Sunferries Magnetic Island RW - enter online now!
The second annual Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week will be sailed on the waters of Cleveland Bay from Friday 5th to Tuesday 9th September 2008.
'Zoe finishes on Day 3 - Magnetic Island Race Week 2007'
Sail-World.com/ AUS © Click Here to view large photo
As Terry Dodd's the CEO of Sunferries the major event sponsor, related 'This event showcases Magnetic Island and the Townsville region to both the sailing community and a much wider national and international audience. Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week 2008 will be bigger and better.'
Last year's event was a great success and as Wayne Millar said 'It was a very well organised regatta...very good on water management, in some challenging conditions.'
Townsville local Millar and crew on Zoe will start hometown favourite in the IRC Racing category, after last year being pipped at the post in the last exciting race by Harold Clarke's Invincible for the title. Her crew will be fighting hard to make sure the prized crown is theirs. Zoe will be a little more battle hardened this year, after having raced at Hamilton Island only a week before the Magnetic Island series.
However New Zealand's Rob Bassett on his Bakewell White 52 Marley Wired will be making sure his trip across the Tasman is not in vain. As the Wired team will be fresh from Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week and the Audi Hamilton Island series, the tussle between these two yachts will be great to watch as the week unfolds.
Townsville's own Mach 1, the Bavaria Match 38 owned by Betty Stokes, will also have home waters knowledge, which may provide and edge in this series. Mach 1 sails in the local TCYC's race series and often ventures down to Hamilton Island Race Week. The enthusiastic crew are keen to show a competitive spirit on this cruiser/racer even taking off the BBQ and bimini for the series. 
And with a name like Boudicea (named after the Celtic Warrior queen) the Dufour Performance 34 of Mike Steel has a lot to live up to. The experienced crew last year campaigned High Flyer 111 at the inaugural Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week and this year will be keen to prove the merits of their new yacht, the first of its type to be introduced to Australia in 'regatta format'.
In the PHS division last year the winner was Akarana, Ian Hamilton's Farr 1104 and she must be the favoured to take the title again.
Her opposition will include Apollo 6, skippered by Paul Stuart. This recently refurbished one tonner has a colourful history, originally being designed for Alan Bond by Ben Lexcen for use in the Admiral's Cup.
Wild Spirit, an Elliott 9.6 CR from the Mooloolaba Yacht Club is on its first trip north to Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week and will be crewed by MYC regulars and Whitsunday locals. The crew is looking forward to some fun sailing with their fellow competitors.
Another Farr 1104 Bushwacker 11 (Kevin Shanks), the Flying Tiger 10 Feral (Graham Donnell), along with Tap Dancer Owen Stanley's Farr 11.6, and well regular northern regatta entrant The Major (Michael Gillum), will ensure Akarana has stiff opposition to retain her PHS title.
In the Cruising with Spinnaker Division local catamaran Barbarella (Mal Tynan's Schionning Signature 34) will enjoy the racing on Cleveland Bay.
Gary McCarthy's White Pearl from the Mooloolaba Yacht Club will venture north again this year, after enjoying the inaugural event and location. She will be competing at Airlie Beach Race Week and will head north to warmer waters, to be campaigned by her crew of locals, MYC sailors and friends.
Bob Kemlin's Vantage, a Mottle 27, started sailing in Tasmania but ventured to the warmer climate of Townsville three years ago. She enjoyed some success in the event last year and sails regularly in the TCYC's Wednesday twilight series. Her crew are looking forward to some 'leisurely cruising' on their home waters.
Storm 2 the luxury Warwick 66 of Don Algie, and last year's Airlie Beach Race Week winner, will provide stiff opposition for her competitors.
Jim Finch's Warrigal will once again be out on the course. The one-off cruiser/racer was built by Finch at his engineering works and weighs just ten tonne. Once a regular on the northern circuit her last major campaign was at Airlie Beach in 2002, until she came out of retirement for last year's Magnetic Island Race Week. Finch and crew will be hoping their efforts this year prove fruitfull.
John and Kim Clinton's very distinctive Beneteau Holy Cow will be sailing north to compete in her first Magnetic Island regatta. Spectators will easily spot this yacht travelling around the courses; her 'cow hide' spinnaker cannot be missed. 
Peter Boxall's Amaya 11 and Two Shea, Ian Johnson's luxury Lightwave Catamaran, are also registered to compete so the winner of this division is anyone's guess.
Ben Plummer's Shea is kept locally at Nelly Bay and participates in Twilight Races. Ben enjoyed sailing on TwoShea so much last year he entered his own rig this year.
Paddy McCutcheon and his crew on Farrago 497 also have extensive northern regatta experience and will be in the hunt for top prize.
Hamish Petrie and his crew on the very comfortable Beneteau 57 Ngak Ngak will be heading further north after competing at Hamilton Island Race Week. Artist Ginger Reilly Munduwalawala painted the distinctive logo on her side and the yacht's name is an indigenous term for the white-breasted sea eagle. Michelle Petrie will be helming in her first regatta and her crew of family and friends are looking forward to enjoying the different location and their first Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week.
Leon Thomas' Thompson 7 Sportsboat Guilty Pleasures has been raced religiously in Townsville since 2000. Watch out for this young, but experienced crew, who will be seen flying around the Cleveland Bay courses.
The second annual Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week is shaping up to be an outstanding event, and organisers promise a great time on the water and off.
Charter yachts are available and there is still time to be part of this event, so don't delay. Organisers will send interested skippers a DVD of last year's event, just go to the website www.magneticislandraceweek.com.auand enter your details. Better still enter online today. click here
by Al Constable 
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Aldgate, SA
