Sailing Surprise Rock joins Hamilton History

Surprise Rock joins Hamilton History

'Living Doll seconds from the hit at Surprise Rock - 2008 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week' Crosbie Lorimer Click Here to view large photo

For the 25 years of the Audi Hamilton Island Regatta, Surprise Rock has figured in race briefings, the subject has always been whether the Isolated Danger Mark and associated light was in place, had been washed away or had been replaced.

Today, it shot to centre stage, written into racing history, just like another Whitsunday rock.

In 1999, the yacht Ninety Seven hit Firth Rock, a rounding mark of the course, just outside the Solway Passage during the first Whithaven Race. She lost her five tonne lead bulb, which to this day sits on a rock shelf in 10 metres of water.

Today Surprise Rock, in the middle of Catseye Bay was a mark of the course and it produced some surprises for the racing fleet.

The Grand Prix fleet leader Andrew Shorts 80 footer Club Marine Shockwave, bounced her keel bulb twice on the main shelf. Behind her Bob Steels TP52 Quest swung wide missed the main shelf but hit the outlying bombora to the south west hard.

Helmsman Jamie MacPhail hit the port wheel with the full force of his body, the wheel pedestal snapped off just 100mm above the base and he and the wheel slide along the deck. Crew on the rail, including owner Bob Steel slid forward bending stanchions, mid deck crew bounced off the grinders and bowman Darren Senogles slammed into the bow post.

Incredibly, less than 30 seconds later, the crew had cut away the control lines from the post wheel and McPhail was back on the Starboard wheel. Quest completed the race 30 seconds behind Alan Whiteleys TP52 Cougar, and was second on corrected time overall, just one second behind Cougar.

However Surprise Rock was not finished, Michael Hiatts Cookson 50 Living Doll bricked too, as did Bob Robertsons Cracklin Rosie, she split the rudder and compressed the keel.

by Rob Kothe

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