Outimage Publications - Cougar II stalks the ultimate prize

The outimage dot net ocean yacht racing banner is an image of Roger Sturgeon's Transpac 65 Rosbud from the United States, working up Hobart's Derwent River into the late afternoon to take out an overall win of the 2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The photograph was taken by Peter Andrews.

Cougar II stalks the ultimate prize

Rolex Sydney Hobart - News Update
16:00 AEDT December 27, 2008

Article By Rolex Sydney Hobart Media Team

December 27, 2008.

For the true believers, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008 is not the heavy weight contest at the front of the fleet. This year it’s the tight competition among the 50-footers for the ultimate prize, the Tattersall’s Cup, for the winner on corrected time.

Two TP52s’ lead the race on corrected time. The Victorian yacht Cougar II is the new leader in the IRC division with a 45-minute margin over the boat which has led for most of the day, Bob Steel’s Quest. The winner of the IRC division, the biggest grouping in the race, wins the Tattersall’s Cup.

Victorian Alan Whiteley's TP52 Cougar II, outside the heads after the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008.

Photo © Peter Andrews.

Victorian Alan Whiteley's TP52 Cougar II outside the heads just after the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008. Photo copyright Peter Andrews.

Cougar II’s margin over Quest just after 2pm this afternoon was about 46 minutes as they cleared Bass Strait, well east of the northern tip of Flinders Island off the north east corner of Tasmania.

For Cougar II’s owner/skipper Alan Whiteley, this is unfinished business. The boat was forced to retire in the 2007 race from a winning position after suffering rig damage.

Bob Steel's TP52 Quest pictured here racing for the heads just after the start of the 2008 Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race.

Photo © Peter Andrews.

Bob Steel's TP52 Quest pictured here racing for the heads just after the start of the 2008 Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race. Photo copyright Peter Andrews.

Whiteley scored the IRC division 1 win at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week this year, beating Bob Steel’s Quest by two points. Now the two sisterships are at it again, with the same ferocity but this time over a 628 nautical mile stretch.

For Steel, this is an attempt at a second win but in a different boat. He won the 2002 Rolex Sydney Hobart on his previous Quest. Both Steel and Whiteley lead three other NSW 50-footers - Yendys, Quantum Racing and Syd Fischer’s new TP52 Ragamuffin.

Geoff Ross' Reichel Pugh Yendys, outside the heads after the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008.

Photo © Peter Andrews.

Geoff Ross' Reichel Pugh Yendys, outside the heads after the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008. Photo copyright Peter Andrews.

The Queensland yacht Wedgetail is in sixth place, revelling in ideal sailing conditions according to sailing master Kevin Costin.

"We’re in the middle of Bass Strait in 21 knots of wind and making 12 knots," he told the Rolex Sydney Hobart media centre in Hobart this afternoon. "If the wind goes west tonight we’ll be in reasonable shape."

Bill Wild's Welbourn 42 Wedgetail from Queensland, ahead of the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008.

Photo © Peter Andrews.

Bill Wild's Welbourn 42 Wedgetail from Queensland, ahead of the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008. Photo copyright Peter Andrews.

The ACT boat Inca leads the Performance Handicap System (PHS) division from Flying Fish Arctos and Lloyds Brokers Too Impetuous.

Rudy Weber's Holland 43 Lloyds Brokers - Too Impetuous, experiencing some difficulty with dragging sail overboard, outside the heads after the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008.

Photo © Peter Andrews.

The Sydney 38s are having their usual intense competition in the second half of the fleet. Because they are one design boats, they race on the same handicap. Morris Finance Cinquante reported an intriguing battle with J Steel Yeah Baby off Green Cape.

"We are having a cracking time," Cinquante crew member Darren Pickering told the media centre. "We have had nothing less than 15 knots of wind. We haven’t parked up like the bigger boats. We are just barrelling along."

Ian Murray's Sydney 38 Morris Finance Cinquante outside the heads after the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008.

Photo © Peter Andrews.

Ian Murray's Sydney 38 Morris Finance Cinquante outside the heads after the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008. Photo copyright Peter Andrews.

Mitchell Gordon’s much-decorated Sydney 38 The SubZero Goat was holding down third place on corrected time in that division.

The Victorian Northshore 46 Somoya leads the Cruising Division from Pippin and Charlie’s Dream.

Tonight’s forecast is for NNE 5-15 knot winds tending NW in the evening and 20 knots offshore. Tomorrow, 10-20 knot NW winds increasing to 15-25 knots are forecast for the morning with 30 knots expected offshore.

Official race website: www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

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