Nominations in from all Australian States

• NEWS
• 29 Sep, 2003 01:51:00 PM

Nominations in from all Australian States

The much-travelled Ice Fire, now owned in Western Australia, has been nominated for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2003

For the first time in four years,  yachts representing all States of Australia  and the Australian Capital Territory are likely to contest the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2003.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia today received an Application for Entry for the much-travelled Ice Fire, now owned in Western Australia by Hans Butter, a member of the Hillary's Yacht Club.

Ice Fire, a 13.45 metre sloop designed by New Zealander Alan Mummery,  will be the first WA yacht to contest the 630 nautical mile race since Red Jacket from Hilary's Yacht Club and Impulse from the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club raced in the 1999 race, each yacht winning its IMS handicap division.

Nominations have already been received from owners in New South Wales,  Queensland, Tasmania,  Victory and South Australia and an entry is expected from a Canberra yachtsman whose offshore racing yacht is based at Pittwater.

Since 1990,  Ice Fire has competed in almost every ocean race on the Australian East Coast, as well as events from Auckland to Suva and Auckland to Noumea. Last year in WA she took line honours and first on IRC in both the Fremantle to Geraldton and the Fremantle to Bunbury and return races.

Owner Butter,  an experienced sailor in Europe and the Caribbean, and now living in Western Australia,  has put together an excellent crew, including Philippe Peche who crewed aboard Orange when it sailed around the world in 64 days to win the Jules Verne Trophy.

Another newcomer to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will be the Iain Murray & Associates-designed ILC40, Fuzzy Logic, now owned in Melbourne by Bill Lennon and Paul Roberts. 

Another early Victorian nomination is Chutzpah,  Bruce Taylor’s Sydney 38 which scored an outstanding overall victory in the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s Winter Series on Port Phillip.  Another half dozen Sydney 38s are expected to compete.

Tasmania will have at least two entries this year.  John Bennetto has confirmed he will be entering Mirrabooka in what will be his 43rd personal Sydney Hobart Race, a record for the event,  while Sydney yachtsman David Taylor is re-locating to Hobart and has nominated his Farr 37,  Pippin,  under the burgee of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

From Queensland, Craig Coulsen’s Trumpcard was the first nomination for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race,   while applications for entry have come from three South Australian boats,  Liberator (Geoff Catt), Reprieve (David Barnfield) and Pale Ale Rager (Gary Shanks).   No SA yachts competed in the 2002 race.

NSW nominations received by late September included Rod Skellet’s Krakatoa, Howard de Torres’ Nips-N-Tux, Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban and Andrew Short’s Andrew Short Marine,  the first of several Volvo 60s expected to nominate.

CYCA member Bob Steel has nominated last year’s Overall Winner, his Nelson/Marek 46, Quest, which is also the current Australian IRC Champion.