| Lahana retires, Wild Oats leading |
| By CYCA Event Media. |
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Photos and edited By Peter Andrews. |
09:00 AEST, July 24, 2009. |
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| Peter Millard and John Honan’s Lahana, a potential line honours winner, has retired from the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht race after sustaining deck damage. Whilst the crack is not major, the owners decided to return to port to further assess the damage. |
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Peter Millard and John Honan’s Lahana, a potential line honours winner, has retired from the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht race after sustaining deck damage.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Wild Oats X is currently in the lead, and is currently achieving 8.6 knots, with Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki currently second with 10.3 knots of boat speed. Andrew Short’s Pricewaterhouse Coopers currently third, achieving 9.2 knots.
Tom Addis, navigator for many legs of the recent Volvo Ocean Race onboard Telefónica Blue and now, tactician on Wild Oats X, reports that yesterday and last night went to plan.
"We timed the left hand shift pretty well and managed to extend on the closest boats behind us. We have tried to hold an inshore position since getting around Seal Rocks," said Addis. |
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Robert Oatley’s Wild Oats
X, skippered by Mark Richards is still currently
leading the fleet in the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht
Race 2009.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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| "It’s all good so far but we will be keeping an eye on the boats offshore in case they start gaining but we have a few cards up our sleeves due to our positioning. Life is fine, pretty chilly with plenty of water over the deck and pretty routine upwind sailing. Things should get more interesting tonight," concluded Addis. |
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Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki is
still currently second, in the Audi Sydney Gold Coast
Yacht Race 2009.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Based on current speeds, the first boat should cross the finish line off Southport’s Main Beach on Monday afternoon or evening, and well outside record time. The fleet is now spread out over the coastline between Newcastle and Port Macquarie.
In the early stages of the race, the provisional IRC Overall winner is currently Robert Date’s new Reichel Pugh 52 Scarlett Runner. |
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Wild Oats
X, with tactician Tom Addis, just outside the heads after the start of the Audi Sydney Gold
Coast Yacht Race 2009. Addis was the navigator for many legs during the recent Volvo Ocean Race, onboard Telefónica Blue.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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Other retirements this morning were Michael Cranitch’s Broomstick and Andrew Cochrane’s Pendragon who retired with rigging damage.
Upon arriving back at the CYCA, owner Michael Cranitch said multiple gear failures ended Broomstick’s race.
"We had unexplained water damage in the water ballast tanks, a diesel leak and then we lost the instrument lights," said Cranitch. |
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Michael Cranitch’s Steinman Open
60 Broomstick has
retired as a result of multiple gear failures, from
the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2009.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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| "Up until then we had been having a fabulous time. Our modelling took us offshore and as night fell we were getting 8.5 knots of NNE breeze. But the current slowed us down by 2-3 knots, so our eventual boat speed was averaging 5.5 knots. When we came back inside the rhumbline, we had calmer seas and good pressure. But with all the gear failures we had to retire from the race which was disappointing for the crew," concluded Cranitch. |
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Andrew Cochrane’s Stewart 34 Pendragon has
also retired
from the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2009.
Photo © Peter Andrews.
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The fleet can be tracked on the internet as they sail up the coast as each yacht is fitted with the CYCA’s unique yacht tracking device which sends regular updates to the race website at: http://goldcoast.cyca.com.au.
Details of all yachts participating in the event can be found under ‘The Yachts’ tab. Line honours positions and handicap results will be updated regularly until the last boat cross the finish line.
For a full list of Audi Sydney Gold Coast entries go to http://goldcoast.cyca.com.au/yachts.asp?key=26.
For more information about the host club of the Audi Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, please visit their website at: http://www.cyca.com.au/. |
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| Outimage and CYCA © 2009 |
