| Australia. Brisbane to Gladstone Race: The sloop Wistari still racing at 41 |
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| Wednesday, 12 April 2006 | |
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Ian Grant: Gladstone sloop Wistari will take up the mantle as the grand old lady of Queensland offshore yacht racing when she contests the 58th Brisbane to Gladstone race over the Easter weekend. The sharpie built to a shoe string budget from low cost plywood entered her 41st year of ocean racing over the Australia Day weekend and will celebrate the occasion by racing back to her home port against an impressive fleet of 48 yachts including race record holder Skandia. Wistari’s new generation crew including Scott Patrick the son of her original skipper and grandson Andrew will have plenty of time to celebrate the occasion as the weather forecast is far from favourable with the fleet expected to tack out of Moreton Bay on Good Friday against light head winds. This initial forecast has almost cancelled out the chance for her present crew of enthusiastic sailors to add to her career distinction of winning four Brisbane to Gladstone races under her designer/builder and skipper the late Noel Patrick but that could all change with a possible return of the South East trade wind late on Saturday. Meanwhile the soft wind forecast has placed any record challenge on hold with Kerry Spencer the former ‘fast man’ of Brisbane to Gladstone ocean racing being forced to accept that his ambition to win back the record will have to wait. Spencer the only skipper in history to set Gladstone race records in consecutive years with the pocket-maxi Bobsled had chartered Skandia in anticipation of setting his career best time. Unfortunately Skandia which power sailed before strong spinnaker sailing winds to complete the 308n/ml race in 20 hours 24 minutes 50 seconds two years ago may struggle to beat skipper Spencer’s previous best of 21-59-43 set 13 years ago with Bobsled. As expected all of the 48 skippers representing Victorian, New South Wales and Queensland clubs would prefer to stand watch in a spray drenched cockpit as they navigate a fast course to Gladstone. However the unpredictability of the weather system has set the stage for the former Sydney Hobart race winner Michael Spies steering Sirromet life style wines to move into contention as one of the favourites with the Brisbane yachts Wedgetail (Bill Wild) and Quest of Queensland (Kevin Miller) to become the 58th winner of Queensland’s premier Blue Water classic. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 April 2006 ) |
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