launceston to hobart yacht race results 2023

2023 Willie Smith's Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race

Hosted By Derwent Sailing Squadron

Updated:  4/01/2024  8:48:43 AM

Results by : TopYacht

Home-state entries dominate field for Launceston to Hobart yacht race

The crew of Patrick Clarke's Yolla is all that stands in the way of a home-state victory in the 17th running of the Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race.

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The Victorian entry is the only non-Tasmanian crew among the 20 boats entered for the annual 285-nautical-mile dash down the state.

The entry list promises the full spectrum of race experience with traditional favourite Fork in the Road plus last year's winners Sundowner (overall, IRC and ORC) and Big Pup (PHS) heading the seasoned campaigners taking on a host of youngsters.

The L2H is the only offshore race in Australia that accepts entries with crew under 18 years old enabling Ross Clippingdale, 17 (aboard Mako), Chloe, 17, and Damon, 16, White (both Sassy), Ben Coad, 16 (The Dog House) and 15-year-olds Craig Leto (The Dog House) and Fletcher Lumb (Wings Three) to get a taste of the action.

The crew must demonstrate offshore experience, have completed a safety and sea survival course and wear a lifejacket and PLB at all times to meet the requirements.

For the first time in 17 years the event also has an all-girl team with Orla Gray taking control of Lawless, representing the Derwent Sailing Squadron. .

The race begins from Inspection Head at Beauty Point at 11.30am on Wednesday and is expected to finish in Hobart on December 29.

Unfortunately, Excalibur was a scratching on Tuesday as a few teams also made 11th-hour crew changes enforced by COVID-19.

Race website is: https://l2h-dssinc.org.au

• BIG PUP (Swarbrick S111, Tasmania) Teresa Badrock, Anton Bezemer, Paul Badcock, Peter Brooks, Samuel Benson, William Rostron
• FOOTLOOSE (Young 88, Tasmania) Adrian Hallam, Christine McMinn, Katie Nawrath, Libby Masters, Lisa Mcphee, Stewart Geeves, Wayne Wagg
• FORK IN THE ROAD (Bakewell-White, Tasmania) Abbey Calvert, Adrian Herrington, David Furmage, Gary Smith, Grant Sutton, Jacob Wise, James Rawson, Peter Alexander, Rowan Trappes, Scott Sutton, Sean Carey, Steve Walker
• HEATWAVE FISH FRENZY (Mumm 36, Tasmania) Anthony Ozols, Chris Bidgood, Dan Followes, Grant Cooper, John Wearne, Joshua Ey, Matthew Keal, Stuart Griggs
• HELSAL 6 (Bavaria Cruiser 50, Tasmania) Cameron Atkins, Peter Chadwick, Robert Smith, Robert Woehler, Sally Smith, Shane Mcindoe, Shane Powell
• INVINCIBLE (Farr 1104, Tasmania) Ailsa Bennell, Alan Champion, Alison Merridew, Allan Wood, Bryan Walpole, Dana Elphinstone, Duncan Farquhar, Grace Walpole
• JAZZ PLAYER (Bakewell-White Z39, Tasmania) Adam Roberts, Alec Bailey, Brent McKay, Dimitrios Mois, Gus Mckay, James Cowmeadow, Nelson Brown, Oliver McKay, Solomon Foster, Will Armstrong
• JUST FARR LOVE (Farr 51, Tasmania) Mandy Barden, Mitchell Ranson, Murat Djakic, Narissa Mcelwee, Robert Brunning, Ross Smith, Scott Lovell, Vanessa Teahan
• KRAKEN 42S (Cookson 12, Tasmania) Andrew Sinclair, Brett Smith, Courtney Howard, Dave Macgill, Kristen Anderson, Sam Dobie, Tadgh Williams, Ty Dobie, Will Geysing
• LAWLESS (Green 31, Tasmania) Anna Cottrell-Davies, Jodie Sullivan, Laura Donaldson, Mckeira Cumming, Orla Gray, Tess Van geelen
• MAKO 77 (Farr D54, Tasmania) Douglas Reid, John Widdowson, Joshua Baker, Ross Clippingdale, Tim Ferguson, Tristan Henderson
• PLANET X (Huon 10.5 Mod, Tasmania) Dylan Reid, Kate Ward, Kate Wilson, Michael Burrows, Rob Cawthorn, Steve Reid
• PORCO ROSSO (Cookson 50, Tasmania) Alastair Sayers, Bernie Mccartney, Edward Snowball, Elliott Noye, Jack McCullum, Lewis Noye, Luke Watkins, Oliver Nicholas, Paul McCartney, Paul Nanscawen, Rowan Clark, Stewart Gray
• PRION (Mount Gay 30 Lyons, Tasmania) Angus Calvert, Donovan Oak, Elliott Salter, Jory Linscott, Tim Jones, Timothy Edwards
• SASSY (Delphia 37, Tasmania) Callum Osign, Chloe White, Damon White, Ian White, Kirsten Seaver, Tim White
• SUNDOWNER (Adams 12, Tasmania) Alice Grubb, Grace Stearnes, Jeremy Coles, Lisa Guy, Nathan Oshea, Patrick Hyman, Thomas Kennedy, Tom Stearnes
• THE DOG HOUSE (Austral 30, Tasmania) Benjamin Coad, Charlotte Frankcombe, Craig Leto, Jimmy Dodd, Peter Coad, Sophie Kelly, Stephan Duggan
• WINGS THREE (Northshore 38, Tasmania) David Haros, Derek Inglis, Fletcher Lumb, Glen Jeffery, Glenn Phillips, Matthew Denholm, Peter Haros, Tony Van de Vusse
• Y (Mount Gay 30 Mod, Tasmania) David Belbin, Dustan Belbin, Ian Marshall, Jonathon Lord, Shane Salter, Stuart McGuinness
• YOLLA (Jpk 1030, Victoria) Patrick Clarke, Stephen Barker, Steve Standen, Tim Metherall

