Squadron member Syd Fischer will embark on his 45th season of ocean racing when he skippers his Farr 50 Ragamuffin in the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht this coming Saturday.
The doyen of Australian ocean racing is one of five Squadron members who have entered their yachts in the 384 nautical mile winter coastal passage race up the NSW north coast.
Syd Fischer with the Sydney Hobart trophy
The race starts on the Harbour at 1pm, with a quality fleet of 71 boats from NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland.
Syd Fischer’s yachting career with yachts mostly named Ragamuffin is legendary. He is a multiple winner of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia ‘s Blue Water Pointscore, has represented Australia in the Admiral’s Cup and Clipper Cup, won the Fastnet Race and the World One Ton Cup, and challenging several times for the America’s Cup.
He has raced to Hobart 38 times, winning line and handicap honours.
His current Farr 50 has notched up a 2nd and 3rd overall in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race and will be one of the strong IRC contenders for the Sydney Gold Coast Race.
Other Squadron members who have entered include Walter Carpenter with his MBD Custom CR Samarkand, James Murchison with his Tripp 47 Abracadabra, Steven Proud with his Sydney 38 Swish and Paul Clitheroe with his Sydney 47CR Balance.
Balance - full speed ahead
Balance, third boat of that name owned by Clitheroe, won three races and finished 2nd overall in the IRC Cruising Division at last year’s Hamilton Island Race Week and in January placed 3rd in Division A of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race.
Swish also has a good scorecard, placing 3rd in division in the 2005 Sydney Hobart, 2nd in the 2004 Sydney Mooloolaba and 3rd in division this year’s Coffs Harbour Race.
Abracadabra’s owner/skipper James Murchison is an experienced ocean-racing yachtsman, having competed in five Sydney Hobarts, a Melbourne to Osaka short-handed race and many coastal races. The 2006 Hobart was his first with his Tripp 47 and he picked up a 4th in division.
Designed by Murray Burns Dovell and launched in 2001, Samarkand is a fast cruiser/racer.
Heading the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Race fleet is CYCA Commodore Matt Allen’s Jones 70 Ichi Ban, along with Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats X, Steven David’s Wild Joe and two TP52s, Graeme Wood’s Wot Yot and Bob Steel’s Quest. – Peter Campbell
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