Strong breeze predicted for opening race - AHIRW
A robust South East breeze promises to provide record challenging yacht racing conditions when the international standard fleet contest the opening race of the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in the Whitsunday Islands later today.
'Wild Oats X crew during training at Hamilton Island'
Andrea Francolini / Audi ©
At dusk last night Hamilton Island was in a state of calm when a warm land breeze presented a friendly tourist brochure type environment and an unwanted puzzle for the skippers, tacticians and crews as they completed preliminary preparations for today's Lindeman Island Race.
However the scene changed dramatically when a 27 knot (50km/h) gust tormented the lush tropical Whitsunday Island vegetation and offered an early morning wakeup call when the 'brute breeze' rattled the yachts rigging in Hamilton Harbour just after 4am this morning.
The arrival of a reliable moderate to fresh wind has laid the foundation for the highly competitive fleet to challenge the 2 hour 58 minute 34 second time set by Bob Oatley's Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X over a modified Lindeman Island-Spitfire Rock-Hamilton Island course last August.
There is also a very strong chance that the speed sailing maxi Andrew Short's Shockwave Club Marine and the equally impressive trio of maxi-chasers Wild Oats X, the Mark Bradford skippered Black Jack and Steven David's former Admirals Cup champion Wild Joe could claim a special place in the 25 year history of this classic blue water regatta.
All four crews have the experience fresh wind sailing skill and potential spinnaker sailing speed to take the record into another time zone and perhaps log the required 11.1 knot average to also beat the 1 hour 58 minute 34 second Lindeman Island-Brush Rock- Hamilton Island record set by Neville Chrichton's speed sailing maxi Shockwave in 2005.
The form guide suggests the Ray Roberts skippered Quantum Racing which has recorded impressive wins in the Brisbane to Gladstone, Sydney to Southport and the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week will start as the favourite to set the pace for the corrected handicap points ahead of the defending Audi Hamilton Island Race Week champion the Geoff Ross skippered Yendys.
by Ian Grant 
Devonport, TAS
