Rob Hielkema and ‘Pedro’ (Arnau Farras-Knowles) won the two handed division last year, on the smallest boat in the fleet (Geralda). This year they're back for another shot. Image copyright Zoe Hawkins/Wilde Media.
by Zoe Hawkins
The HSBC Premier Coastal Classic – one of the world’s iconic yacht races and one of the biggest races in the Southern Hemisphere – will start this Friday 22 October at 10am from Devonport Wharf in Auckland.
Around 200 boats, racing in eight divisions, will undertake a point to point sprint up the coast to Russell Wharf in the Bay of Islands.
Getting there first is the ultimate, but with a diverse fleet that comes in all shapes and sizes, a handicap win is the one that best reflects the sailors’ performance on the day.
The smallest boat in this year’s fleet is a sporty 6.5m Elliott design called Geralda. Owned by Rob Hielkema, who is racing with his good friend
‘Pedro’ (Arnau Farras-Knowles), Geralda is competing in the two handed division as well as Division Five.
“We finished the race last year in 14 hours and 40 minutes, winning the two handed division and division 5,” says Rob.
Geralda has been modified from its original design and has a very similar rig to a Shaw 6.5, plus a 2.4m prod to hold a generous amount of sail area. Rob and Pedro are both graduates of the prestigious Royal New Zealand Youth Scheme, and have sailed together throughout the year, winning the race to Te Kouma last summer.
In the two handed division Geralda will be up against the second smallest boat in the fleet, the Farr 727 Crac-a-Jac, crewed by 14 year old Edwin Delaat, and his mentor, Steve Alloway. Ten boats are racing two-handed, including Matthew Woodley’s Mr Roosevelt, an old school Davidson 42 built in 1985 that is using the Coastal as a test ahead of the Round North Island scheduled for early 2011. Another two handed team to watch is Expedition Coppelia – Sally Garrett and Rob Croft’s ambitious bid for the two-handed Round North Island, aboard a boat that Rob rebuilt himself.
“This year could be harder to win as there are some really good little boats lining up in the two-handed division,” says Rob.
HSBC Premier Coastal Classic fleet 2009. Image copyright Zoe Hawkins/Wilde Media.
The 27-strong fleet entered in Division 5 sponsored by Steinlager range from these pocket racers, up to bigger, more cruising orientated boats like the 12m Wyndspelle, spanning a time correction factor (handicap) from 0.62 up to 0.745 – making Chris Argreave’s Elliott 7.8, Erazer (also two-handed), and Rod McIntosh’s Pirate, the handicapper’s favourites for Division 5.
Division 4, sponsored by Mount Gay Rum, plays host to 32 boats including nine Young 88s, several Ross 930s, and seven members of the fifty-year old Stewart 34 class, a veteran racer that manages to put up an excellent showing at most major sailing events. Also in this class is Chris Marsh’s SR26 Mercenary, several one off designs, and the two navy boats Mako II and Manga II. Manga II is racing with the only all-female crew in the fleet.
The handicapper has put the highly modified 930, No Worries, and Roy Dickson’s Stewart, Playbuoy, as top boats in this division; two very contrasting styles of boat. Should the breeze be light, as it’s predicted, the Stewarts have a habit of using their waterine length to great advantage. But the light construction of the 930 could let them sail away if the wind is from the aft quarter.
Handicap honours may be very close in Division 3, which is sponsored by Safety at Sea; 29 boats in this division include eight Farr 1020s, and the 8.4m downwind flyers What’s News and RnB, all the way up to the massive 17.6m Schooner, Freedom of Leigh. Highly experienced competitors include Kevin Murphy’s Round North Island campaigner Prawnbroker, Brenton Linnell’s Stratocaster, and Pacific Sundance, which is also the handicapper’s favourite.
Division 2, sponsored by Musto, is led on handicap by The Big Don’t Argue – a quick and solid Murray Ross design that knows the way to Russell well. Seaquesta is a 12.8m Dubois sloop owned by Anthony Watt and whose crew includes first time competitor Ramahia Keno, and the popular Pork Chop, owned by Tom Cootes. Like all the Coastal Classic divisions, success will go to the boat that is best suited to the conditions on the day and Tongue Twister, owned by Mark Beauchamp, is a new boat to watch because it is light, powerful, and capable of ‘doing damage’ to much bigger competitors.
