Roofer and former Wallaby winger Mick Martin has signed his TP52 up for the double header of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race starting December 26 then a quick refuel and delivery back to Sydney for the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise ocean race starting January 2, 2018. Credit: Hamilton Island Photograghy

That’s close to 2000 nautical miles of ocean racing and deliveries over a 10 day period.

Currently a strong fleet of 29 boats are listed with only two more days to enter The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s annual summertime Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta consisting of the ocean race then a four day short course series hosted by the RPAYC’s finish partner, Southport Yacht Club.

Enter herebefore December 15, 2017 to avoid a late fee.

Martin’s Newcastle based 52-footer Frantic will race under the South Korean flag as Sonic in the Boxing Day ocean classic for the second year running. On reaching the finish line in Hobart the delivery crew will double back to Sydney quick time so Frantic can be among the starters on January 2. Frantic is the frontrunner for the new World Sailing Speed Record Council fastest course time.

Following on from its inception in January 2017, RPAYC registered its major offshore event with the WSSRC and the 2018 line honours victor will automatically set the course record for further challengers to better.

“As soon as the boat gets to Hobart we are banging it back for the Pittwater to Southport race with some of the delivery guys plus back up crew off the bench,” Martin said, easily intermingling his sailing and rugby terminology. 

The owner/skipper is hoping for a southerly tailwind heading north in the New Year coastal race, an event he says is easy to enter and easy to do. “We like heading north, there’s much less paperwork than going south.”

Sally and James Crowley’s J122 called Javelin is one of six Queensland entrieswho will U-turn in the opposite direction to Frantic. They must make their way south along the NSW coastline to the RPAYC and race start at the entrance to Broken Bay, and then return north for the 370 nautical mile battle to the finish line off Southport on the beautiful Queensland Gold Coast.

The Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Race, the annual Category 2 ocean race organised by the RPAYC continues to prove to be an important part of the offshore racing calendar, a great stepping stone for many offshore crews with ambitions of competing in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race now has another draw; as it will be included in the World Sailing Speed Record Council’s Ocean Race Records. 

AUSTRALIAN SAILING (WORLD SAILING/RYA SYLLABUS)

To be held at the Royal Motor Yacht Club Clubrooms, 2-3 December, 46 Prince Alfred Parade, Newport, NSW 2106. 

Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise continues to grow and now competitors’ will be chasing a World Speed Sailing record.

The entry list for January’s Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta continues to grow with a quality fleet of boats coming from Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand for the 2 January race start.

In addition to IRC, ORCi and Performance handicap categories and Line Honours trophies which includes a newly commissioned Perpetual Trophy for Overall IRC winner, this year’s Fleet will also be aiming to establish a World Sailing Speed Record for the course from Pittwater to Southport which has been recognised by the World Speed Sailing Records Council. www.sailspeedrecords.com

The RPAYC's Rear Commodore Sal Ridulfo is one of the latest entries in his Beneteau First 44.7 Racer/Cruiser Galileo who is looking forward to restarting his east coast bluewater racing after a few years gap from his previous forays north to Southport and Mooloolaba in his previous boat Plus 16 a Farr11.16.

Entries close on December 1 for the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta and so far a healthy international fleet of 25 yachtsranging in size and concentrated in the 40-50ft zone are starters for the race north and chance to compete in subsequent Queensland state championships as part of the annual Bartercard Sail Paradise Series.

There is still time to enter the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta here.

The 370 nautical mile coastal race, between Broken Bay and Southport on the Queensland Gold Coast starting at 1pm on January 2, 2018, is both an endurance and tactical test. Crews will dedicate every hour to covering the distance in the quickest time for the chance to be named the overall winner and highly contested IRC category winner, who will take home a striking new custom-made perpetual trophy.

Host club, The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, is delighted to announce that the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Race has been officially recognised by the World Sailing Speed Record Council and the 2018 line honours result will be recorded, and then be open to subsequent challenges.

Sailing manager Brendan Rourke says, “We encourage the likes of the TP52s and others of that size range not doing the Rolex Sydney Hobart to seriously consider such a rare opportunity in Australian waters, to be included in the WSSRC’s record books.”

Mick Martin’s TP52 Frantic and Bob Cox’s DK46 Nine Dragons out of Middle Harbour are both likely starters and in that case would be the leading contenders for a WSSRC listing, unless a bigger boat comes in over the top.

This year’s Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta will now crown a new Queensland state champion. At the conclusion of the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise (Pittwater to Gold Coast) race, a four-day regatta off the Gold Coast beaches, the Bartercard Sail Paradise Regatta, will now host the Queensland IRC Yachting Championships. 

