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Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore 23/24

Winners announced for Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

• 08 Aug, 2023 03:34:00 PM

URM Group is the Overall winner of the 2023 Peter Rysdyk Memorial Trophy for the 2023 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, while Andoo Comanche has claimed Line Honours. This is the first in the six-race Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore 2023/24. Philosopher, sailed by David Henry and Stephen Prince, took first prize in the Two-Handed IRC division (as well as IRC Div 3), while other notable mentions go to Tempo (IRC Div 1) and Popeye (IRC Div 2).

In what was a quintessential Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, conditions split the fleet. Many sailors chose to head out to sea to hunt for breeze, while the remainder hugged the shoreline, taking chances in typical light to variable breezes. Whichever way the racing yachts chose to roam, it was a journey in which navigators and tacticians knocked heads throughout the night.

Hedging bets, some of the mid-size fleet chose to chart a course that incorporated both approaches.

In what was overall a slow race, the results show that those who bet big, with long trips out to sea, won out in the end. Prize-winning crews, speaking after the race, reported heading anywhere from 30 to 100 nautical miles out to sea, to seek the speed afforded by a stronger breeze. See full results  here.

Peter Rysdyk Memorial Trophy Winner, Overall Winner  URM Group , skippered by Marcus Ashley Jones said:

“It was a tactical race. Our original plan was to head out early, and then we ended up sticking to the coast, until about Newcastle. Then we decided to head out a bit more and we got up to about 60 miles off the coast. It was a long way out, we lost phone reception! But then we came back in and met the coast around Yamba and it paid off.”

Sailing Master Iain Murray on  Andoo Comanche  said: “The thing for  Andoo Comanche  is that she likes wind. We did end up 60 miles off the coast, which is a long way for a race that is only 384NM. That means that we actually sailed further, but we went out there to get the wind and to avoid the current. For us, the thought of being inshore, with not too much wind is something we put high on the risk factor, that’s something that we try to avoid.”

Veteran ocean sailor David Henry, who won the Two-Handed IRC division with his co-skipper Stephen Prince said he loves the Gold Coast race for the many tactical expressions it provides.

“As a winter race, the downside is that the weather is often like this - a very light westerly and as you go up, often a very light northerly, so it can be a slow race. Which means, for little boats like mine, it gives the little boats a chance, because the big boats often can’t get there quickly enough, to make up for their handicap and the little boats can.”

With only two withdrawals, a fleet of 55 boats arrived safely and smoothly at the finish off Main Beach, to celebrate with teammates and competitors and enjoy the warm hospitality of race finish partner Southport Yacht Club.

Commodore Arthur Lane, from race organiser Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, declared the race, a terrific success.

“The Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race is an annual event which always provides a wonderful test of the physical and mental strength of our competitors. I would like to congratulate all sailors who took part in 2023 on an amazing effort.”

Commodore of race finish partner, Southport Yacht Club, Drew Jones, said: “Southport Yacht Club is incredibly honored it have all the yachts competing in the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race this year, and while it could have been a bit windier, we are now just looking forward to presenting all of prize-winners with their trophies and awards this morning. I also want to extend my thanks to of all our staff and volunteers who have helped around the club over the last four days. They have helped to make it a wonderful event.”

The Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race is made possible, by naming rights sponsor The Noakes Group, a Group of marine companies that have supported sailing in Australia for more than 30 years.

The 2023 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Prizegiving yesterday brought the race week to a fitting close.

THE RESULTS

Competitors came together at  Southport Yacht Club  to celebrate the many divisional winners & placegetters & were extremely warm in their appreciation of the crews that had triumphed in what had been a challenging trip north.

Thanks again to the staff & volunteers that made the race possible & to  Noakes Group  &  Audi Centre Sydney  for their continued support.

