Prescott to push limit

Bruny Island winner boat to watch in overnighter

THE 73rd Maria Island Race fleet is looking forward to kinder weather conditions than last year’ s event.

The race start sat 7 pm from Cast ray Esplanade as the fleet sails the 180 nautical-mile race around Maria Island with the first finishers expected late Saturday night.

Last year’s race saw half of the fleet withdraw before the start due to the heavy weather forecast.

The boat to watch is 2Unlimited, sailed by Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania Governor’s Cup holder and Tasmanian Offshore Sailor of the Year Greg Prescott.

It won the four handicap groups in the J.J. Richards Bruny Island Race in February and won its division in the Australian Yachting Championship held on the River Derwent in January. Competition is expected from Mike

Pritchard’s Oskana, line honours favourite, and Midnight Rambler, sailed by Sydney-Hobart veteran Ed P salt is.

Several boats are sailing twohanded in preparation for the long ocean races next month and in January. The recently arrived Sidewinder, an Akilaria RC designed for shorthanded sailing, is being campaigned by Rob Gough and John Saul, and should be one to watch.

K ra ken 42 S, a Cook son 12 formerly known as Grace O’Malley, is being campaigned by Mark Bayles and Andrew Sinclair, and is expected to feature in the final wash-up.

RYCT’s Footloose, skippered by Stewart Geeves, Twitch, sailed by the Twitch Syndicate from the Bellerive Yacht Club, and Prion, skippered by Tom Macdonald and Nick Smith from the Derwent Sailing Squadron, will do battle for the honours among the 30foot boats in the fleet.