Merit going fast before the Hobart

5:23 AM Mon 10 Nov 2008 GMT

'Merit heads for Lord Howe in 2004' Di Pearson

This former Volvo 60 round-the-world racing yacht has contested many offshore races since coming to Australia, sailing under various names, including Indec Merit, News Corp and Line 7, under which name she set a record for the then 408 nm Gosford to Lord Howe Island Race (the race distance has since been extended slightly).

She sailed in the 200 Sydney to Hobart race as News Corp. Sailing as Ian Treleaven's Line 7 she won line honours in the 2001 race to Lord Howe Island. In 2002 in the same race, the same boat, now called Merit,sliced almost seven hours off the course record set in 1988 by Helsal III.

The boat was recently purchased and refitted in preparation for the race by its new owners in North Queensland.

Part of the crew heading down to Hobart this year are professional commercial skippers from the Whitsundays where the boat now resides.

Leo Rodregius and his Merit crew again showed there was still plenty of pace left in the former Volvo Ocean Race challenger when they dominated the opening race of the Abel Point Yacht Sales series on Pioneer Bay last week.

Merit is noted for her pace in moderate to fresh winds proved too fast on all angles of sailing to clinch her second line and corrected time double in successive weeks.

Normally racing over sprint type courses offer little opportunity for the back markers to strut their stuff to outpace their high handicap ratings but this has not become the case with the Merit crew as they continue to evaluate their speed before representing the Whitsunday Sailing Club in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race starting on Boxing Day.

Meanwhile the Merit crew have led the way on the warmer and far calmer waters of Pioneer Bay to become the point score leader in the battle for the Abel Point Yacht Sales trophy.

They were the star performers handling the moderate summer northerly building an early line honours lead then maintained the required pace to complete and impressive performance against some equally determined crews.

Specialist Pioneer Bay tactician John Galloway had sailed his usual smart race at the helm of Queensland Marine Services but by the end of the course his crew realised their effort was not fast enough to beat the speed sailing Merit for the bragging rights at the club bar.

Volvo 60 'Merit , 'Another Fiasco', 'Rising Farrst', at the start of the Hamilton Island Regatta - Hamilton Island Regatta , now its all happening in Pioneer Bay - Craig Elliott Click Here to view large photo

Particularly when Merit posted her super fast 44 minute 48 second time leaving both Queensland Marine Services and the Tim Osborne skippered Rising Farrst little chance to lift their boat speed to even feature in the hunt.

Their course times eventually fell well short with the Merit crew posting the fasted corrected handicap time with a comfortable 1 minute 39 second margin from Queensland Marine Services while Rising Farrst finished another 1 minute 58 seconds off the pace.

Telcoinabox Merit 2008 Sydney Hobart entrant (Photo: Entrant supplied) - &copy .

Two impressive club race wins in as many weeks will add to the confidence of the Merit crew but it will all become a totally different challenge when the team of tropical shirt sailors weather Sydney's famed South Head and set their course for Hobart on Boxing Day afternoon.

The memories of sailing in a warm water environment and stepping on shore to have a cold beer and an energy fortifying meal that is not contaminated with salt water spray will be placed on hold until they fasten the mooring lines at Hobart's historical Constitution Dock.

by Ian Grant