Sydney Hobart update
Suddenly there were 60The fleet for the 68th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in December reached 50 with the entry of Bob ‘Robbo’ Robertson’s Queensland yacht, Lunchtime Legend; and just hours later, entries had already reached 60.
Robertson is coming off a win in the Magnetic Island Race Week series and second in both the Hamilton Island regatta and Airlie Beach Race Week. “This is our year; we have to do it this year,” Robertson said of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s annual race.
The veteran yachtsman launched his Beneteau 40 in time for the 2011 Hobart, and scoring a highly creditable third in IRC Division 4 in the company of pacesetters of the calibre of Roger Hickman’s Wild Rose, David Rees’ Whistler and Andrew Saies’ 2009 victor, Two True.
In this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart, Lunchtime Legend will be leaner and meaner with a younger crew, who are fired up, Robertson says, with the Australian successes at the London Olympics.
"That has done so much to get young people involved again in sailing," he said.
"I reckon our average age will be 20 years lower than in the 2011 race," said the 72-year-old. "It’ll be a great mix of experience and youth and built on the successes we have had in those North Queensland regattas this year."
With Australian sailing on a new high, it is already making for a memorable race this year with entries from Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the first from Lithuania, Ambersail, a Volvo 60 skippered by Simonas Steponavièius, with major regattas under her belt, including the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland, RORC Caribbean 600, Transatlantic, Rolex Fastnet and Rolex Middle Sea Races.
Bengal7, a Humphreys 54 launched in 2010, will be the first Japanese entry in the race since 1997 and will be skippered by Yoichi Ito.
Geoff Hill’s Dubois 90, Genuine Risk, which won line honours in the 2012 Rolex China Sea Race, will represent Hong Kong.
The New Zealand entry is Rikki, a Reichel Pugh 42 owned by Ray Haslar.
Other notable entries so far are last year’s overall winner Loki (Stephen Ainsworth) and a sentimental favourite, the three-time winner Love and War, made famous by the late Peter Kurts and now sailed by his son, Simon.
The CYCA is predicting a fleet of about 90 yachts making the start on Boxing Day, December 26 at 1.00pm AEDT.
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