Brannew

Brannew, an apt name for this near-new boat purchased by Chris Bran. The Beneteau First 40 Cruiser Racer is one of the youngest boats in the fleet, having being launched on the 29 February. Bran used the Audi Winter Series for crew training and to explore the inner workings of the boat, prior to her first major offshore outing - the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. Bran was most happy with 18th overall and an IRC Division 3 win.

Well aware of the many successful Beneteaus of this size range in the fleet, Bran is feeling confident in his purchase. "Based on her performance so far, which has been very encouraging, we expect her to be reasonably competitive, subject to the conditions during the race," he said.

"The Beneteau 40s' Achilles heel is wind below 14 knots; so we're hoping for 14 plus. My sail maker, Ian Short of Ian Short Sails, offered to help campaign the boat, bringing with him his extensive knowledge in producing optimised sails for Beneteau yachts."

Some of Short's own long-term crew will be aboard, along with a few of Bran's own long term crew from his previous boat. "We had a great time in the Audi Winter Series and we'll be campaigning the boat throughout the summer series in the lead up to Hobart," Bran confirmed.

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