Malohi wins the Great Veterans Race

Maurie Evans’ Lion 35 Malohi has won the Great Veterans Race from Anitra V and Katinka. The Great Veteran’s Race, is the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s annual tribute to those classic Sydney Hobart Yacht race yachts that sailed south in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s and marks the opening of the Audi Winter Series.

Kathleen Gillett, Jack Earl’s famous double-ended ketch that competed in the first Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 1945, and a yacht that is synonymous with the CYCA, made her way gracefully around the Great Veteran’s Harbour course, but unfortunately did not finish the race.

All those on the Harbour today felt honoured to be racing on the same piece of water as the grand lady Kathleen Gillett. "It was great to be part of something so historic and it’s a real joy to see Kathleen Gillett still sailing," Maurie Evans said.

Simon Kurts’ S&S 47 Love & War relished the conditions taking line honours in a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 35 secs with Nigel Stokes’ classic Knud Reimers designed 75sqm yacht Fidelis second over the line, three minutes and 15 seconds behind Love & War.

"We were fortunate with the conditions today as Malohi does well in light airs," Evans said. "It’s an honour to win this race and have my yacht’s name engraved on the Windward Trophy -- it’s stunning trophy and there are some great yachts that have won it.

"The crew work was excellent and I thank the race committee for the way it conducted the race and to the CYCA for running the Great Veterans race each year. It preserves the history of the sport and is great to see the grand old yachts actively sailing in the Harbour," Evans added.

Malohi was built by Jim Perry for Neville McEnnally and launched in January 1956 and competed in six Sydney Hobart races with her best result a third overall in the 1960 race. She has been owned by Maurie Evans since 1996 and previously owned by Syd Fischer.

Evans sails Malohi in the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club’s Saturday Harbour pointscore series and was the winner of the 2009/10 Classic Division.

Philip Brown’s Anitra V finished second overall behind Malohi with Paul O’Connell’s Katinka third.

The non-pointscore Ladies Day race for the Jill McLay trophy is also sailed in conjunction with the Great Veterans race as part of the opening of the Audi Winter Series. The Ladies Day race is a tribute to Jill who was a long-term employee of the CYCA and died from cancer.

Fun and colour was the name of the game on board many of the yachts competing in the Ladies Day race. It was certainly not dull on Never a Dull Moment with the crew in their yellow and navy striped crew shirts; co-owner of Wine Dark Sea, Sarah Goddard-Jones, was resplendent in her Hawaiian shirt with an additional stern decoration of an inflatable palm tree; Inkonkoni (Evelyn and Arthur Lane) donned pink shirts as a nod to Ladies Day; and suitable nautical tunes were heard from the helm of InCahoots announcing its arrival to the starting area.

Race Officer Robyn Morton got the fleet of 52 Ladies Day and 20 Great Veterans race competitors underway in a light 5-8kt north-easterly breeze.

Kathleen Gillett will be berthed at the CYCA from July 1-3 to coincide with an information evening that the club is conducting on Tuesday 3 July for the benefits of CYCA members and guests. The evening will be led by Jack Earl’s grandson Ben Hawke and Kathleen Gillett first mate Mick Morris together with historic video material from Earl’s historic 1947 sail around the world. Register at CYCA reception on 02 8292 7800 or reception@cyca.com.au

For Great Veterans race results and Opening Ladies Day Results log on to http://www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/2012-winter/?key=5660