QLD Sailing Events

Tin Can Bay to Hervey Bay

The Tin Can Bay to Hervey Bay (Bay to Bay) Race was conceived by members of the Hervey Bay Sailing Club on 18 April 1980. The twoday, 87 km event features an overnight stop at Garry's Anchorage at Fraser Island. Over 114 vessels competed in the 1981 inaugural event.

After a suggestion by Tim Bardon (Cygnet #21), Will Hardcastle (Cygnet #11) and I (Cygnet #1) decided to enter the 2022 (April 30th to May 1st) Bay to Bay and use the trailer-sailer event as a Cygnet Race/Get Together.

Enlisting Khara, who had recently completed a 2nd-leg circumnavigation of Tasmania aboard China Girl, as crew, I trailered Cygnet from Newcastle to Tin Can Bay over two days.

Immediately launching Cygnet, I drove the trailer to Hervey Bay and bussed back ready for the race to start the next day.

DAY 1, 21 nm

The race began at 11:30 am. Cygnet started well, neck-and-neck with Cirrus, until Tim started to break off to port. Not understanding his thinking, we decided to stick with the pack. Before long, Will in Amethyst raised an asymmetrical spinnaker, and flew past us - and most of the fleet too!

Well, after seeing Tim way off to port, next thing we knew, he was an incredible 1-2 nm ahead of us! We poled out #2 and sailed the best we could, being competitive but were unable to hold them off without a spinnaker. Despite that, it was fun being on the water in beautiful conditions.

The race finished around 4:00 pm and we all gathered to have drinks and nibbles and talk about the day’s events. Tim explained his strategy to sail on the edge of the Straits, thus avoiding a head-on current, and effectively leaving other boats, even those using spinnakers, in his wake! After our catch up, we returned to our boats for dinner followed by an early night, ready for the next day's racing.

By David Bradburn

DAY 2, 24 nm

Most boats motored to the line, with crews having fun bantering with each other.

Cygnet was in the first group to start, with the larger and faster classes following later.

It was exciting to be amongst so many boats, especially with some large skiffs slicing their way through the fleet – fortunately without incident.

Initially close, the three boats in our group began to spread out, with Tim and Will way in front and Khara and I just trying to do our best! We sailed along the Great Sandy Straits with the current and, at one stage, were doing over 8 kts! The two Cygnets were flying with most of the small boats lagging way behind, so I thought we mustn't be doing too badly!

After some confusion as to its positioning, we crossed the finish line by 2:00 pm, followed by a quick sail to the yacht club marina, with the customary running aground, keel up, and catch up with the others.

At the Awards Ceremony, everyone was keen to see the placings!

Division A was: 1st Amethyst, 2nd Cirrus, 3rd Cygnet. We were astounded, thinking that Tim in Cirrus had outperformed Will in Amethyst. Eventually the organisers agreed, realising that Will had earlier informed them of his use of a spinnaker, and revised the order to 1st Cirrus and 2ndCygnet.

I stayed overnight at the Marina and returned to Newcastle the following morning, dropping Khara at Kew, near Port Macquarie.

The trip was great fun and we’re already looking forward to next year, and hopefully more Cygnet 20s!

Cygnet 20 starts from $66,000.00 plus GST

Become a part of our Gaff Association and join in for short, fun races, pretty anchorages, and sharing stories and adventures with other Cygnet 20 owners … why wait? Join our newsletter at www.bluewatercruisingyachts.com

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Bluewater 420

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Australian offshore sailing history in 75th annual race

One of the southern hemisphere’s most iconic offshore races - the Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race will celebrate 75 years when it sets sail on Good Friday, 7th April 2023 from Moreton Bay to Gladstone over 308 nautical miles.

Considered an Australian icon by many discerning sailors, the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race is one of the oldest and most fiercely fought blue water yacht races on the Australian sailing race calendar.

After a spectacular spinnaker start in south easterly winds on Moreton Bay followed by a thrilling race ranging from 10-15 knots to Gladstone, last year’s 74th annual race saw multiple race records tumble.

Peter Harburg’s super maxi 100-foot Black Jack took line honours eclipsing its previous race record of 16 hours, 53 minutes and 57 seconds which had been held since 2018, setting a new race record of 16 hours, 13 minutes and 56 seconds. Three yachts named Black Jack – all owned by Peter Harburg - have taken line honours eight times since 2008 – Black Jack 66 (2009 and 2010), Black Jack 77 (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) and Black Jack 100 (2018 and 2022).

Celestial – owned by Dr Sam Haynes –set a new record for a conventionally ballasted yacht, completing the race in 19 hours 24 minutes and 52 seconds. After a tense protest with Celestial and a result that mirrored the 2021 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Ichi Ban won the race overall on corrected time in 2022 and took out the coveted, The Courier-Mail Cup.

The Courier-Mail Cup is believed to be one of the oldest perpetual trophies in Australian history to be competed for on a continual basis since 1949. Ian Gidlow, Commodore of race organising club, Queensland Cruising Yacht Club (QCYC) says the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race is steeped in tradition and proudly remains one of the true blue water ocean classics in the southern hemisphere.