2023 Results  

Overall Winner - Peter Rysdyk Memorial Trophy  

1st – URM Group (Anthony Johnston) 

IRC Overall  

2nd - Popeye (Craig Thomas) 

3rd – Tempo (Michael Smith) 

Division 0 IRC  

1 st  - URM Group (Anthony Johnston) 

2 nd  - Smuggler (Sebastian Bohm) 

3 rd  - Andoo Comanche (John Winning Jr) 

Division 1 IRC  

1st – Tempo (Michael Smith) 

2nd – Calibre 12 (Richard Williams) 

3rd – Pretty Woman (Richard Hudson) 

Division 2 IRC  

1st - Popeye (Craig Douglas) 

2nd – Mistral TH (Rupert Henry) 

3rd - Ginan (Nigel Jones and Cam Mackensie) 

Division 3 IRC   

1st – Philosopher (David Henry) Two Handed (TH) 

2nd - Verite (Paul Beath) 

3rd – Rum Rebellion (Shane Connelly) (TH) 

1 st  - Mako (Paul O’Rourke) 

2 nd  - She’s the Culprit (Glen Picasso) 

3 rd  - Reve (Kevin Whelan) 

Division 4 – Two-Handed IRC  

1st – Philosopher (David Henry & Stephen Prince) (TH) 

2nd - Mistral (Rupert Henry, Greg O’Shea) (TH) 

3rd – Rum Rebellion (Shane Connelly, and Andrew Downing) (TH) 

Corinthian IRC   

1 st  - Philosopher (David Henry) (TH) 

2 nd  - Calibre 12 (Richard Williams) 

3 rd  - Mistral (Rupert Henry) (TH)              

Corinthian PHS   

1 st  -  Calibre 12 (Richard Williams) 

2nd – Ausreo (Ian Creak) 

3 rd  - Pretty Woman (Richard Hudson) 

Line Honours  

1st - Andoo Comanche (John Winning Jr)                            

2nd – URM Group (Anthony Johnston) 

3rd - Whisper (David Griffith) 

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Full Standings available approximately three hours after the start.

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Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race: TP52 sailors prepare new boat in record time

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Moneypenny finishes the 2022 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. Photo: Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

2023 Sydney Gold Coast Opens

Entries have now opened for the 37th Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA). Competitors will start the challenging 384NM offshore race on Sydney Harbour at 1pm (AEST) Saturday 29 July, before heading up the NSW coast to finish off Main Beach on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Since it first launched in 1986, the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race has continued to grow in prestige. It is a key race in Australia’s offshore calendar and has become an important test bed for boats and crews in the lead up to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Early entrants to this year’s race include Geoffrey Hill’s Santa Cruz 72 Antipodes, Daniel Edwards’ M.A.T 1245 White Noise, Michael Smith’s Super40 Tempo and Richard Harris’ Cookson 50 Sticky. The first three TP52s entered have been Sebastian Bohm’s Smuggler, Andy Kearnan and Peter Wrigley’s KOA and Michael Spies’ Maritimo.

Early entrants in the two-handed division include Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea on the Lombard 34 Mistral, and two J/99s – Shane Connelly and Andrew Downing on Rum Rebellion and Peter Franki and Drew Jones on Salt Shaker. The 2022 race featured 13 two-handed entries and the fleet is expected to have strong representation again this year.

The Overall Winner of the 2022 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race was Sean Langman’s Reichel/Pugh 69 Moneypenny. This year, Langman, Managing Director of race sponsor Noakes Group, will not be competing due to being in the UK to race to race in the Rolex Fastnet Race with his son Peter on his 30-foot Maluka.

The 2022 Line Honours victor, Andoo Comanche, is expected to return to lead a strong fleet of maxi and mini maxis teams.

For a list of all the 2023 entrants registered to date click here .

The Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race is the opening race of the 2023/24 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, which features six races, culminating in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The 384 nautical mile course takes the fleet from the start line in Sydney Harbour to the finish off Main Beach in Queensland.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is the Race Organiser and Southport Yacht Club is the Race Finishing Partner, while Noakes Group is the Race Sponsor.

This year, the CYCA is moving to a single rating system (IRC) for its offshore races, with this change set to take effect from the 2023 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race and will apply to all races in the 2023/24 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore.

Official website www.goldcoast.cycaracing.com

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Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2023

The yachts - noakes sydney gold coast yacht race.

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December 16, 2022

Maritimo’s racing division launches its new tp52 yacht – maritimo 11.

Representing the Gold Coast and Queensland in the iconic 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, sailing yacht Maritimo 11 will depart Southport Yacht Club with a rousing send-off from Mayor Tom Tate, joined by 100 family, friends and supporters.

