OUR LOCAL YACHTSMEN

The Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia has always been well represented in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. The 2021 Hobart race was no exception and although we did not have a yacht entered this year, we did have many of our Club members and crew that sail from the Club crewing on various yachts. The CYCSA had Club members on both the Overall Winner Ichi Ban and Line Honours yacht Black Jack. James Paterson is an intricate part of the Ichi Ban crew and Silas Nolan and Ryan Godfrey had prominent positions on Black Jack. The following crew members shared a little of their sailing history and their latest Hobart experiences in the big race.

Geoff Boettcher

History I started sailing at the Glenelg Sailing Club in the Holdfast Trainer class at eight years of age. After moving through the junior fleets at Glenelg and Adelaide Sailing Club I started to look for opportunities in keel boats and was offered a trial spot on Secret Mens Business with Geoff Boettcher prior to the 2004 Sydney to Hobart Race. That was the start of my keel boat career, sailing five Hobart Races with Geoff including winning the race in 2010. In between racing SMB I campaigned in the Olympic Finn Class for six years in the SASI and AST program and sailed in many regattas around Australia and overseas and a highlight was winning the National Championships in 2012. More recently I sailed with Jason Ward and Shevaun Bruland on Concubine completing three Hobart Races and many successful regattas. After Concubine was sold in 2018 I picked up a position with Matt Allen on Ichi Ban on which I have competed in two Hobart races and multiple regattas and offshore races.

2021 Sydney to Hobart Race We had a good lead-up to the 2021 Sydney to Hobart Race competing in the Sydney Bluewater Series and a number of training weekends. My primary role on Ichi Ban was forward grinder and crew boss where I managed the boat manoeuvres and sail changes and am the link between the front and the back of the boat. When sailing offshore I am second pitman and helmsman. The race started off with a downwind leg creating a quick exit out of Sydney Harbour. The first afternoon and evening we experienced fresh breeze up to 35 knots and a short and sharp sea state which was created by the East Australian Current running at two knots against the wind. This made things quite uncomfortable with multiple crew getting sick and making it very difficult to eat and get any sleep. The next afternoon the wind moderated and the sea state abated as we sailed out of the current. We sailed our track to line up the next favourable current and to position ourselves for the Tasmanian coast. On the second night, while in the middle of Bass Strait, we were alerted by satellite phone by the race office and AMSA that Celestial had a personal EPIRB activated and they were not answering their satellite phone. We were the closest boat so were requested to contact them via VHF to see if all was okay and everyone was safe. After a while of trying to contact them with no luck we were instructed to light a white hand flare to get their attention but again no luck. After two hours we were given permission to let off a red parachute flare which are only to be let off in mayday situations. After nine minutes of trying to reach them they finally answered and indicated all was okay in a rather relaxed manner. It was an eventful experience that highlights the importance of always listening on VHF 16 and it was lucky we weren’t in danger and needed their assistance! The next day we kept offshore while other boats hit the Tasmanian coast, the latter not paying off with boats parking for many hours. We managed to limit our park up to only five to ten minutes. Arriving at the southern part of the Tasmanian coast we were welcomed by a south westerly wind that built to 20-25 knots for the last 30 miles to Tasman Island. By that point it was a tight tussle with us and Celestial who managed to hang on behind us all the way to Tasman Island. Rounding Tasman we were blast reaching past the Organ Pipes to Cape Raoul then more reaching to the Iron Pot. From there we were able to pull up the spinnaker in 15 knots and sail up the Derwent to the finish line gaining time on Celestial. However, crossing the line in sixth place, we knew the distance to Celestial was not enough but after a number of protests were lodged regarding Celestial’s radio problems, we were declared the overall winners on IRC making it two race wins in a row! It was an amazing experience and we hope to make it three in a row at the end of the year!

