25th annual Pittwater & Coffs Race - Preview

Spinnaker start for 25th Coffs Harbour fleet

The Silver Anniversary Pittwater to Coffs Harbour fleet, which will line up on January 2nd 2006, is expected to sail north with their colourful spinnakers full, in what will probably be amongst the most 'open race' in the 25 year history of this popular Australian coastal classic.

Relief from the hot north westerlies should come to Sydney overnight, with a strong southerly buster and winds in the 20-30's predicted. If the southerly holds into Monday night the race record will be in severe danger.

The feature of the 25th race is the high standard of the fleet and the evenness across the five handicap divisions.

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Sailing Manager, Ryan Durman commented, 'We have a very high quality 62 boat fleet, lots of new boats, and a lot of interesting match ups'.

Last year's Pittwater to Coffs line honours winner and IRC handicap winner, the 66 footer Wild Oats X, the little sister of Hobart winner Bob Oatley's new Wild Oats XI, should be leading the fleet before Cape Three Points. However if conditions ease overnight tacticians will be forced to commit to a coastal course looking for overnight land breezes, or an offshore course fighting current, but hoping for more pressure.

Steven David's Wild Joe, the Reichel Pugh 60 canting keel boat, is the current race record holder. She will be looking to take advantage of any stumble from the slightly bigger boat ahead but will need to defend as well. She was beaten to Coffs Harbour last year by Dick Cawse's 60 footer, Vanguard. The Lyons/Cawse designed Vanguard last year took second place on IRC handicap as well as line honours.

Cawse related today how 'Vanguard is a nice uncomplicated, fast boat. Now she is seriously for sale so we are keen to show her pace tomorrow. I enjoyed the design and build process and it would be interesting to do another one.'

There will be lots of boats on their first run north, including Sybil and Ivan McFayden's Melbourne to Osaka racer, the Hick 50, Funnelweb. She has the pace to be fourth boat home. It will be the first major offshore race for Savills Australia CEO Walter Carpenter on his Pacific 50 Samarkand, after a third on PHS in the Savills Regatta a few weeks ago.

After proudly watching two boats he built, the twin 98 footer Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI fight out the Hobart finish, it would not be a surprise to see Royal Prince Alfred yachtsman John McConaghy and his 46 footer, Second Time Around, take line honours in the PHS division of this year's 226 mile race.

Richard Hudson's ILC 45 Pretty Woman and Rod Skellett's Farr 40 Club Marine will be keen to hold her back as will the early generation Cookson 12, Warwick Sherman's Occasional Course Language.

Surprisingly Stephen Thomas's Cookson 12 Blackadder was close to her on boat speed in two of the four short course races and led the overall PHS handicap series with three wins and a second during the Palm Beach Circle racing. Also racing in the PHS A fleet and currently well placed fourth overall, is Coffs Harbour sailor Stephen Brown's B52.

In IRC Division A however, Bill Ebsary's Beneteau 44.7 Le Billet the handicap lead after the four race Palm Beach segment of the overall Pittwater and Coffs Harbour series, is likely to perform well. Ebsary who has 'worn a groove north', he has been twenty times, and reckons his new boat is so fast she is a cannonball. (A reference to the fact that his last boat was a Beneteau 40.7, the model being affectionately know as a 'beachball').

One of the top IMS racers of 2000-2002, the IMX-40 Nips-N-Tux sailed by Sydney Plastic Surgeon Howard de Torres, has won this race before on handicap and has the current form to do so again.

As always, the eight boat Sydney 38 One Design fleet will feature tight racing. Lisa and Martin Hill's Estate Master is the form boat, leading the seven race series, with the Stephen Merrington chartered East Tiger and her rock star crew, aiming to produce an upset.

In IRC Division C, two Bavaria Match 42's, Bob (Sir Robbo) Robertson's Monkey Magic and Robert Gardner's Shot of Courage, should be well positioned on handicap.

Bruce Staples and Jim King's Dark n' Stormy Witch, a Murray 37, is expected to amongst the handicap favourites again, (she was fourth last year) sailing with the Sydney 38 fleet and two fast Sydney 39CR's John Bacon's Hussy and Nigel Holman's Cuckoos Nest.

Amongst the IRC Division D, there will be two Beneteau 40.7's (these are the Beachball's), Money Man Paul Clitheroe's, Balance and Ruth and Peter Hill's Ruthstar.

Two of the smallest boats in the race will be Sydney 32's and we expect to see more of these popular One Design cruiser racers offshore in the future. Dual National Sydney 32 champion Martin Cross' If, (the 2004 and 2005 title holder) and the first Sydney 32 to race to Hobart, David Bonallo's Roller Coaster.

In the PHS Division B, the heavily handicapped Gusto Colin Wells Northshore 370 and last year's winner is likely to have her work cut out trying to keep the two Flying Fish Beneteau 40.7's at bay. Chock full of British sailors in the final stage of their RYA Yachtmaster training course, the two yachts Panacea, skippered by Chris Hollis and Let Loose, skippered by Andy Hunt have been performing well in the first four races of the seven race series.

Also in PHS Divsion B Coffs Harbour's Darren Digney, will helm the Farr 1104 Mistress Again, again this year.

The Pittwater to Coffs line honours record was set in 2003 by Wild Oats IX. It now stands at 18 hour 29 minutes and 14 seconds, a 2-1/2 hour reduction from The Office's 1984 time. To break the record yachts will have to arrive before 09:29:14 on Tuesday 3rd January 2005.

Fast Facts:

Inaugural race: 1981

Race Record: 2003 - Wild Oats (Bob Oatley) - 18 hours 29 minutes 14 seconds

Slowest Race: 1982 - Short Circuit (Doug Coulter) - 62hrs 33min 57sec

Record Fleet: 1991 - 108 starters

Smallest fleet: 1981 - 14 starters

First Race Winner: White Pointer (Keith Le Compte)

Multiple Line Honours Winner: Innkeeper (Andrew Short) 1988, 1992 & 1995

Multiple Handicap Winner: Witchcraft 2 ( Bruce Staples) 1986, 1993 & 1995

Multiple Line & Handicap Winners: Pemberton 3 Richard Hudson) 1989 & 1990, White Pointer (Keith Le Compte), Urban Cowboy (NZ) 1983, Vendetta (David Hanlon), Ragamuffin 1996 (Syd Fischer), Wild Oats 2003 (Bob Oatley), Wild Oats 2005 (Bob Oatley)

Multiple Series Winners: Soundtrack (Mike Perjanik), The Bill (Bill Ebsary), Showdown (Ian Downing) - RPAYC, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996.