Zoe sets course for island races
TOWNSVILLE yacht Zoe is cruising towards the upcoming Magnetic Island Race Week after scoring line honours at Port Douglas.
Zoe won Division One of the Port Douglas Race Week after nosing ahead of keen Cairns rival Impulse towards the end of the two- day event, while fellow Townsville boat Shiraz finished third.
Zoe will next compete at the Hamilton Island Race Week starting on August 19 before its home event starting August 31.
The Townsville- based Murray 41 design, a familiar sight at the Townsville Yacht Club, has flown Townsville’s flag at Magnetic Island Race Week for more than a decade, and co- owner Wayne Millar is confident she can do it again.
“I think the most important thing will be keeping the same crew,” Millar said.
“It’s familiarity that wins a regatta and if we can get the same 10 for Townsville that would be extremely ideal.
“We had a great crew in Port Douglas and it was good teamwork that got us over the line.”
Skippered by popular local Mark Vickers, Zoe has raced in regattas all over Australia and is a four- time winner of the Port Douglas Race Week.
Millar and Vickers have just about seen everything there is to see in sailing as well, and they experienced the worst of it during the 1998 Sydney to Hobart.
Competing on board Townsville sloop B- 52, the pair and their crew lost radio contact with race officials and were overturned by a huge wave which smashed the mast and washed Vickers overboard.
Vickers swam 50m back to the boat and got back on deck, before another wave righted the boat.
Conditions were clearly at the lower of the scale in Port Douglas but still challenging, with officials issuing a strong wind warning before started around midday.
Zoe then sailed a consistent campaign to see Millar become the first owner to win the Port Douglas regatta with three different boats. racing
“I think having my son Sam as part of the crew was the most rewarding part of it,” Millar said.
“He’s a great crew member and I’m sure he’ll be with us throughout the year.”