History My journey in sailing started when I was eight years old sailing Holdfast Trainers at Glenelg Sailing Club. After progressing through other dinghy classes of 303s, Lasers and Cherubs I moved to the CYCSA and made my first entry sailing keelboats with Chris Tillet on board his Mumm30. After a season with Chris I found myself sailing on Secret Mens Business with Geoff Boettcher. Over the next eight or nine years I learnt my craft with Geoff racing all over the country at all the big regattas and offshore races and my first five Sydney to Hobarts were with Geoff and the SMB team. My foundation with Geoff and SMB gave me my start into professional yacht racing where I have spent the past 15 years competing in yachting’s biggest events across the globe from Asia, through America and the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. Classes include the TP52 Super Series, RC44 Cup, Maxi 72 Championship, Volvo 70, Super Maxis, Super Yachts and everything in between. I’ve experienced some great results over the years and some highlights include 19 Sydney to Hobarts winning Overall IRC in 2012 with Loki and Line Honours with Comanche in 2019 and Black Jack in 2021. Others include coming third in the TP52 Super Series season Championship, first in the historic One Ton Cup, season Champions in RC44 and Maxi 72 classes and multiple Line and Handicap honours in the Newport to Bermuda, Caribbean 600 and Rolex China Sea races.

2021 Sydney to Hobart Race For this year’s Sydney to Hobart I was the bowman on Peter Harburg’s Super Maxi Black Jack. I have been a part of the Black Jack team on and off since 2008 and Peter gave me one of my first full professional gigs so it was special to be a part of his first Hobart Line Honours victory with his team.

The lead up to the great race was extremely difficult and limited time was spent training due to COVID related issues amongst the crew and in Sydney in general. Black Jack also broke its mast earlier in the year during the Brisbane to Gladstone race so it was a tight schedule to get everything 100% before the race started, not our usual race preparation that’s for sure. The battle for most teams was just getting to the start line with all the COVID requirements and even though our team tested daily in the week leading up to make sure we could cross the start line, we still lost a crew member to COVID five days out from the race. For the Maxis the forecast was on the wind all the way to Hobart with the first 24-30 hours in a solid 25-30+ knots and a large seaway, not full survival conditions but quite uncomfortable and potentially boat breaking. Our focus and aim for the first 24 hours was to keep the boat in one piece and stay in touch with the other two more powerful Super Maxis, Law Connect and Scallywag, who were more suited to the hard upwind conditions. The harbour start was fast and furious with the Maxis reaching the Manly turning mark in five minutes at 20+ knots before settling into a hard upwind slog south with a J4 and a reef in the main. The first night wasn’t extreme wind wise but the main problem was the seaway. Large waves with no backs on them made for lots of slamming throughout the night but the boat held up well sailing with two reefs and a J4 jib but there were many crew members suffering ‘internal’ issues, mainly their stomachs trying to exit their bodies, myself included! By early on the 28th we had made it across Bass Strait and found ourselves neck and neck with Law Connect and a light air tactical battle ensued down the Tassie coast. It was a nervous day on board with the two Super Maxis within three nautical miles of each other with each team having their turn at gaining the advantage. I spent many hours at the top of the mast searching for wind and fortunately we were the first boat to wriggle ourselves into the new breeze and slip away. To huge relief on board we coasted past the Battery Point finish line to the sound of cannon fire in the early hours of the third day. The elation and emotion level was high as Black Jack has had some hard luck stories over the years and we certainly weren’t the bookies favourites this year. It was a special victory for the team and for our owner Peter Harburg who has put so much into the sport over the last 15 years. In typical fashion the Black Jack crew celebrated long and hard well into the following day at the Customs House Hotel with a few ice cold beverages. The 2021 Sydney to Hobart Race was a hard slog with a step back to the more classical Hobart races of old. I will be happy though for a return next year to the sleigh rides we’ve all become used to recently!

History My racing started in Holdfast Trainers at Largs Bay Sailing Club and progressed through to sailing keel boats at the RSAYS and CYCSA as a teenager in the 1990s. I then moved to Sydney to complete a sail making apprenticeship with North Sails during which I had the opportunity to crew aboard many of the latest boats to come out in that era including all of the Alfa Romeo/Shockwave maxis and competing in the strong Farr40 and Sydney 38 fleets that raced in Sydney and overseas at the time. In 2004 I signed up with the US challenger for the Americas Cup, BMW Oracle, as a sailmaker. I am lucky enough to have sailed on many fantastic yachts and fleets including TP52s, RC44s, classic J class Velsheda and be involved in several maxi campaigns such as the Alfa Romeos and Comanche. I completed two full around the world Volvo Ocean Races including winning overall with Ericsson Racing Team in 2009. Some sailing highlights include winner overall of the 2008/9 Volvo Ocean Race, third overall of the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race, current and previous holder of the World 24 hour Monohull Speed Record, current TP52 world champion, three times RC 44 world champion, multiple time Maxi world champion, completed 17 Sydney to Hobart Races including winning line honours six times and multiple line honours winner of the Transpac, Fastnet, Bermuda, Caribbean 600 and Transatlantic Races.

