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Photo: Michale Jennings Creative |
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Photo: Nicole Douglass |
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Photo: Michale Jennings Creative |
Photo: Nicole Douglass |
“We are going to try and improve our performance upwind before this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart. It doesn’t mean much in the end, every race is different. This boat has won Hobart (as Alfa Romeo in 2009), but so have the other three big boats in this race.”
“It was a great race between the three ‘classic’ maxis and everyone had their moment. You can’t break the cord in the Southport race, it’s one of those races you can’t get far enough away from the opposition to be safe," said Wild Oats XI’s helmsman Chris Links of the battle behind Comanche between them, InfoTrack and Black Jack.
“In that light stuff with their configuration the cards fell Black Jack’s way. Good on them, it was great to see them have a win. We enjoy sailing against them and there’s a lot more to come in the Brisbane to Keppel race and Hamilton Island Race Week.”
Jim Cooney’s Comanche finished third having led from the 1.50pm Sydney Harbour start on Saturday until the last 15 nautical miles when the wind dropped out and the front four squeezed up. Cooney paid tribute to Black Jack’s owner and skipper for a race well-sailed, and such a tight finish. “We are very happy with Comanche’s performance, particularly in light air,” Cooney added.
Now the battle for handicap begins. Bruce Taylor’s Victorian Caprice 40 Chutzpah is the boat to beat on IRC with two-time previous overall winner Komatsu Azzurro (Shane Kearns) currently second and making excellent time on approach to Coffs Harbour. On progressive ORCi scores the pair are the other way around and in PHS results Michael McDonald’s Stampede is the lead boat.
The next bunch due to finish are the TP52s, led by Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban, and among them Voodoo and Triton.
A fourth yacht retired overnight, the Sydney 38 called The Goat, with an ill crewmember.
Lisa Ratcliff
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