Posted: 24th Oct 2011.
By Zoe Hawkins for My Sailing website.
Despite very optimistic forecasts yesterday it seemed almost too much to hope for that the sub-six hour record would finally be broken in the NZMYC Coastal Classic, but TeamVodafoneSailing did it when they crossed the finish line in five hours, 44 minutes and 31 seconds.
For the owner of TeamVodafoneSailing, Simon Hull, the win and race record marked the fruition of a long term dream. He always knew that owning a fast multihull was the only way of eventually ensuring a race record, and the notion of purchasing an Orma 60 was borne out of his Coastal Classic attempts in keelboats.
To average a speed of around 20 knots for the duration of the race, TeamVodafoneSailing peaked at 34.8 knots of boatspeed on the racecourse, and saw extended periods of over 30 knots. They put their first reef in the main at Kawau and a second at the Hen and Chicks, as the breeze rose to over 30 knots from the South-West. 52qsd
They cleared Cape Brett by about two nautical miles, but still fell into the light patch infamous in that area during a South-Westerly, a trap that in 2010 cost them nearly an hour of waiting.
TeamVodafoneSailing was followed into Russell by Roger Pagani’s catamaran, Triple 888, at 1924 hours, and Taeping at 1952 hours. The race started at 1000hrs.
Dirty Deeds finished thirty minutes outside the record for smaller multihull boats, and without absolutely perfect South-Easterly sailing conditions.
Click here to see full results and to read the full story on the My Sailing Website.
Click here to visit the NZMYC Coastal Classic website
