Pittwater to Coffs

Tuesday 30th December 2008

by Damian Devine

Favourable downhill conditions are predicted for the start of the first ocean race of 2009, the 28th Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Ocean race. The race looks set for a line honours showdown between a Marten 49, three Farr yachts and a Swan 45 when they cross the starting line in Broken Bay, at 12pm on Friday 2nd January at 12pm.

Following the late withdrawal of the pre race favourite, the TP52 Short Wave, opting instead for a Melbourne-Hobart journey, the bookies have now re-jigged the market for an exciting line honours bid in the race to Coffs Harbour.

The sensational Marten 49, Perpetual Mocean, who took out the Line Honours/handicap daily double in the non pointscore, warm up race on Sunday in the inaugural Pittwater Coffs Trophy race will be muscling up against the Farr contingent; Pretty Woman, a Farr 45, Ausmaid, a Farr 47 and past Hobart winner and Spirit of Lexus, a quick Farr 42 as well as  Bernie Van't Hof's Swan 45, Tulip for line honours.

Perpetual Mocean will be in serious contention particularly with the experience onboard of tactician Peter Antill, up for his 25th Coffs race who knows this track pretty well and a few short cuts along the way. Owner/ Skipper Bruce Hogan said, "We're really looking forward to the race, for half the crew it will be their 1st Cat 2 race, so we're excited and we'll be as competitive as we can be."  

Bruce Hogan's Perpetual Mocean, a Marten 49  one of the line honours favourites in the 2009 Pittwater to Coffs Race - photo by Damian Devine

With 10-20 knot southerly conditions predicted offshore for the start followed by a decreasing wind shift to the E then NE on Saturday,, the race will once again be a contest of tactics, crewmanship and navigational skill in one of Australia's most popular and challenging races, the 226nm race "warm water" classic up the East Coast of NSW to the coastal port of Coffs Harbour. It will be a case of where the breeze finishes and fills and who picks it and uses it best.

Following a number of predictable year's with the maxis Wild Oats, Nicorette and Wild Joe taking the honours in the past 6 years, it's going to be a very competitive race with one of the closest fleet in year's vying for both the Line Honours Trophy Bell and the coveted handicap honours.

"It's going to be a case of who uses the conditions the best." says Richard Hudson, a veteran of 23 Coffs races and helmsman of one of the line honours pre-race favourites Pretty Woman, a Farr 45.

Presenting a united front at the RPAYC preparing for their journey dockside earlier today, the three owners of Pretty Woman, Hudson, Michael Lockley and RPAYC Commodore Russell Murphy with 48 Coffs races between them, believe they "are in the money" following a 3rd over the line in this race in 2007 behind the big boys Wild Oats XI and Wild Joe.

After competing in the Hobart race last year they are back and in hot contention to take line honours spoils in 2009.

Lockley, in his 12th Coffs race hopes it "blows like stink with a kick from the south at the start and then some work on the nose at the end; they will be our favoured conditions." Hudson added, "The way the weather pattern is at the moment it's going to be a bigger boat race. There's some hot competition around the 45-50ft mark, which will be interesting. The boat's been well prepared, with a good set of sails and we've got a good crew, 75% of them part of the team we took to Hobart last year and consistent over the past couple of years."

Joining the experience of the elders, will be a mix of some of the elite of the RPAYC youth development graduate program including Hudson's son Andy (aka Rob) who is flying in from Hobart following his sojourn on Wot Not as well as Tom Spithill, the 2008 Harken International Youth Match race winner. Add to this Ian McKillop and Murray Gordon, the crew will be a formidable force. No doubt, they will be using their youthful muscle and wisdom on deck.

