Michael and Jeanette York
(centre) present the York Family Corinthian trophy to CYCA Commodore
Howard Piggott (left) and Vice Commodore John Cameron (far right). Image copyright CYCA Staff
by Jennifer Crooks
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the organising authority for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, has announced the release of the Notice of Race and now invites eligible yacht owners to enter the blue water classic.
This year marks the 70th
anniversary of the annual race, and in a nod to the traditionalists and
the non-professional crews, the CYCA has introduced a Corinthian
division.
Yacht owners and their crew who
meet the Corinthian criteria, as defined by the ISAF Classification
code, will compete for the York Family Corinthian Trophy, newly
dedicated by prominent CYCA members Michael and Jeanette York.
The trophy will be presented to the yacht that performs best overall under a separate
performance handicap to
be calculated by the application of Time Correction Factors (TCFs) as a
multiplier of elapsed time. Yachts entered in the Corinthian division
must also be entered into one of
the other three divisions: IRC, ORCi or PHS.
The York family is part of the
fabric of Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s history. Michael York OAM
is the longest standing member of the Club, having joined in 1945.
Michael competed in 14 Sydney
Hobart yacht races and represented Australia at the highest level,
including the America’s Cup, Admiral’s Cup and Olympic Games, as well as
many other international regattas.
Jeanette joined the CYCA in
1952, serving 43 years on the Associates Committee, filling the role of
President for six years. The first woman to be given Life membership of
the Club in 2002, she is the daughter of one
of the Club’s most illustrious figures, Merv Davey.
A member of the CYCA from its
earliest days, Merv served as Commodore from 1949-1951 and 1957-1959. He
was a leading exponent of the RORC rule in Australia and took an active
role in the development of the IOR rule in
Australia in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Michael and Jeanette York
(centre) present the York Family Corinthian trophy to CYCA Commodore
Howard Piggott (left) and Vice Commodore John Cameron (far right).
Image copyright CYCA Staff
CYCA Commodore Howard Piggott
said the decision to introduce this new division would provide another
way to recognise those yachtsmen and women who compete in the Rolex
Sydney Hobart purely for the love of ocean racing.
“On behalf of the members of the
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and the Corinthian crews that compete
in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, I extend a vote of thanks to the York family
for providing this elegant trophy. I’m sure
that this category will create some dynamic competition amongst crews,”
Commodore Piggott said.
“Given the significant
anniversary, two Veteran divisions for the classic yachts of yesteryear
have also been included: one for yachts 20 plus years and another for
yachts 30 plus years,” he said.
The CYCA is predicting a
colourful national and international fleet of approximately
120 yachts will make the start line on Boxing Day, December 26 at 1pm AEDT,
for the tough annual 628 nautical mile
race to Hobart in Tasmania.
“I look forward to welcoming entries from eligible yachts for the 70th edition of our world renowned yacht race,” Commodore Piggott
said.
The start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will be broadcast live on the Seven Network throughout Australia
and webcast live to a global audience on Yahoo!7
and the Australia Network throughout the Asia Pacific Region.
Entries in the Rolex Sydney Hobart 2014 close on Friday 31 October 2014 at 1700hrs AEDT.
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2014 Notice of Race is now online at: http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.
