VO60 Nokia to sail in Telstra Sydney to Hobart

ROUND THE WORLD YACHT FOR TELSTRA SYDNEY TO HOBART

A joint Danish and Australian crew will campaign the round-the-world Volvo 60 racing yacht Nokia in this year's Telstra Sydney to Hobart ocean race as part of a long-term preparation for the next Volvo Ocean Race around-the-world.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia announced today that Nokia was a among a flood of applications to enter the 630 nautical mile race being received before the cut-off date of next Monday, November 1.

"They are pouring in, with more than 80 applications already from around Australia and overseas," an elated race director Phil Thompson said today.

"We expect well over 100 boats will line up on Boxing Day, December 26 for the start of the Telstra Sydney to Hobart.

"We have entries now from Denmark, the USA, New Zealand and every Australian State.

"Not only will be having another strong international fleet for the Sydney to Hobart, but also a great line-up for the Telstra Cup, the Southern Cross Cup teams series and, of course, for that great pre-Hobart spectacle on Sydney Harbour, the Canon Big Boat Challenge," Thompson added.

Nokia, which contested the last Whitbread round the world race (now the Volvo Ocean Race) as Swedish Match, will be co-skippered to Hobart by Dane Stefan Myralf and Australian Michael Spies and sail with a mixed Danish-Australian crew.

Under changed rules, the yacht will be able to race to Hobart in its Volvo Ocean Race configuration which allows the use of water ballast, and will be eligible for line honours.

Other Australian crew members will include Craig Malouf, Steven Jarvin, Ian "Barney" Walker, Darren Senogles with Englishman Vincent Geake as the navigator. Geake navigated Silk Cut in the last Whitbread race and navigated Rothmans around the world in a previous race.

Among prominent yachts already entered for the 1999 Telstra Sydney to Hobart include George Snow’s maxi Brindabella and its arch rival from Melbourne, Grant Wharington’s 70-footer Wild Thing, Syd Fischer Farr 50, Ragamuffin, the newly launched Murray, Burns, Dovell-designed 62-footer Bumblebee V and the yet to be launched Farr 49 Yendys, both state-of-the-art IMS grand prix racers.

Last year's overall IMS winner, AFR Midnight Rambler, owned by Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas, is another entry after earlier this week becoming only the second yacht to win both the Sydney to Hobart and Gosford to Lord Howe Island ocean races.

Two women skippers, both from from Papua New Guinea, have again entered nominated their boats – Liz Wardley with her Elliott 36, Phillip’s Foote, and Carol Turnbull with her Farr 40, Hiflyer.

NOTE: While applications to enter the 1999 Telstra Sydney to Hobart Race close on Monday, November 1, actual entries from those yachts accepted will close on Friday, November 26. No late entries will be accepted.

• A fleet of 34 Victorian and Tasmanian yachts will set sail from Queensliff on Port Phillip at 6.30am tomorrow in the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s annual 180 nautical mile race across Bass Strait to Stanley on the north-west coast of Tasmania. The race is a qualifying race for the 1999 Telstra Sydney to Hobart, with around 25 Victorian yachts expected to compete this year.