2021 Sydney to Hobart Race For this race I was on board the line honours winner Black Jack in the role of trimmer/sail coordinator. We had a plan to stay to the western side of the other 100 footers in anticipation of a westerly shift for crossing Bass Strait. Fortunately this more inshore route also kept us out of the worst of the weather. The long skinny boat has a relatively comfortable motion in an upwind seaway and we did not have any major issues that first night despite upwind boat speeds of over 13 knots. We woke on the second day to find ourselves with a decent lead and continued to try and extend that in the light air reaching down the Tassie coast.

History Having grown up in Port Lincoln sailing everything from Holdfast Trainers to Rainbows, the progression into keel boats was a natural one once I moved to Adelaide. During this time I was lucky enough to compete with some of the best sailors and owners in the sport. After several years sailing out of the CYCSA I spent the majority of my career competing and sailing in the America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race, all of which put me in good stead to try to be part of a winning team in the Sydney to Hobart.

2021 Sydney to Hobart Race - from the sidelines! After the disappointment of the Sydney to Hobart not being sailed in 2020, a solid 2021 campaign was put together with the sole purpose of trying to win in 2021 aboard the Jim Cooney owned Volvo 70, Willow. Jim assembled some of the great names in the modern era of the sport and I was lucky enough to be part of this team. After a month long lead in to the race and all teams testing for COVID19 prior to the start, we had four positive tests aboard Willow which included myself. From 1000 on 24 December I was in quarantine with the tough decision from the owner of the boat to not compete made on Christmas Day. I certainly didn’t miss being out there on the first night but seeing the boats finishing up the Derwent was done with a serious amount of envy. In order to still be part of the race, as part of Bar Karate - The Sailing Podcast, I, along with my Bar Karate colleagues, over-analysed every manoeuvre down the east coast of Australia and up to the finish with our twice daily live Facebook updates. Whilst disappointing to not be out there, many a laugh and fun was had navigating from my armchair!!

History I stepped onto a boat for the first time in 2011 when a family friend asked if I wanted to come for a twilight race on his Jeanneau 34 at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club in Melbourne. The conditions for the race were not ideal for a first timer given it was blowing 20-25 knots with a choppy sea state but, regardless, I instantly fell in love with the sport and quickly found myself doing as many deliveries as I could to get as many sea miles as possible. Since moving to Adelaide and joining the CYCSA in 2014 I have been a part of successful campaigns as a trimmer on White Knight and now as the tactician on Magic.

