Wild Oats XI leads Etihad Stadium in 29th Pittwater Coffs Harbour race

4:20 AM Sat 2 Jan 2010 GMT

'Wild Oats XI - Pittwater Coffs race' Andrea Francolini &copy

The Day after Christmas for the last 65 years a large percentage of the Australian offshore racing fleet turns right out of Sydney and heads south to Hobart. The Day after New Year, for the last 28 years the balance turns left out of Sydney's Broken Bay and heads north.

While the southern journey is 628 nautical miles, the northern one is just 226 miles and many of sailors in that race boast that they are the one's that pass the intelligence test.

Quite where that leaves the boats and sailors who do both races, we are yet to discover but there were a bunch on today's Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race who had were in the middle of doing just that and another group who were just glad to be going sailing.

The former group were on Bob Oatley's Reichel Pugh 100; four times Sydney Hobart line honours winners, beaten this year into second place by Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo.

The second group were aboard Grant Wharington's Etihad Stadium, the only boat that did not manage to hoist a spinnaker on the Rolex Sydney Hobart start line exactly a week ago. They retired soon after the start, with rigging issues.

It had been a heroic effort for Wharro and his team to even make the start line, just two weeks after being dismasted in Bass Strait and exhaustion and disappointment was etched on all their faces.

Today, they were by contrast all smiles.

The 29th Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race started in a north north westerly. Wild Oats XI, Etihad Stadium and Black Jack started midline when the smaller boats were biased towards the pin. The Oats hit the line with speed and led Etihad Stadium away initially but gradually the Victorian supermaxi was pegging back the Pittwater boat. A flurry of activity on the Oats, a headsail change and she stepped out again.

Peter Harburg's Reichel Pugh 66 Blackjack headed seawards and back in Broken Bay, the rest of the fleet were in a race of their own. Stewart Lewis' Marten 49 Ocean Affinity, and last years line honours winner was stepping out and behind her Richard Hudson's Corel 45 Pretty Woman had completed a 720 after a starting line incident. Jeff Carter's Farr 40 Edake was recovered from an individual recall, picking her way up through the fleet.

As the two supermaxi leaders approached Cape Three Points sailing at around 12 knots the wind swung north east. Shortly thereafter a local front came through from the south with a rain squall.

As the fleet headed north Ocean Affinity was well placed as was David Elliott's, Farr 40 E11even, Rob Curtis and Ross Trembath's Secret Mens Business and Bruce Absolon's Volvo 60 Spirit of the Maid

The leading yachts are currently just off the Entrance with Wild Oats XI just in front. It will be an interesting evening; a solid southerly front is due around 2300 with winds up to 25-30 knots.

The question is will the much lighter Etihad Stadium be able to close the gap on the current race record holder and will that record in fact survive the night.

A new record will need the gun to go before 0729 tomorrow.

More facts on the race below.

Race Record Holder: Wild Oats IX 18hr 29min 14sec (2003) Bob Oatley, now 'Wild Joe'
Previous Race Record: The Office 20hr 56min 56sec (1984)
Slowest Race to Coffs Harbour: Short Circuit 62hr 33min 57sec (1982)
Biggest Fleet: 108 yachts (1991)
Smallest Fleet: 14 yachts (1981)
Yacht with most Line Honours Wins: Innkeeper - 3 (1988, 1992 & 1995)
Owner with most Line Honours Wins: Bob Oatley (4) - Wild Oats IX (2003), Wild Oats X (2005 & 2006), Wild Oats XI (2007)
First race Line Honours: 'White Pointer' (1981)
2009 Line Honours Winner: Perpetual Mocean 24 hrs, 47mins, 2 secs
2009 Handicap (Pittwater to Pittwater race) Winner (2008): About Time corrected time of 30hrs 21mins 48 secs
1st Pittwater & Coffs Harbour Series Winners (1992):
IMS Locomotion PHS Audacious IOR Beach Inspector
2009 Pittwater & Coffs Harbour Offshore series winners:
IRC - About Time PHS - Overdrive
To Break the Record: the winning yacht will need to be in Coffs Harbour before 7:29am on the 3rd January.
Wild Oats XI won the Sydney/Hobart in 2005 & 2006 and the Pittwater - Coffs Harbour Race in 2007, the first yacht to win the back to back Hobart/Coffs double.
Starters in 2009: 61 boats took part in the 28th race

by Rob Kothe & the Sail-World Team

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Wild Oats XI leads Etihad Stadium in 29th Pittwater Coffs Harbour race

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