Wild Oats X takes line honours. Image copyright Damian Devine.
by Damian Devine
'Wild Oats X' has crossed the finish line to take line honours in the 30th Anniversary Pittwater to Coffs Race in a time of 23hrs 6mins 12secs.
Skipper of 'Wild Oats' Mark Richards and crew executed the perfect gybe to lay the finish into the tight entrance to the Harbour. They seamlessly dropped their shute and put up a Code Zero and proceeded to rocket through the finish, surfing across the line doing 18 knots in a 18-20knot Sou' Easter, to put on a fantastic show for the hordes of locals and tourists waiting for them at the finish line. They were rewarded with the coveted Coffs Harbour line Honours Bell Trophy, the traditonal case of beer and champagne.
Champagne spraying for the winners. Image copyright Damian Devine.
Mark "Ricko" Richards from the RPAYC commented dockside after the race where the celebrations began, "It was a quick race, a tricky race last night as we kept running out of the breeze all night and the small boats ran up to us virtually about ten times during the evening, but it was a fun race. We had a lot of breeze at times, peaking at 36 knots delivering very fast speeds, at times we were doing 27 knots out there delivering some great rides, and then nothing. But it was just one of those races, anyway it's good to be back in Coffs Harbour and it's another win for the 'Wild Oats'."
Richards and crew celebrate their sixth Coffs win with the Line Honours Bell Trophy. Image copyright Damian Devine.
In fact, that makes it six Line Honours wins for the 'Wild Oats' franchise in the past nine years, an amazing feat and the third with 'Wild Oats X' after their wins in 2005 and 2006.
"Our boys did a great job out there, we blew a couple of shutes out in the strange conditions, but that's life, anyway we worked pretty hard and had no sleep and we're happy to be here first. The time is well away from our own record but that's fine. It wasn't to be, and there's always next year. Mother Nature is in total control out there and it is what it is, all you can do is work with what she deals to you out there and you take it from there. We had one goal and that was to get here first and we achieved that."
"It was a very tactical race, particularly during the night but when daylight hit we could see what was going on and we were fortunate to have Grant (Simmer) on board and he did such a fantastic job as did the 14 crew on board."
Richards did his first Coffs race back in 1985 and said he loves coming back despite having to back up after the Hobart. "It's such an enjoyable race, it's not too long, not too short and we just love coming back to Coffs Harbour for the fabulous hospitality we receive. We look forward to coming back to Coffs again next year," he commented.
Asked about his nearest "Quest did very well and kept at us the entire race, fortunately we had just that little bit bigger boat and we managed to get here in front of them. But good luck to them, they sailed well and kept the pressure on."
Quest and Pretty Woman at the start. Image copyright Damian Devine.
Runner up was the smart looking TP52 'Quest' owned by the CYCA's Bob Steel in a time of 23hrs 42mins 46secs, a little over half an hour behind the larger ''Wild Oats X'. The friendly Steel was happy with his performance and happy to be back in Coffs Harbour after his IMS handicap win back in 2000.
"We got here in less than 24 hours so that was fantastic and we got here in second spot behind Wild Oats, so that's pretty good in itself. In running conditions, this boat does excel itself, so we were hoping to be up there somewhere but certainly not as close as we were.
We were lucky we didnt break anything through that turbulence last night and at times it was gusting pretty hard, but we got here safely without much fuss and that's all that matters. The boys and girls on board did very well and the boat held together and it was nice to turn left for a change, it is going the right way you know, and it's always a bit of fun to head to Coffs Harbour. Last time we came here, we got lucky and we walked away with a win, so it's nice to be back in Coffs Harbour to celebrate the 30th Anniversary, we felt it was important to come in this race and help celebrate this event."
The crew were dressed in a Coffs Harbour themed uniform for the race; colourful Hawaiian shirts with Steel offering, "Well you've got to get into the spirit of the event and have a bit of fun, we're here for a few days to contest the series and Coffs Harbour has a tropical feel to it, it's idyllic, so we've dressed accordingly. We're looking to have some fun over the next few days with the crew," laughed Steel.
Wild Oats X puts the hammer down at the start. Image copyright Damian Devine.
The rest of the fleet are lining up down the coast to make their entrance to the Harbour with 'Shotwave', 'Pretty Woman', 'Santana' next to come and the last boat 'Stress Free' expected to arrive around 3am in freshening Sou' East conditions. Interest turns now to the handicap winners.
Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race
