffs
Harbour Offshore Race in 2008.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Experience counts
for a lot in this race and for Bill Ebsary, owner / skipper
of Le Billet this will be his 23rd race to Coffs. He finished
3rd on handicap in the 2007 race and 2nd in the altered 2008
race. He will be ably assisted by an experienced crew including
direct past RPAYC Commodore Angus Gordon as navigator.
This will be his 18th Coffs race and is highly regarded
as a navigator with a good local knowledge of the race
track and the tricky coastal conditions as they battle
the headlands north. Gordon has had a tremendous year with
numerous wins including the Southport race aboard the Cookson
50 Quantum Racing, taking out the triple crown. |
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Bruce McKay's Sayer 12 MO Wasabi
after the start of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour
Offshore Race in 2008.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Another force
to be reckoned on handicap will be the Staples / King Murray
37 custom Dark & Stormy Witch, under the helm of Brian
Ellis and Bruce Staples with Jim King taking a year off.
They’ve been there before, having previously claimed
the podium as overall IRC winner of both the passage race
in 2002 and Coffs series in 2005.
Like Antill, Brian Ellis is another of the true veteran’s
of the race and this trip to Coffs he will be celebrating
his silver anniversary, racking up his 25th Coffs race.
He is hoping for "downhill conditions all the way,
that will suit us just fine. We’ll just go as fast
as we can." And on reaching this 25 year milestone,
Brian said," By now, I should know the way there and
a few of the shortcuts, it’s an enjoyable race and
you’re usually there the next day. We all just get
into Coffs warm hospitality." |
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Dennis Cooper's Sydney 36 Amante
after the start of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour
Offshore Race in 2008.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Whilst Dark & Stormy
Witch will be blessed with an experienced ‘motley crew,’ co-owner
Bruce Staples (24 races) quipped, "At our age we’re
just hoping to get there and enjoy a beer or two with the
crew and all our friends in Coffs Harbour, it’s a lot
of fun. In terms of their handicap chances, Bruce added, "with
the right conditions anything’s possible, in reaching
and running conditions we’ll be up there somewhere." They
will be hoping to hold the silver when the race and series
is done.
One things for sure there will be plenty of action down
on the docks in Coffs Harbour for locals as the fleet will
be closely bunched as they cross the finish line. They
will be out in force to barrack home their home town entrants
B52, a Sydney 41 and Overdrive, a Northshore 380.
The 61 entrants represent over a dozen yacht clubs stretching
from Queensland to South Australia. The ‘warm water’ classic
is the first ocean race of the new year and the fleet will
be honoured to get away under the starter’s gun from
the majestic start boat Cambria II, owned by John David.
Blasting the cannon will be guest starter, long term RPAYC
member and local business identity Bill Buckle. The start
line is between Barrenjoey Headland and Lion Island in
the heart of Broken Bay at 12 noon on Friday 2nd January
2009. |
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Pete Van Ryn's Farr 44 IMS Sea Hawk after
the start of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour
Offshore Race in 2008.
Photo © Peter Andrews
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The 2nd race
of the series will be the Solitary Island race in Coffs Harbour
on Monday 5th January followed by the prize giving at Coffs
Harbour Yacht Club later that evening.
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club will provide regular
updates on the progress of the yachts which will be posted
on the event website at www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au. |
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