Trimaran Spirit in the Brisbane to Gladstone Race, Race report

Jason has updated his excellent blog with an account of the Brisbane to Gladstone race from onboard Spirit.

http://trimaranspirit.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/brisbane-to-gladstone-2013-race-report.html?spref=fb

Trimaran Spirit, video of the Brisbane to Gladstone Race from onboard

Jason owner/skipper of the modified Formula 40 trimaran Spirit has uploaded a video of the recent Brisbane to Gladstone Race.  They suffered from not having good sails and their light air screecher blowing out but still showed that the boat was competitive. 

http://youtu.be/3kTPuRn1CiE

Brisbane to Gladstone Race, Boss Racing takes line honours Cutsnake first on OMR handicap

From the following Sail-World article submitted by Peter Hackett

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Brisbane-to-Gladstone-Yacht-Race---Another-Easter,-another-Gladstone/108010

Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race - The Big One certainly delivered again for all fleets sailing on a really nice stretch of SE Qld coast this year. The predicted light wind start made us all work hard to get out of the bay before the tide turned, and in a premonition of the finish, Rob Dean on CutSnake showed his transoms to all of us at the start to set the pace for his team’s entire race.

From then the predicted SE change came through in the early afternoon to push the fleet north, and although the wind rarely got above 20 knots, the black skies and often heavy rain made it difficult to pick how much sail to hang on to, and which angle to maintain. The first night always sets the tone for races like this, and performance depended upon how carefully sails were chosen for the squalls that on some occasions remained stuck to us for hours. Some cells were wet, some were windy, and some sucked the wind out of our sails. Most boats reported speeds in excess of 20 knots and quite a few got to the magic 25 as we surfed down some the long swells.

The southeaster stayed in for a lot longer than predicted, and it wasn’t until most of the boats broke away from Breaksea Spit that the breeze clocked towards a soft northeaster. That then slowed the race down for the afterguard who had to downwind tack from Lady Elliot Island. As usual, the entrance to Gladstone Harbour slowed us all down for hours, and steering through the bright lights of shipping and industrial entrails burnt out every helmsman’s night vision.

read more here

Boss was powered up early with screacher unfurled - Allyacht Spars Brisbane to Gladstone Multihull Yacht Race -  Peter Hackett  

Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race- Light but fun

From the following Sail-World article submitted by Peter Hackett:

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Brisbane-to-Gladstone-Yacht-Race---Light-but-Fun!/107920

In the Allyacht Spars Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, the multihulls enjoyed a spectacular day on Moreton Bay with a spectator fleet in all forms of dress enjoying the view.

The predictable soft winds delayed the start until 11.30 am and as the wind direction settled, the blue book was thrown to the wind as more barges than on a dutch canal converged on the one or two boats that were on the right side of the line facing in the right direction. Individual recalls and some nearly angry words helped the fleet get away in the five knot northeasterly. 

read more here

Trimaran Spirit at the Start, Photo Peter Hackett

Brisbane to Gladstone Multihull Yacht Race

From the following Sail-World article submitted by Peter Hackett

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Brisbane-to-Gladstone-Yacht-Race---The-more-hulls-the-merrier/107886

The Allyacht Spars Brisbane to Gladstone Multihull Yacht Race for 2013 is heading off at 11.20 am from Shorncliffe this year. We are again sharing this end of the bay, and for the first time in years also sharing the startline with our monohull brothers who leave at 11.00 am. With any normal Easter weather pattern I would be looking forward to passing the guys on the first start, but this year the wind pattern is a bit tricky to plot such an attack.

With a light southwester at start time, we will all be bobbing around searching for good kite angles and waiting in trepidation for the fresh, but hopefully not too brief, 20 knot southerly storm change coming from the south. As with many Gladstones, the first night will dictate the order for the rest of the race, and the winning crew will be on the boat that can stay upright and in the breeze for as long as possible before it goes east and drops back to nothing on Saturday night. The next 24 hours of a slowly building northerly will then determine who gets the gold, but any boat that gets to Lady Elliot Island for a hard turn to port is going to have a very happy crew for the 75 mile (screacher please Hughie) reach from there to the entrance to Gladstone Harbour. I bag that watch on the tiller!

The fleet of nine multihulls reflects the drop in numbers in the monohull fleet to 26, these races are an exercise in logistics and the dollars needed are continuing to reduce the fleets. It is no secret that both organising clubs are looking seriously at how to bring back the big fleets that I remember from my first Gladstone in the 80's.

read more here

tracker should be here

Trimaran 'Spirit' a modified Formula 40 is competing in it's first Brisbane to Gladstone Race, Photo Peter Hackett