Record tipped to fall

Anniversary race thriller

TASMANIAN yacht AdvantEdge is one of four boats expected to break the Melbourne to Hobart yacht race record and make the 50th anniversary Westcoaster even more memorable.

Andrew Jones and his allTasmanian crew of 12 will take on Victorian trio MRV (David King), Hartbreaker (Anthony Walton) and Extasea (Paul Buchholz) in the challenging run across Bass Strait and down Tasmania’s West Coast, starting on Tuesday.

The front runners have a projected finishing time of 9pm on Wednesday, which would be an elapsed time of 1 day and 9 hours, which would smash the race record by more than eight hours.

Forecasters predicted perfect conditions for the 50 entries at the start with a spinnaker run in a light east to north-easterly breeze of seven to 10 knots.

“As the yachts head into Bass Strait, they will welcome a consistent 15-knot easterly breeze, offering near perfect conditions for the fleet in the first half of the race,” said an ORCV official.

“The weather models are offering mixed messages to the fleet as they approach Macquarie Harbour, before picking up again for a sleigh ride across the southern coast of Tasmania to the finish line on the River Derwent.”

Victorian Jason Close, skipper of 44-footer Patriot, is making his race debut.

“We are expecting some stiff competition from Jazz Player [Brent McKay] and Ryujin [Alex Toomey], but if the breeze is light, expect it to be a small boat race,” Close said.

In the annual pre-race event, the Cock of the Bay, the day belonged to King, with his 61-footer MRV setting a new record, finishing the race in less than three hours, shaving one hour and 13 minutes off the previous record.

Melbourne skipper Gerry Cantwell’s boat Carrera S finished second, followed by another Victorian, Rob Date, aboard Scarlet Runner.

MRV now looms as line honours favourite in the anniversary race, despite strong competition from a quality fleet.

The 435-nautical mile Melbourne to Hobart race, organised by the ORCV with the Derwent Sailing Squadron, starts off Portsea Pier at 12pm.