1015 hours, Sunday 28 July 2024
A fleet of fifty yachts are running up the Australian coast towards Main Beach as the breeze has shifted west southwest and begun to build overnight.
Defending Overall Winner, Anthony Johnston’s URM Group leads the pack with David Griffith AM’s Whisper and Sebastian Bohm’s Smuggler fourteen and twenty nautical miles, respectively, behind the leader.
Varying conditions prevailed overnight, according to David Griffith. “It was a wild ride. We lost eleven minutes getting the spinnaker down in the heavy breeze but had a great morning running at twenty knots. The wind is a bit all over, dying and shifting back around. It’s starting to pick back up again allowing us to pick up speed heading north.”
Just fifty-five nautical miles behind the leader, Michael Smith’s Tempo continues to make waves. In the 2023 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast, the crew claimed first place in IRC Division 1. Racing in IRC Division 0 for the 2024 edition, the team currently stands in second in IRC Division 0 and third in IRC overall.
Rupert Henry’s Mistral continues to put up an extraordinary performance, leading the double handed fleet and standing in second in IRC overall, as they race up the NSW coastline alongside Rob Aldis’s Daguet 2 and Darryn Purdy’s Indigo II.
Twins Louis and Marc Ryckman’s Voltstar Yeah Baby currently leads the IRC Division 1 fleet with 200 nautical miles to go. The Ryckman twins are no strangers to offshore racing together, making the 2024 running their tenth Noakes Sydney Gold Coast.
New to the fleet, Edward Curry-Hyde’s Sunfast 3300 Toucan sailed an impressive first night, currently leading IRC Division 3 and second in IRC Double Handed. With thirteen double handed competitors, the fleet’s notable lineup ensures a noteworthy contest towards the finish line.
Michael McDonald’s Inglis 39 Stampede leads the PHS division, with just under 240 nautical miles to the finish line.
Ray Hudson’s XP44 XS Moment is the first retirement from the race, leaving the fleet at fifty competitors still racing.
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