Breeze expected for Gosford to Lord Howe fleet

10:32 AM Fri 24 Oct 2008 GMT
Freshening northerly breezes tomorrow afternoon are forecast for the start of the Hempel 35th Gosford - Lord Howe Island Yacht Race which gets under way at 1300 hours (1pm) from Broken Bay.

While this race across the northern Tasman Sea is the only Category 1 ocean race in Australian waters other than the Rolex Sydney Hobart in late December, the fleet is limited to just 14 boats because of the World Heritage listing of Lord Howe Island and its unique coral lagoon.

Race Director Mark Greenwood says that while the winds will be light to moderate for the start, the fleet should encounter stronger winds once the yachts have sailed up the Central Coast to a rounding mark off Terrigal before heading out to sea.

Northerly winds are expected to continue through Sunday and Monday, freshening to 20 knots out in the Tasman Sea. Sea conditions have moderated following the midweek gale off the New South Wales coast.

Biggest boat in the fleet is the 80-footer ASM-Shockwave 5 which the Race Director said had the potential to break the race record of 34 hours 52 minutes, particularly if the winds backed to the north-west.

The Lord Howe Island Race is a qualifying event for the Sydney Hobart Race and 10 of the 14 boats in the fleet have been nominated for the bluewater classic in December.

The best viewing for the race is from the headlands at The Haven, Terrigal on the Central Coast, while Gosford Sailing Club has also organised a ferry picking up at Ettalong at 12 noon and Palm Beach at 12.30pm. Bookings need to be made through Gosford Sailing Club.

by Peter campbell

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