Apollo Bay Race 0905 Update- Fleet off Torquay

At the 0905hrs position reporting radio schedule the fleet was off Torquay.

 The line honours leader is Dekadence, followed by Spirit of Downunder, Halcyon, Dry White and then Mille Sabords.

Cloud IX and Addiction are hugging the coast so much so that they will be able to hear the dogs barking on-shore.  Amongst the fleet, White Noise is the yacht furthest to the east at the moment sailing at 6.5 nautical miles offshore.

It is very pleasant conditions on the Surf Coast this morning.  The sun is out and the morning drizzle is long gone.  The seas are flat and there is a nice SSW 15-18 knot breeze.   Fortunately the breeze is not directly on the nose.  With the breeze coming from 200 degrees and the heading for Apollo Bay bearing 225 degrees, the fleet will have to put in long port tacks and short starboard tacks to reach the finish line.

They're back! Fresh from their adventures in the Melbourne to Port Fairy race, Jeff Dusting and Grant Dunoon are tackling the 2012 Melbourne to Apollo Bay race this weekend.

Jeff says, 'I have a love of sailing, and when Grant asked me to join the crew for the Apollo Bay race, I jumped at the chance to sail with these guys - under better circumstances than last time!'

2012 Apollo Bay Race - underway in good breeze, one  early retirement.

After a clean start, the twenty-one boat fleet made a fast exit of the “Rip” in a good breeze and flat seas.  They were assisted by the last hour of the ebb tide. (Slack water at the “Heads” turning to flood tide was a little over an hour after the start.)

Primitive Cool's first outing in Apollo Bay Race

The recent Melbourne to Port Fairy Race would have been the first ocean race for John Newbold  and his crew on Primitive Cool. With the advantage of hindsight this was a good race to miss  - given the storm force winds that lashed the fleet during this race.

But John and his crew are now ready and looking forward to Saturday’s Apollo Bay Race where his new boat will make her debut as Primitive Cool.   A strong field of 21 boats will leave from Queenscliff at 0630hrs for the run along the coast.  The weather predictions are for light winds which will be good for Primitive Cool’s first outing.

Primitive Cool comes from a strong racing pedigree having previously been called AFR Midnight Rambler.  A modified Farr 40 One Design, it was the second boat built in the series of boats named Midnight Rambler.

In her previous incarnation, Primitive Cool was modified for better performance in the ocean by shortening the keel and increasing the weight of the keel bulb. The boat competed in six Sydney Hobart Races, the last in 2010.  She also won the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Blue Water Pointscore in March, 2007.

Now renamed Primitive Cool, John is keen to see how she will perform in her first outing in Bass Strait.