Savills Short Ocean Racing Championship - Preview

Summer Sailing starts with Savills

The Australian bluewater summer sailing season starts in earnest off Sydney Heads on Saturday morning.

The Savills Short Ocean Racing Championship, hosted by Sydney's Middle Harbour Yacht Club will have a record fleet in excess of 100 boats across handicap and one design fleets Leading international property consultants and real estate agents, Savills, are the naming-rights sponsor of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club's Short Ocean Racing Championship.

This year, the first fleet off the line will the Grand Prix IRC fleet and all eyes will be on the giant supermaxi Konica Minolta, racing last year as Zana, was beaten in last year's Hobart race by Skandia by just 14 minutes . She is faster now and she has beaten Skandia at the last two starts. With some serious speed mods and some America's Cup rockstar crew reinforcements, she is shaping as a very serious threat to Skandia.

For the 98 footer Konica Minolta, this is the first step in her 2004 Rolex Sydney to Hobart campaign, racing in the Savills Regatta off Sydney Heads, in a four race series over Saturday and Sunday.

Stewart Thwaites, the Wellington property developer won the Hobart in IRC division, two years ago on Starlight Express, but at that time it was not the overall winning division.

This year he and his Kiwi crew, keen to prove they are now battle hardened and ready to take on Skandia in the Hobart race and are aiming to win the IRC prize in this four race series, but they have lots of competition in this 100-boat fleet including a host of previous Hobart handicap winners.

This afternoon Konica Minolta blasted down Sydney Harbour from the Heads back to the bridge under a giant spinnaker in her first Sydney sail since the Rolex Sydney to Hobart of 2003.

Owner Stewart Thwaites was all smiles, as was the boat designer Brett Bakewell-White. 'A glorious day for our first Sydney sail, we hope it will be the first of many such days' commented Thwaites.

The logistics of assembling her 26 person crew for the Savills regatta is considerable, while most of the crew was on the boat this afternoon, two of the grinders, taking a break from their America Cup preparations, will fly into Sydney at 8am on Saturday morning and will be rushed offshore on a fast inflatable boat to join Konica Minolta just before the first race starts.

The Konica crew are well aware their arch rival Skandia has proven to be a top class handicap fleet racer, winning at Hamilton Island in August and just recently in Hong Kong and to prove they can do as well, the Kiwis are keen to win their first IRC handicap title.

Their first hurdle will be the Reichel Pugh 60 footer Wild Joe. With Iain Murray on the helm and with Michael Coxon from North Sails calling tactics, this Admiral's Cup winner, formerly Wild Oats will be keen to show she is a winner in her new Sydney to Hobart configuration.

With her canting ability reduced for the Hobart race, her upwind speed might be reduced, but Reichel-Pugh, the very successful American designers have developed a new bulb and she now has a 1.8 metre bowsprit, increased sail area and a crisp new 3DL sail inventory.

Another dozen boats could win the series and boats like former JPMorgan IRC winner Sydney 36 Salt Shaker, the heavily modified Farr 40 AFR Midnight Rambler, the Sydney 39CR Hussy, the Swan 48 Loki, previous Telstra Cup winner Nips N Tuxs and the new Beneteau 44.7 Prime Time will all need watching.

In other divisions, a record 27 Sydney 38's will be racing in a major pre-cursor to their Skandia Geelong Week National titles in January, while 13 Sydney 32's will be racing in their National titles. Other divisions includes Farr 40,JOG and PHS

The event website is www.sail-world.com/savillssorc2004