2021 Sydney to Hobart Race The 2021 Rolex Sydney to Hobart was my fifth trip south having completed every race since 2016. I was also the highest placed race entrant in the 2020 VirtualRegatta Sydney to Hobart finishing 96th out of about 160,000 total entrants. I competed in the 2021 Rolex Sydney to Hobart on the Reichel Pugh 46 Hartbreaker. Some members may recognise Hartbreaker as the former Hardy’s Secret Mens Business. Hartbreaker has been owned by Antony Walton and sailed out of the Royal Brighton Yacht Club since 2013 and has finished every Sydney to Hobart since 2014 making it one of the more reliable boats in the fleet. Initially I was brought on board as the bowman but after sailing a few Sydney to Hobarts with Hartbreaker, I have managed to graduate to the back of the boat, competing this year as a trimmer and helmsman. We had a smooth lead up to the race delivering the boat to Sydney five days prior to the start with no major issues. Unfortunately this all changed 15 minutes before we docked out on Boxing Day when our 2IC was informed he was a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. He made the decision to remain behind as he could not guarantee that he didn’t have the virus. This was a huge blow to morale and we all felt a bit flat leading up to the start. This didn’t last long as we had a roaring start. We hit the line on the gun, unfurled the Code-0 and left a good chunk of the fleet in our wake. The boats on the first line beat us out but we were the first out of the rest. We made our turn south(ish) and settled in for the long beat. We were quite comfortable in 20-25 knots on the nose for the first few hours but eventually we hit the wall of wind that was forecast. I was helming when we saw the rain coming. We were expecting up to 35 knots underneath it so we got to work shortening sails. We had just started putting in the second reef when it hit. The sea state immediately became a handful as we had made it into the current with two to three metre short fetch waves with very little behind them. It was a challenge not falling off the back and slamming the bow, especially given visibility was near zero and not helped by the activity trying to reef the main. Once the main was taken care of we set up to peel from the J3 to the J5. This is when the conditions took a real turn for the worse. I saw one gust to 41 knots but one of the other crew swears he saw 45 knots. However, the rain was the worst of it. The rain was being blown into us with so much force it felt like 1000 needles stabbing you at once. I was asked to stay on the helm for as long as possible as my glasses meant I was the only one that could actually look forward as my eyes were somewhat protected. Despite this the bow team performed a flawless peel and in no time we were setup for the conditions and pushing the boat to its limits. We stayed with this setup for the next 24 hours until the conditions started easing as we approached Bass Strait. Eventually we were back onto the J2 with a full main pushing through the light air. We did get one fantastic squirt of 25 knots from the north at the top of Tasmania which let us have a bit of fun for a few hours with the A4 spinnaker and a staysail. This is where our top boat speed for the race of 21.7 knots was set. Sadly the fun only lasted three hours or so before we were back to beating. We eventually made it around Tasman Island on the fourth morning before being gifted with a great run up Storm Bay in a 20 knot south westerly wind which let us carry the kite all the way to the finish. We crossed the line after four days, four hours and 51 minutes in 15th place, the best ever result for the boat. All in all it was a hard but thoroughly enjoyable race. I am already counting down to Boxing Day 2022!

History Like so many young sailors it was always an ambition of mine to compete in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. I started my sailing journey at 12 years old through a school program at the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club and continued through high school. After a brief hiatus while I was at University I got back into the sport through the Adelaide University Sailing Club and its affiliation with the CYCSA. Starting in J24s for a few years I was then lucky enough to get a ride on Academy 1 for the 2017 Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race and my sailing grew from there. I have been sailing regularly with The Tribe since late 2017 and sailed the 2021 Winter Series on Magic. Through some networking I was lucky enough to get involved with Carrera S in early 2020, a Martin 49 based at Sandringham in Melbourne. Carrera S has provided me with some amazing ocean racing highlights with winning the 2021 Melbourne to Port Fairy Race and competing in the Brisbane-Gold Coast qualifier this year, the first time it has been run.

2021 Sydney to Hobart Race In terms of the race for 2021 I think it was half the challenge just to get to the start line. After going to Sydney for the Cabbage Tree Island Race on 3 December I was unlucky enough to catch COVID 19 and end up in hotel quarantine for two weeks. Sitting in a hotel for two weeks was not exactly how I had envisaged preparing for the pinnacle of yacht racing in Australia but, as we all know, over the last two years the only certainty is uncertainty and sometimes you just need to roll with the punches. I was the mast-man on Carrera S and when the foredeck was settled with no sail changes I would assist with trim. Earlier I mentioned the 2017 Lincoln race which was coincidentally the last time I got sea sick. Getting through the first night was the toughest one to get through and everything seemed to get a little easier after that. The highest wind we saw was 40 knots so all the reefing points got a good workout. It is a difficult feeling to describe in a way as even though I was a bit unwell I knew this is what I had been working towards for the last few years and that it was time to dig deep and get on with it which, on reflection, is probably the most amazing thing about the race. You need to look within yourself and find some gears to shift to that you didn’t even know you had. After making it though the first night the rest of the race was reasonably pleasant for us. We had some issues that needed to be sorted out after the first night which probably saw us fall a little further back in the fleet than we liked. We had a good tussle up the coast with a good friend of mine on Heartbreaker who ended up crossing the line around 1.5 hours ahead of us. We finished 18th overall and 8th in Division 2 IRC. I would like to take this opportunity to firstly thank all the owners, skippers and crew who have supported me and

my sailing development and ambition over the years at the CYCSA, too many to mention here individually. Secondly I would like to thank Gerry Cantwell and the crew of Carrera S for taking a chance on me with the Sydney to Hobart crew. Finally, a word of advice to all the young and aspiring sailors out there, just go for it. The Sydney to Hobart is a really tough race but the training, preparation and the race itself will show you a side of yourself you didn’t know you had. It is certainly one of the most challenging but most rewarding experiences I have ever had. See you out there!