“The race has all the hallmarks of a great passage race – a demanding exit from the bay under pressure from the tide clock, a fast slide up the coast in the dark, a high pressure run into sub-tropical waters and inevitably an intense and often unpredictable finish,” Mr Gidlow says.

The Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race start is live streamed and combined with Yacht Tracker and the virtual race is followed by an audience of over 100,000 globally. “We are incredibly proud of the stature the race holds with sailors who make this a fixture of their annual race calendar and we look forward to welcoming a large and competitive fleet of offshore racing yachts and sailors from around Australia and overseas,” he said.

In 2023, to commemorate the 75th anniversary, sailors will be vying for the biggest array of trophies and prizes in the history of the race. Thanks to the official timekeeper, ADINA Watches, the skipper and all crew members of the Overall IRC winning yacht will be presented with a specially designed Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race Winners Edition watch - the only blue water race in Australia to offer trophy watches for all winning IRC crew members. The skipper of the Line Honours winning yacht will also receive one of the exclusive ADINA watches.

Believed to be the largest monetary prize in Australian sailing for the Performance Handicap Rating Factor (PHRF) division, the overall PHRF winner will be awarded the Peter Holm Cup along with a $10,000 cash prize.

The Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race is steeped in history and was first ever sailed in Easter 1949 where seven vessels took the start line, two of which carried radios while Brisbane’s Homing Pigeon Club supplied pigeons for the other competing vessels.

Further information about the Gladstone Ports Corporation’s 75th Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race is available by visiting www. brisbanetogladstone.com or by telephoning Queensland Cruising Yacht Club Vice Commodore Harley Cowlishaw on 0437 729 642 or emailing raceentries@qcyc.com.au

FOUNTAINE PAJOT NEW 80

Sailing Superyacht Catamaran

Fountaine Pajot is unveiling its ambitions to go even further in innovation, luxury and habitability with the launch of its 24-meter catamaran whose real name has yet to be revealed.

HIGH STANDARDS AND EXCELLENCE For a sailing superyacht such as the New 80, there is no compromise. All materials are available with several choices, the layout versions are multiple and cover all possible demands. This is a truly modular luxury catamaran, capable of adapting to your desires and tastes, while maintaining the Fountaine Pajot DNA. The standard inventory of the boat includes equipment such as the genset or the aft platform which are normally optional, and many others.

MULTIPLE SPACES OF CONVIVIALITY OUTSIDE ~ FRONT COCKPIT | The large forward cockpit has its own bar and a vast sunbed in order to balance the aft relaxation area under the sunbed is a Jacuzzi. There is a sea-tight door that connects the forward cockpit directly to the saloon inside. To either side of this huge relaxation area are two vast deck lockers.

~ FLYBRIDGE | On a luxury catamaran of this size, the flybridge takes on the mantle of an extra deck, and the new 80 exploits this possibility to the full. Beneath a hard-top bimini, two fullyequipped helm stations occupy the forward part of the deck. All the control lines come back to a central winch and two lateral sheet winches. This zone is completely dedicated to sailing manoeuvres. Further aft, the real story is the elegant wrap-around sofa, fridge, and full wet bar, as well as a plancha grill.

~ AFT COCKPIT & BEACH CLUB | Further to the rear is an essential asset for all superyachts: the beach club. Down an elegant flight of steps set into either transom, you reach a platform that stands just above the waterline – ideal for swimmers. In between the two hulls, a large hydraulic bathing platform can be raised or lowered. This can turn the whole aft area into a huge area for swimmers and sunbathers, or serve as a launch pad for divers and watersporters.

This boat has been conceived as a superyacht, with top-of-the-range quality and a very fine selection of materials. Fountaine Pajot has paid particular attention to such details as the fine cabinetry and stylish loose furniture which combine to create the sense of a luxury lounge.

~ THE SALOON | Deep sofas to starboard and free-standing seating to port with cocktail tables both enjoy fantastic views of the sea through the wrap-around windows. Here, a beautiful piece of teak cabinetry is set with hand-stitched leather to conceal a pop-up TV. There’s also an extensive chart table with navigation displays. The boat is conceived with a crew on board – two plus a skipper, each with their own dedicated space aft on the port side.

~ OWNERS SUITE | A true five-star suite including a desk and a sofa, as well as a separate toilet, a shower and two sinks. There is even a bathtub!

GREAT INNOVATIONS

New to this 24-meter yacht, Berret-Racoupeau Yachts Design have integrated a revolutionary way of providing shade on the flybridge, and on the side decks below. Semi-transparent solar panels, elegantly encased in glass, cast a dappled light below while providing enough power in the heat of summer’s day to power the boat’s hotel load. Two more completely new features stand out on the main deck below. A large 3m-long balcony folds down out of the bulwarks on each side of the cockpit, creating an entirely new dimension to the relaxation options here. While the balcony invites you to dive into the sea alongside, it also creates the opportunity for a sofa, built into the cockpit coaming. In effect, it adds two ‘side cockpits’ to the main cockpit.

As a catamaran with its slender hulls, the boat will be capable of effortless passagemaking at 8-9 knots average. And with a vast 200 square metre mainsail and an even bigger gennaker, she will manage exhilarating top speeds. All seemingly without effort.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Multihull Solutions on 1300 855 338 or emailing info@multihullsolutions.com.au