Friday 16 December, Maritimo 11 will begin its voyage south to the start line of the epic blue water race, which is celebrating its 77th edition this year with a strong fleet of 115 yachts.

The 628 nautical mile course is often described as the most grueling ocean race in the world, attracting sailors from around the world and the cream of Australian entries.

Maritimo 11 will compete in the 52-foot grand prix racing yachts class, against 12 other contenders, including two champion internationals.

The 15.85-metre yacht is a meticulously refurbished, Reichel Pugh-designed TP52 – a champion racing yacht brought to Australia from Mexico.

The TP52 was originally designed for the Transpac Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu and is a lean, light-weight yacht with few creature comforts for crew. There are around 80 of these carbon fibre yachts racing in all parts of the world, and they are extremely competitive.

The TPs have dominated Australian ocean racing including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in recent times and seem to enjoy a sweet spot under the IRC Handicap Rule that determines the overall winner of the Race.

In 2015, Paul Clitheroe’s TP52 Balance was declared the overall winner of the 2015 edition, and Matt Allens’ TP52, Ichi Ban is a three-time winner of the prestigious Race, taking home the Tattersall Cup in 2021, 2019 and 2017.

Maritimo founder, Bill Barry-Cotter could see the untapped potential in the TP52 he located in Fiji which was then transported to Maritimo’s Coomera headquarters where the yacht underwent a thorough refit, including new sails and all navigation equipment to bring her up to the latest safety and racing standards.

Maritimo is a proudly-Australian manufacturer and exporter of premium, long-range motor yachts, sending 60 percent of its vessels to dealerships in New Zealand, North America, South East Asia and Europe

Maritimo is unique as the only luxury motor yacht builder in the world with a dedicated racing division and world championship race team all in-house.

The majority of Maritimos destined for NZ travel across the Tasman on their own hulls, which is testament to their superior offshore cruising capabilities.

In 2021-22, Maritimo invested in a multi-million dollar expansion program to meet production demand from increased sales volumes. Integral to keeping pace with demand is the company’s focus on recruitment, training and development of the next generation of trades people.

Tom Barry-Cotter, Managing Director at Maritimo explains, “We are committed to finding, developing and training young boat builders, cabinet makers, laminators, Engineers, and R&D craftspeople with the right attitude and ambition.

“Over the years, our apprentices who are from all walks of life and backgrounds have become valued team members at Maritimo. One of our apprentices, Matthew Warren was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award from TAFE among more than 2,000 apprentices on the Gold Coast, across all industries and trades.”

The Maritimo Momentum Program covers in-house training, leadership skills, support and well-being, and offers both a Certificate II, and a Certificate IV qualification.

“We are extremely proud to be a Gold Coast manufacturer, with more than 300+ employees and motor yachts that are prized around the world,” states Tom.

“A testament to the skills and craftsmanship of our tradespeople, Maritimo 11 will be flying the flag for the Gold Coast in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.”

Michael Spies, veteran of 44 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race is at the helm and his crew of 14 includes Bill Barry-Cotter’s brother, Kendal, several champion sailors and Navigator Murray Spence.

Maritimo 11’s crew has an impress tally of 198 Rolex Sydney Hobart Races between the crew of 14.

14-year-old aspiring Olympic sailor, Addison Newlan who is supported by Maritimo in a yacht racing programme will be on Maritimo 11 on the sail down to Sydney. Addison raced with the crew during Hamilton Island Race week and will be part of the Maritimo 11 delivery crew, but will have to wait a few more years before she can compete due to the event’s age requirement of 18, but being part of the highly experience crew is an exceptional opportunity for the 14 year old school girl.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, VIP guests and supporters will farewell Maritimo 11 and wish her crew a safe and successful race south.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has become an icon of Australia’s summer sport, ranking among such popular national spectator events as the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open tennis and the Boxing Day cricket test. The Race start at 1pm Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour attracts thousands of pleasure craft and many thousands of spectators around the foreshores.

Following the Boxing Day start, you can track the progress of Maritimo 11 on the official race tracker.

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Big, bold, beautiful, and brilliant – an owner’s view of the Flagship M75

Our Maritimo experience is certainly wrapped up in the new M75 . We will go further afield as there is heaps of fuel on board, and the modern aesthetic is wonderful. We love what Maritimo has done with all of the spaces on board.

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