Allen’s fleet favourite

Latest Ichi Ban incarnation purpose built for Boxing Day

MATT Allen insists his Sydney to Hobart handicap fancy is race ready despite being the newest boat in the fleet.

Allen’s latest Ichi Ban, a TP 52, has contested a handful of races but has performed well enough to be many pundits’ overall favourite this year.

“We’ve had a few reasonably rough races to test things,” Allen said.

“We feel like we’ve done exactly the right amount. We know how to sail the boat, we’ve tested the boat, we’ve had enough time on the boat and I think we’re ready to go.” Allen’s boat has already been lauded by arguably her biggest threat.

“Ichi Ban for me is the standout boat, she owes us a bit of time on handicap but she’s purpose built for this race,” said Adrian Stead, the tactician aboard Italian Cookson 50 Mascalzone Latino 32, widely considered the best overall contender of the 27 overseas entrants.

“If I could press a button and build, I’d probably build something fairly similar to that, it’s a very good boat.”

One race stalwart warned it can take quite a while for a new yacht to hit its peak.

“I know in Loki, it took us three years to win the race and it really took us three years to get the boat fully optimised,” said navigator Michael Bellingham, who this year is sailing on the 46-foot Patrice, another well regarded handicap contender.

The mid-sized boats look to be favoured by the forecast with the overall winner possibly emerging from the 11 TP52s or the three Cookson 50s. “It’s probably the best fleet of 46 to 55 footers that you’ll see anywhere in the world, it’s an incredible fleet of boats,” Allen said.

“I would have thought it’s a pretty good chance that whoever wins out of them will win the race.”

Mascalzone Latino 52 has racked up several wins over the last couple of years, taking overall honours in the 2016 Middle Sea race and this year winning Class A in the ORC world championships and the Hong Kong to Vietnam race. “It’s down to whether the weather is right for us and also down to us to make the right decisions and sail the boat smartly and safely,” Stead said.

If the forecast proves accurate, it’s unlikely any of the four supermaxis could pull of a line and overall honours double as Wild Oats has done twice, though the 80-foot Beau Geste could be up there.

Last year’s overall winner, the Volvo 70 Giacomo is back campaigning as Wizard under new owners, American brothers David and Peter Askew.