Its the time of the year for Whitsunday racing

12:22 AM Wed 8 Jul 2009 GMT

'Wild Oats X' Ian Grant Click Here to view large photo

It's that time of the year when Sunshine Coast ocean racing sailors focus their attention on casting the mooring lines and cruising north for some warm water racing in the Whitsunday Islands.

They will fly their 'battle flags' in the popular Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week from August 13-20 then prepare to compete for honours in world class Audi Hamilton Island Race Week from August 22-29.

Most have already packed their sea bags and planned the delivery voyage with rest stops at a number of Queensland's best anchorages including Middle Percy Island.

Every nautical mile will become second nature to experienced seafarer Col Thomas who makes no secret that he is on another mission to add more important notes to his impressive log book.

Col Thomas has tested his endurance in racing on some of the most physically demanding deep sea courses including the Fastnet Race in the North Sea and the Rolex Sydney Hobart classic but now prefers to race in the warmer tropical shirt environment.

He will again be the delivery skipper on the comfortable Mooloolaba cruiser/racer Hans-On which is nominated to contest the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week series against a strong fleet representing Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Hans-On jointly owned by Col Thomas and Nick Cox and supported with sponsorship from Mt Gay Rum is always raced hard but her crew who are fans of Jimmy Buffet replace their reputations as serious sailors on the race course with a friendly post race celebration at the dock.

They have won their share of 'rum buckets' and will be among the major contenders for the class championship trophies when they test their crew experience and handicap rated boat over the picturesque courses in the Whitsunday Islands.

The 2007 Audi Australian IRC champions Rod Jones and his Alegria crew will face a more serious test when they contest the Audi Sydney to Gold Coast race before heading to Hamilton Island.

This combination controls the point score for the prestigious 2009 Audi Australian championship following class wins earlier this year at the Skandia Geelong Race Week and Sydney Harbour Regatta.

However they remain under pressure to record a top result in the Sydney to Gold Coast Race starting on July 25 before lining up for the title deciding races against a high class fleet at Hamilton Island.

Alegria a high performance Archambault A40 class sloop will be one of the smallest yachts sharing space on the start line with Bob Oatley's Wild Oats X crew and their match racing line honours rival the Peter Harburg owned and Mark Bradford helmed Black Jack.

Both Wild Oats X and Black Jack will cast a wind shadow over Alegria but her crew have the skill and understanding to sail in clean air and sea room to sail to their handicap rating while protecting the chance to win their second Audi Australian IRC Ocean racing championship over the past three years.

by Ian Grant

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Its the time of the year for Whitsunday racing

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