Kiwi cruisers planning a 'Hobart'
After competing in, and thoroughly enjoying, sailing in the non-spinnaker Cruising division of two regattas at the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week, New Zealander Keith Munro is planning a big step upwards in yacht racing - contesting this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
'The crew of Time Lord - Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week Day 3'
Peter Campbell ©
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'No, not in the Cruising division..we going for a full-on race to Hobart,' the bearded Kiwi said as he and his crew relaxed over a drink aboard his Bavaria 50 Time Lord after Sunday's leisurely passage race around islands north of Airlie Beach.
The powerful, cutter-rigged Time Lord placed second on corrected time in the first two passage races for the 'white sail', non-spinnaker division, but Munro and his crew had to be content with a 12th in Sunday's race three. Currently sharing the lead in the division are Rainbow, Peter Hall's Beneteau 473, and Joie de Vie, Martin Cross' Jeanneau Sun Odysse, both on 11 points.
Time Lord is sharing equal third on 16 points with Delphinian, John Sloan's McIntosh 47, while Sunday's winner was the veteran Clansman 30 Felicity (Lachlan Wilson).
'We first brought Time Lord over the Tasman Sea in the race from Taranaki to Mooloolaba, contested Race Week at Airlie Beach in 2007 and left her here for a year,' Munro explained.
'We now plan to return to New Zealand via Hobart, by competing in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart.we've already started planning and checking out all the safety gear.
'Time Lord is a well-found boat and while she is set up for cruising, we plan to race to Hobart,' he added.
'Mind you, we really are enjoying the relaxed racing in the non-spinnaker division here at Airlie Beach. Downwind, we furl the staysail and pole out the number one genoa - then sit back and relax.
The Cruising divisions make up more than half the fleet of 107 yachts at this year's Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week, with 46 boats sailing Cruising with Spinnakers in two divisions, and one division of 15 boats racing Cruising without Spinnakers.
The Cruising fleets cover almost every type of production cruiser/racer popular on the Australian East Coast, with German-built Bavarias and Hanse, French-built Beneteau and Jeanneau dominating the fleets. Smallest is a Noelex 25 trailer-sailer, biggest is the Warwick 66 Storm 2, skippered by Don Algie, the founder of Airlie Beach Race Week 19 years ago.
Whitsunday Sailing Club members have strongly supported the Cruising divisions, but there are entries from Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and New Zealand. Parked at the end of one marina at Abel Point, they are the focal point of apr?s-sailing parties after each race.
by Peter Campbell 
Aldgate, SA
