2015 Pittwater to Coffs Yacht Race

Vic sailors shun Hobart and sign-up for 'warm water classic' to Coffs instead

Two Victorian first-time entrants are among the colourful fleet and crews signing up for the Pittwater to Coffs Yacht Race starting January 2.

Virgin entrants Rob Hanna’s TP52 Shogun V and Jeff Dusting’s Sydney 47CR Adventure Safety Jem line up just five feet apart in length, but they are apples and oranges in terms of comfort and boat speed. That said, both yachts and their crews have tasted handicap success. ??

THE PARED-BACK GROANING RACER

At the lower end of the comfort spectrum is the all-out racer Shogun — lightweight and minimalist with its eight pipe cots for beds, stove, flushing bowl that looks something like a toilet and navigation table befitting a contortionist.

During offshore campaigns the yacht is home, without the luxuries, to the race crew living with the constant groaning of running rigging under the enormous loads.

TP52s can reach speeds of 32 knots or close to 60 km/h off the breeze.

Shogun V is newly configured for the open ocean, converted from its previous mode of one-design short-course racing. The Royal Geelong Yacht Club entrant’s foray into the 2014-15 bluewater scene has opened strongly, with successive wins in the CYCA’s previous two Bluewater Pointscore Series races out of Sydney.

THE GOURMET CRUISER/RACER

Conversely, Jem’s previous owners appear to have let loose an interior designer below the teak decks. The lavish internal furnishings put the cruise into the cruiser/racer and make the 47-footer fit for racing and comfy weekend cruising. ??The weight of the Corian bench top galley with double sink and hot and cold running water means they sail better on starboard than on port tack.

Three cabins with snug double beds made up with bamboo sheets and feather pillows, settee and dining table and two heads (bathrooms) make it tough to leave the dry coziness to go on deck.

"It’s surprising it’s as fast as it is," says Dusting’s partner Sarah Taylor who is in charge of packing the little extras to head offshore — a rice cooker and cocktail shaker for the traditional Bloody Mary "great post-race drink."

Even when racing, Jem’s galley is used to prepare hot meals and snacks for the crew; Arrancici, Pan Au Chocolat, fajitas, oatmeal with walnuts and ginger crunch.

Typically Jem sails upwind at eight knots and downwind at 12-14 knots.?

VIC SAILORS LINE UP

When Sandringham Yacht Club member, Jeff Dusting, was in Pittwater to buy his stunning Sydney 47CR called Jem he noticed the poster for the ‘warm water classic’, the tagline for the Pittwater to Coffs race, displayed at the host Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.

"It was our first time at Pittwater where we were buying the boat and happened to see the ad for the ‘warm water classic’. We are sick of going south at Christmas and like the idea of heading the other direction," Dusting explains, having completed numerous Melbourne to Hobart races on previous boats and won Tasmania’s Three Peaks Race.

Dusting figures that, like the Three Peaks, heading north in the New Year will be a "navigator’s challenge," choosing the best route to Coffs Harbour over the 226 nautical mile medium-distance passage.

NOTICE OF RACE

The 34th edition of the long-running Pittwater to Coffs Yacht Race is open to cruisers, cruiser/racers, racers and multihulls eligible to compete in the Category 2 race starting 1pm Friday January 2, 2015, to the north of Barrenjoey Headland.

An all-conquering performance by Syd Fischer’s TP52 Ragamuffin in the 2014 Club Marine Pittwater to Coffs Yacht Race last January delivered line honours and the triple handicap win to the crew, led by Syd’s grandson Brenton Fischer.

The Fischers are set to go for the double again this coming season; Syd’s skippering his new Ragamuffin 100 supermaxi to Hobart on Boxing Day and Brenton, plus six to eight of the Hobart crew, are committed to backing up for the Coffs race, though they are yet to officially enter the TP52.

The Notice of Race and online entry is available from www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au. Applications for entry close Friday December 5, 2014.?

Read the latest Boatsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the Boatsales Network's mobile site. Or download the App for smartphone and tablet.

2015 Pittwater to Coffs Yacht Race

Tags