The top division for monohulls is Division 1, and is sponsored by HSBC Premier. Sir Peter Blake’s Sydney-Hobart veteran, Lion New Zealand, is the biggest yacht in the field, but Evolution Sails Limit – the international entry crewed by Chris Dickson and Gavin Brady and sailing under the New Zealand flag – is the boat to beat on handicap, followed by the four fifty footers – Wired, Ran Tan II, Systems Thunder, and Formula 1. Craig Partridge’s M1 is right up there. The forty footer has been heavily modified, and now features a 3.5m deep keel. Its crew confess that they hope for a light northerly so that their waterline length will keep the Micros at bay. A new entrant to this division is Peraspera – a Class 40 launched in September out of Cookson Boats and which has shown impressive speed to date.
The Ross 10.66 Higher Ground will face up against Jive Talkin’ for the first time since Ray sold the boat to Christchurch owner Stephen Page – but with Ray Haslar onboard, you can be sure of some canny sailing, and Higher Ground skipper Brian Trubovich will have his work cut out for him.
HSBC Premier Coastal Classic fleet 2009. Image copyright Zoe Hawkins/Wilde Media.
The Micros – small, highly technical and powerful boats around 30 foot in length - include a brand new entrant, Orbit, owned by Volvo Ocean Race Winner and former World Sailor of the Year Mike Sanderson. The 10m flush decked canting keeler is a pure race machine and is being launched in the days prior to the race start and will be crewed by Mike, Chris Salthouse, Brad Jackson and Phil Jamieson.
“In the moderate stuff we should be able to get it (against Karma Police, Deep Throttle and Overload), but if it’s too breezy they’ll be too sorted,” says Mike, explaining the effect the late launch date could have on his race.
In 2009, the thirty footer Overload wiped more than an hour off the records for under thirty footers, also beating the best ever time set for forty footers, and the Shaw 9ms, Karma Police and Deep Throttle, were just ten minutes behind.
“We haven’t raced Karma Police or Overload since Bay sailing week,” says Deep Throttle skipper Justin Ferris. “It will also be interesting to see where Orbit sits. It seems they have got off to a good start with their PHRF Rating. It can’t be a good feeling launching a new 34 footer that is slow on paper than its little sisters… comeback!”
The multihulls, who race in their own divisions with the smaller boats in Division 7 (sponsored by Railblaza), and the bigger boats in Division 6 (sponsored by the Duke of Marlborough Hotel) – barring bad luck circumstances such as breakage - will most likely be dominated by TeamVodafoneSailing, but there will be serious competition for the next best placings.
“Most of the racing multis are close in speed downwind, the 8.5s get up and really fly in the right conditions, so sometimes they are all over us.
If we have the wrong sail combination up or if we make a mistake, they are gone,” says Roger Pagani, owner of the 50 foot catamaran, Triple8, which made its racing debut in New Zealand earlier this year.
“Our strength is definitely upwind, Triple8 is very powerful and very stiff being full carbon construction, we regularly sit on 13 to 16 knots upwind,” says Roger, “so we would like a 20 to 25 knot northerly but we would love a anything with the Gennaker.”
He further speculates: “It really depends on the conditions as to who it favours, except of course for TeamVodafoneSailing, that’s a fantastic machine.”
HSBC Premier Coastal Classic fleet 2009. Image copyright Zoe Hawkins/Wilde Media.
Triple 8 faced up to two times Coastal winner Taeping just two weeks ago, and beat them for the first time. “We haven’t raced Taeping much and last weekend was the first time we have beaten them, so they are very fast, and they sail the boat very well, we each have our own strengths in different conditions.”
Three multihulls that are visibly absent are Frantic Drift, Dragon and Timberwolf – each undergoing modifications and still in the boatyard.
In Division 7, PredictWind.com, Dirty Deeds, and Pulse XTC are amongst those that should be closely watched because they are well sailed and can throw up exceptional speed.
There is also a strong IRC Division, sponsored by PredictWind.com, and a Classic Division sponsored by Sail NZ.
Last but not least, the Cruising Division, sponsored by Jucy Rentals, which despite its name, can be intensely competitive. The twelve bats in this division include Bob Ellis’s Takahoa, and the well known Woolly Jumper, owned by Cedric Allen, and relaunched after a paint job.
The HSBC Premier Coastal Classic wishes good luck to all entrants and we will see you on the startline.
HSBC Premier Coastal Classic