Pretty Woman, a Farr 45 one of the pre race line honours favourites in the 2009 Pittwater to Coffs Race - photo by Graham Price

New owner of Ausmaid, VC HIYC Bruce Absolon in his 4th Pittwater to Coffs race said, "it's disappointing that Short Wave has pulled out as we were looking forward to the challenge but Pretty Woman and Perpetual Mocean and a couple of the others will provide us with a great battle up front. It should be a good race. "

"We have an extensive campaign planned for the New Year with the Coffs race hopefully getting us off to a great start. We have an experienced crew with many Hobarts, Coffs, Southport and Mooloolaba races behind them. We're very fast upwind and we were looking forward to a windward battle with the other guys." The pride of the fleet at Hamilton Island, she is hoping to bring home some silverware for the North Queenslanders.

The page turns to the coveted Handicap honours with IRC favouritism leaning toward Bill Ebsary's Beneteau 44.7 Le Billet, with her experienced crew on board including past Commodore Angus Gordon as navigator as well as her large sail area  which will be an adavantage particularly in the lighter working conditions. Others in contention will be the two Cookson's About Time and Siena IV, the Farr 42 Spirit of Lexus, the Sydney 39 Hussy, and FKP Mean Machine,  a Mumm 36 mod.

The IRC dark horses coming into contention in favourable downhill, seaward conditions will be the Staples/King Murray 37 Dark & Stormy & Witch, a previous winner of this race and series as well as two of the smaller boats in the fleet with favourable ratings, the Mark Griffith's lightweight Raging Bull, a 9.5m Bull 9000, a downwind sled, who will board a trailer at the end of the journey and the Dufour 34, Even Finer skippered by Jason Antill who will have 8 crew on board including father Robert and brother Josh assisting with the helm.

Bruce Staples, skipper of Dark & Stormy Witch said "with the right conditions anything's possible, in reaching and running conditions we'll be up there somewhere."

In PHS, it  should be a handicap contest between the ID 35 The Real Thing, another trailer sailor and a fierce competitor under the guidance of owner/skipper Garry Holder, the Farr 40's Ivan Resnekov Impi and Jeff Carter's Edake, Robert Alder's J35 Jayhawk, the Coffs entrant, B52, a Sydney 41 who finished 2nd in their PHS Division in the 2007 race and the green machine, Wasabi, an Aus 88 owned by Bruce Mackay from the Cronulla sailing Club.

The fleet will still be 61 strong for the start of the race, following the late entry by Jeff Carter's Farr 40 Edake. With six Farr 40's in the race, they will be hoping for lighter conditions and will come into handicap contention if the weather Gods fail, and lighter conditions prevail. They will be observing each other closely in a race within a race.

It will be the same for the Beneteau 40.7s, with 5 of them competing including Anger Management, Willyama, Ticket of leave, Reverie and Let Loose who will be pushing each other all the way.

The largest boat in the fleet, the "Big Jaffa" Moksha, a Hanse 540 will need the stronger, working conditions to favour their waterline length to generate some speed whilst enjoying the cruising comforts down below.

RPAYC Commodore Russell Murphy said, "what better way to start the New Year, the 28th Coffs race with 61 starters representing 12 yacht clubs across Australia, with families and friends on board and on ground and a fantastic welcome in Coffs Harbour to look forward to. We just hope to get there in one piece, hopefully in front and look forward to seeing everyone safely in Coffs."

The majority of the fleet is expected to arrive in Coffs Harbour sometime on Saturday 3rd January. The race record of 18 hrs, 29 mins and 14 secs is held be Wild Oats IX (2003). To beat the record, the first boat will need to be in Coffs Harbour by 6:29am on Saturday 3rd January.

The Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Ocean race event website is www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au where you can find the list of entries, details on the yachts, the handicaps, the latest news and follow all the action during the race.

There will be regular updates of the fleets' position after each sked is posted three time per day via a google map interface on the event website. Click on race sked positions on the website for updates at approximately 9:30pm, 8:30am and 3:30pm during the race. Radio communications will be ably assisted by the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol.

One thing's for sure, after failing to get their last year due to extreme and dangerous weather conditions, the fleet is heading North this year, all the way to Coffs Harbour.

By Damian Devine

Communications & Publicity

RPAYC