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Damien Parkes says sailing skills to the fore

Home 2024 Damien Parkes says sailing skills to the fore

DENALI, Sail n: 52569, OWNER/SKIPPER: Damien Parkes, STATE: NSW, DESIGN: TP52, LOA: 15.9, CLASS: IRC, YEAR BUILT: 2008

Damien Parkes TP52 Denali tested the skills of all on board before finishing 17th over the line in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Sunday.

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Parkes’ boat snapped its boom halfway down the Tasmanian coast.

Asked what happened, he was typically succinct: “It broke.”

“We were hard running, probably too much, when it went,” said the 36 Sydney Hobart veteran.

“It’s broken there before,” he said.

“We were across Bass Strait, so that was okay.”

He said they then needed to use their sailing skills and energy to continue, racing under Trysail in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s annual 628 nautical mile race.

He said it was hard running the spinnaker at night on the first day, which was a challenge.

Parkes said the crew pulled up well, with no injuries – “just a bit of sea sickness”.

“We had four or five young ones this time who hadn’t done a Hobart before, and that’s a good experience for them,” he said.

“They have been blooded, well and truly.

Denali's crew sailing into the Derwent River.     Image: Rolex | Andrea Francolini

“We came up the Derwent and thought it was all over at 8 o’çlock this morning, and then we spent hours with no wind.”

Steve Dettre/RSHYR Media