4MK FM Great Whitsunday Fun Race
Colourful spinnakers will be flown on Pioneer Bay on Saturday to signal the end of another spectacular and successful Festival of Sails in the Whitsunday Islands.
'Spud Gun'
Racing yachts, Cutters, Yawls, Ketches, luggers, multihulls and the famed Tall Ship Solway Lass will tension their sails on Pioneer Bay when the Whitsunday Sailing Club host The 4MK FM Great Whitsunday Fun Race.
This unique historical event which started over three decades ago when the famed pearling lugger Torres Herald and barque Dahlia squared off in a grudge race for a bottle of Bundaberg Rum.
The clash between these two well known blue water warriors attracted a huge spectator fleet while also launching a special event onto the Australian sailing calendar.
Many of Australia's best known yachts like the maxi's Ragamuffin, Apollo, Condor, Matador and The Card have raced for what is considered to be the World of Yachting's most worthless prize an empty Rum Bottle mounted on slab of Mackay Rainforest Cedar.
The event now staged over a 15 nautical mile course on Pioneer Bay is now dominated by the power sailing catamarans with Whitsunday skipper Peter Millar and his thrill seeking crew winning the past three line honours with Spud Gun.
Millar has since placed the for-sale notice on Spud Gun and commissioned his long term crew mate David Chittleborough to build a modern generation catamaran to purposely chase records in major blue water races like the annual Dent Island to Dunk Island race.
This exciting fast lane sailing catamaran designed by Tony Grainger has the pedigree to take Spud Gun's records into a new time zone.
Both skipper and crew are hoping for a moderate to fresh trade wind to blow over Pioneer Bay on Saturday to lift their chances for the new twin hull sprint machine to outpace Spud Gun's 15.14 knot average set in 2006.
Skipper Peter Millar and his long term sailing mate Dave Chittleborough are strongly favoured to claim the fourth consecutive line honours trophy while the wind velocity on Saturday will control their challenge to lower the 2006 race record.
by Ian Grant 
Turners Beach, TAS
