Martela

The distinctive dark blue hull and name, Martela, was easy to spot on the second start line of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race last year. Tony Williams and his crew, including 20 year-old son Zach, who will be aboard again this year, were happy with their 34^th overall, seventh in IRC Division 4 and ninth ORCi Division 3. They bettered their performance of 2011 and the plan is to up the ante again this year. It should not be a problem, as results in the last 12 months show.

In February, Martela finished IRC second overall in Tasmania’s Betsey Island Race. And in the Combined Clubs Long Race Series in March, after she got an early break on the fleet as it sailed down the Derwent in light winds, Martela led the fleet to the Iron Pot and went on to win the treble of AMS, IRC and PHS in Group 1 on corrected time. The final race victory gave Martela the summer season long race pennant under the major AMS scoring system, second overall under IRC and fourth under PHS scoring.

In 2012, Williams and crew won the Bellerive Yacht Club's 50 nautical mile overnight Isle of Caves race in both IRC and AMS categories after finishing an impressive fourth across the line, only 24 minutes astern of the line honours winner, The Fork in the Road.  

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