Alegria crew keen to retain Australian Ocean Racing Championship title

12:15 AM Wed 15 Jul 2009 GMT

'Alegria' Andrea Francolini &copy Click Here to view large photo

Mooloolaba offshore yacht racing skipper Rod Jones and his Alegria crew have the proven potential to extend their lead in the 2009 Australian ocean racing championship during the 384n/ml Audi Sydney to Gold Coast race starting on July 25th.

The nucleus of the crew who won their class to wrap up the 2007 Australian championship with the smaller Archambault A35 in this gruelling physical challenge will be back on the deck of the equally exciting A40 Alegria.

Earlier this year they raced with a determined attitude to answer the challenge from their interstate rivals with impressive class championship success at the Skandia Geelong Race Week and the important Audi Sydney Harbour regatta.

However those results are now history which makes every minute it takes to successfully complete all of the 384 nautical miles between the start in Sydney Harbour to the finish line off Main Beach Southport will become a second by second time factor challenge for the crew.

Navigator James Walker who has played a significant role behind the success of the talented Oceanburo/Oxygen crew of blue water sailors will combine his experience to form a smart trio of tacticians with Australian title winning helmsmen Sean O'Rourke and skipper Rod Jones.

There will be a reference to the important Nav-notes from the successful 2007 race but the crew will be more focused on making the important decisions in reference to the sea state, current flow and the wind velocity that blows over the deck to ensure that Alegria logs the required boat speed to outpace her handicap correction factor.

Braving the chill factor between the dusk to dawn hours and sailing smart during the night will be a priority for the Alegria crew to maintain their progressive lead in the championship against the high profile New South Wales sloops Loki (Stephen Ainsworth) and Wot Now (Graeme Wood) and Royal Yacht Club of Victoria skipper Michael Hiatt's Living Doll.

Wot Now looms as a serious challenger based on her third overall in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race and her Brisbane to Gladstone Race third behind Quantum Racing and Wot Yot over the Easter weekend.

The Wot Now crew will be keen to retain this consistency while they and the crews of Alegria, Loki, Living Doll and the joint line honours favourites Black Jack and Wild Oats X prepare to face some hidden tactical challenges on a course which has been known to sort the best from the rest.

However while Rod Jones understands that Alegria will not have the 'horsepower' to match his larger and faster rivals his crew remain as the combination to beat for the fastest corrected handicap course time and the opportunity to firm a strong grip on the championship trophy plus a sleek new Audi sedan before the finals are decided during the Hamilton Island Race Week in late August.

by Ian Grant

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Alegria crew keen to retain Australian Ocean Racing Championship title

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