The title will be open to all competitors, Nationwide. 

The host club for the regatta, the Southport Yacht Club, are excited about adding the state title to their annual premier regatta.

Southport Yacht Club Vice Commodore Ray McMahon said yesterday "we are ecstatic about adding the official state title to our regatta. It’s an exciting regatta that will now crown an official state champion".

The Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta will attract yachts from Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand. It is the largest sailing regatta annual held on the Gold Coast.

Ray McMahon went on to say, "it will have a real 'State of Origin' feel with the traditional New South Wales v Queensland rivalry. The NSW teams are very formidable but once they cross into our waters we won't be giving them any favour. Plus add in the New Zealand contingent and its 'game on'. We WON'T be letting a visiting boat take our state title home”.

Media Release                                                                   18 September 2017

Event: Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta January 2 – 9, 2018 hosted by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW) & Southport Yacht Club (QLD)

Rikki’s new Aussie adventure

New Zealand yacht Rikki is confirmed for the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta and the bright red Reichel-Pugh 42 is due to arrive in Pittwater mid-December, well in time for the single line start on January 2, 2018.

Owner Ray Haslar has lost count of the number of Tasman Sea crossings he’s made for various Australian East Coast bluewater events including 15 Rolex Sydney Hobarts and three of the Cruising Yacht Club’s midwinter Sydney Gold Coast races. 

He’s decided this is the year to bring his one-off RP design built in 2011 from its Bay of Islands home to Aussie shores for a new adventure.

“Personally I like coming to Oz, it makes for a real adventure and the competition is always good,” Haslar said from abroad. “For the crew from Kerikeri Cruising Club it will be their first Pittwater to Paradise Regatta and we’re looking forward to it. Having a series after the coastal race makes the long trip worthwhile for us.”

Other than removing 300kg off the bulb given the boat was originally built a little too stiff, long-time yachtsman Ray and wife Lesley have campaigned Rikki without major alteration and taken out local titles including overall winner of New Zealand’s prestigious 2015 Coastal Classic Yacht Race.

Weather permitting Haslar estimates a seven day crossing from Kerikeri in the North Island to clear customs at Newcastle, north of Sydney, around December 14. The timing allows a couple of weeks to recover and make the switch from delivery to racing mode before the Kiwi crew fly in and the New Year race starts from a laid line to the north of Palm Beach headland at 1300hrs on January 2.

Having sampled success in the most recent Sail Paradise Series on the Gold Coast, Southport Yacht Club’s Fred Bestall has already signalled his intention to go for the double – victory in both the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta and the Bartercard Sail Paradise 2018 series. 

Bestall is the first Queenslander to enter both events with his impressive 46-footer, Auric’s Quest, a Nelson/Marek design that took top honours in Sail Paradise last January.

Now, with the inaugural 370-nautical mile Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta scheduled to start on January 2, and Bartercard Sail Paradise 2018 just four days later, Bestall has decided to try for the double.
“I’m really looking forward to putting the yacht and crew to the test in both events,” Bestall said when lodging what was the first Queensland entry for Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s race from Pittwater. “It promises to be an exciting race, one that should suit Auric’s Quest.

“Bartercard Sail Paradise, which is hosted by our club, Southport Yacht Club, will then give us the chance to show crews from the south what hospitality we can deliver, and the wonderful sailing we enjoy here on the Gold Coast.”

The Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta will be the longest offshore test Bestall and his crew have undertaken since the yacht was purchased some two years ago.

When yachtsman Robert Alpe decided to move into bluewater racing with the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club he looked Australia-wide for the right boat and eventually chose a Fremantle based 32-footer he then sailed 2,500 nautical miles home to Pittwater with a small delivery crew. 

Stealth is a Kim Swarbrick designed 9.9m aluminium sloop built in 1998 by Australia 2 boat builder Steve Ward and named due to its unpainted aluminium finish resembling the bomber aircraft of the same name.

The boat is one of a growing list of entries for next January’s Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta opening event, an offshore race starting just north of Palm Beach headland on January 2.

For 2018 the RPAYC’s flagship ocean race has been combined into a new regatta format and combined pointscore with the Bartercard Sail Paradise Series, conducted by Southport Yacht Club on the Queensland Gold Coast January 6-9. This joint venture between two prominent, forward-thinking and friendly yacht clubs has created a perfect opportunity for sailors to stay on the Gold Coast with their families or friends and enjoy some great racing off Southport’s golden beaches.

Download the Notice of Race hereand enter here. Owners can choose to enter the monohull, multihull or short-handed categories and be scored under all of the popular handicap systems - IRC, ORCi and PHS.