History I started sailing in a Holdfast Trainer at Largs Bay Sailing Club at the age of ten progressing through 12ft Cadets and on to 420s. My first keel boat was an Admiral 21 to cruise the Swan River and Rottnest Island at 22 with my mates. This progressed to an S80, to a 31ft offshore boat, a Mumm 30, an Etchell in parallel with Aikin, a Ker 11.3 with David Oliver (Oli). This personal sailing enabled external opportunities resulting in Hobarts and national competition initially with Bob Francis on Renegade and my first Hobart settling into a constant touring role with Geoff Boettcher on SMB and the odd opportunity out of Sydney and Melbourne. The Ker 11.3 allowed myself and Oli to offer some of the same opportunities to others that Bob and Geoff gave us. These rides and boats have enabled a few wins in Geelong and Hamilton Island, a few Hobart records and two Tattersall wins that have made the ride thus far even more rewarding but, most importantly, the camaraderie and true friendships that have been made is what I treasure.

2021 Sydney to Hobart Race This year’s Hobart was not as planned and I joined Gordon Ketelbey’s TP52, Zen, again following their win in the Cabbage Island race. The lead up to the race, apart from the pending southerly belting and complexity of getting round the high pressure system at the bottom of Tasmania, was all about COVID and the associated protocols both in getting into Tassie and protecting the boat’s right to enter right up to Rapid Testing before leaving the dock knowing it was all off with one positive reading from the 13 of us in the crew. Following a great start on the east end of the line with a Code Zero to A2 peel to the bottom mark rounding with plenty on, we managed to be the first TP52 out the heads. We had a great first five hours short tacking a fleet of 52s in a building southerly breeze in torrential rain with about 100m visibility as we headed east for a favourable current, more breeze and sharper swell. While it was unpleasant, it was hard not to have a smile on your face when racing that hard. Having said all of that, the boat was launching off of two to three metre waves with no backs to them and the physical rodeoing was brutal to all. Unfortunately our owner was thrown across the forepeak of the boat below deck and sustained multiple breaks to the arm and dislocation to his shoulder and after applying first aid and strapping him into a bunk with appropriate pain relief, the call was sadly made to return to Sydney to seek more substantial medical care. Our race was over after only 10 hours and with a quick ‘send it’ back, we made it the 80nm we had already sailed. It was time to drown our sorrows with some fellow retirees and sit back and watch how others played the race out. History I started sailing when I was eight years old and have loved the sport of sailing in Herons, Lasers, Sharpies and Solings. I was fortunate enough to be selected in South Australia’s America’s Cup Defence Campaign as navigator. After the Cup I navigated in two Australian Admirals Cup teams, three World One Ton Cups, three Fastnet Races and 19 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races and was fortunate to navigate Secret Mens Business in Geoff Boettcher’s 2010 overall win and have continued to sail on Secret Mens Business for the last twelve years.

2021 Sydney to Hobart Race I was navigator on No Limit, a 63-foot Reichel-Pugh design. We had a fair start and were tenth out of the harbour. The plan was to get well offshore into the East Coast current (warm water) that was running south at up to 2.7 knots. Conditions in the late afternoon freshened to 30-35 knots with heavy rain. The seas were about four to five metres with waves with ‘no backs’ in the warm water. We fell off a big wave just on dark and one of our guys off watch was in the centre top pipe berth. The berth collapsed off the wall of the hull and catapulted him six metres across the yacht into a ring frame and he fractured his arm/shoulder in three places! We retired and returned to Sydney arriving back at 1am.

Overall Winner Ichi Ban. Photo credit: Salty Dingo