While the eastern seaboard has faced the hostility of Cyclone Alfred over the last week, the Melbourne to King Island fleet had a superb sail in near perfect conditions in the 54th anniversary of the race.
Unprecedented, the double-handed Sunfast Jeanneau 3300 co-skippered by Andrew McGrath and Ben Thompson from the Safety Beach Sailing Club will be celebrating the 54th race to King Island for years to come.
Unprecedented was the last boat to cross the start line but clever sail choice and tactics saw them move back through the fleet to finish 12th across the line.
This on-water manoeuvring was enough to propel the popular sailors into first place on AMS handicap to win the coveted King Island Trophy, just over two minutes ahead of Ginan, on a corrected time of 12 hours, 44 minutes and 17 seconds.
The race started in a light easterly breeze of about 11 knots which slowly built to a consistent 18 to 20 knots across Bass Strait, conditions which suited Unprecedented and most of the fleet.
Success in the race was a first for the duo who have been sailing with each other on various yachts for nearly twenty years, with the spoils extending to victory in the Double-Handed Division on performance handicap and second on ORC handicap.
“We had a terrible start, last across the line, but we clawed our way back going from a J1 [spinnaker] to a J2 and eventually going to an A4 [asymmetric spinnaker], taking it all the way through to the finish line,” said McGrath.
Unprecedented stayed left of the rhumbline which set them up for a nice run towards King Island.
“We couldn’t get down to the finish line with the A4 but we ended up about 100 metres away, and at that point we doused the A4, put up the J2, sailed through, and did one gybe to the finish line and in we went,” said McGrath.
McGrath and Thompson had one-hour shifts on the helm and used their autopilot more than usual which gave the team more time to fine tune the mainsail to take advantage of the wind gusts.
“The boat reaches very well – once we put the A4 up our top speed was about 15 knots which pushed us along through the pack,” said McGrath.
Unprecedented was purchased during COVID with the name a nod to frontline health care workers closely connected to the team and a reflection of the difficult times endured across the globe.
McGrath, who delayed his interview with ORCV Media to take advantage of the infamous steak sandwiches, was savouring all that King Island had to offer, and was thrilled with their race win.
Peccadillo, the Chris White 46 multihull skippered by Charles Meredith, dominated this year’s race, leading the fleet out of Port Phillip Heads and simply outpaced the rest of the fleet, finishing nearly three and a half hours ahead of her nearest rival in a time of 10 hours and 16 minutes in a powerful performance.
This year’s race will also be etched in the memory of all onboard Jac Hoi, the Solaris 47 from the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, which was the first monohull across the line in her first ocean race.
Skipper Danielle Fraser who celebrated her first ocean race success with her close-knit team on King Island, will cherish the win which was made even more special as they crossed the line first on International Women’s Day.
The usually exuberant skipper, Fraser was lost for words as she made her way to the race presentation when asked to describe the feeling of winning line honours in her first ocean race.
“It was a great race, just beautiful … it’s quite surreal really because it’s our first ocean race…I’m just enjoying King Island and the beautiful hospitality… [our win] just hasn’t really hit yet,” said Fraser who highlighted trust and friendship as key to the team’s success.
Fraser sailed alongside Chris Carroll, James Hannah, Jamie Bennett, Jason Boyle, Peter James, Stuart Richardson and Stuy Lee in this year’s race.
Ginan, skippered by Cameron McKenzie from the Mornington Yacht Club, had another strong performance with the J111 the second monohull to cross the line, taking second on AMS handicap, and third on ORC behind Toecutter (Robert Hick) and Unprecedented.
It was close racing on PHS in the Double-Handed division with Streetcar Racing, skippered by Aidan Geysen and Jeremy Walton, finishing less than 30 minutes behind Unprecedented on corrected time with Foggy Dew (Robert Darcy / Janet Wilks) taking third.
Race Director Martin Vaughan was happy with this year’s race and the tight racing across Bass Strait.
“Jac Hoi, Ginan and Shimmer [skippered by Steve Twentyman], must have had a fantastic battle – it is always more fun yacht racing when you have a rival close by, it pushes you that extra bit.
“I would also like to say a big thank you to the King Island Boat Club with volunteers who worked all night to welcome the fleet, which arrived in the early hours of the morning, and ensured they were made very welcome,” said Vaughan.
The sun was certainly shining on King Island this weekend with lots of community events, cheese and crayfish, and a more buoyant community with the announcement that the future of the King Island Dairy has been secured.
Full results here.
Words: ORCV Media/Jane Austin
Images: As credited
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