Tasmanians leading two-handers down coast

TASMANIAN sailors Tristian Gourlay and Jamie Cooper last night had sailed Force Eleven into first place on corrected time in the two-handed division of the Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster yacht race.

The majority of yachts in this year’s 480-nautical mile race across Bass Strait, down Tasmania’s West Coast and passing Maatsuyker Island, are sailing two-up. The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria introduced the division as a qualifier for the 5000-nautical mile Melbourne to Osaka, Japan, race in March.

Two Tasmanian yachts are in the two-handed division, Force Eleven and Morning Mist sailed by Tamar Yacht Club vice-commodore Jo Breen and Joanne Harpur.

Though last in fleet, Morning Mist revelled in the strong westerly winds off the West Coast yesterday, making 10 knots on a close reach, and is seventh in the two-handed division on handicap.

Meanwhile, one of Melbourne’s fastest ocean racing yachts, Lawrence Ford’s Spirit of Down Under, late last night was on course to take line honours in the race.

Early in the evening Spirit of Down Under had passed South-East Cape and was fast reaching up the seaward coast of Bruny Island, with 58 naut- ical miles to sail and nearly 20 nautical miles ahead of nearest rivals Jaffa (Terry Posma) and Bandit (Ashley Trebilcock), which were rounding Maatsuyker Island.

Ocean Racing Club of Victoria race officers said they did not expect Spirit of Down Under to finish until the early hours of this morning.

“Addiction, Lord Jiminy and Blue Chip all reported hitting 14 knots,” reported ORCV spokesman Neville Rose.

“Even Morning Mist, the smallest boat in the fleet, was making high speeds, although she is still last. Jaffa and Bandit have been duelling all the way down the coast, just half a mile apart for most of the day.”