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Fork in the Road Finish - Photo Credit Gill Dayton

Launceston to Hobart Race Review

Fork in the Road limps in for Line Honours, Sundowner wins Overall FOR THE 2022 Willie Smith’s Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race.

Bagging their 9th Line Honours win, Fork in the Road drifted by the Iron Pot at 11:00am yesterday with an uncharacteristic flouro orange trysail in place of the usual giant fork. The team were flying the uncommon combo of a Code Zero and a storm trysail, the racing main lashed to the boom – a sign of the thrashing they took Wednesday in the big Nor’Wester.

“We copped it in Wineglass Bay,” says crew member Finlay Crisp. “We saw it coming, and put a reef in, then another, and going for our third the main just went.” Skipper Gary Smith decided to throw the trysail up, and for a moment thought that was the race for them. “But it blew all night” Smith reports, “And we ended up taking down the larger foresail and putting up the No. 4” jib. They sailed quick through the evening, enough to overcome the limp home in the early tickle of the seabreeze.

Second over the line was Heatwave (Matthew Keal), who put in a good final run, but there wasn’t quite enough distance left to grab the IRC win.

Overall IRC and ORCc winners Alice Grubbs and Tom Stearns co-owners of Sundowner say the victory wasn’t without a few scars. “[We] broke a mainsail, broke a jib, broke a spinnaker pole…” says Stearns. Grubbs adds, “It was not easy, it was a lot of work, we used every sail on the boat, broken two of them, but there are no broken hearts, no broken bodies… and we’re still friends!”

They broke the first main off the top of Tassie, broke the second when the 50 kts came through near Wineglass bay, and eventually repaired the first main. “Doesn’t hurt to have a professional sailmaker on board” Grubbs laughed.

“Nothing beats old Dacron, though, who says you need to be a millionaire to go sailing. When it breaks it doesn’t shred.” The irony is this tough old material might have been the secret to the win, with the conditions faced by the fleet.

Zephyr Insurance Masters (Ian Johnston) kept the pressure on to the last, making huge gains throughout the night and matching Sundowner in the final leg to the finish. Force Eleven (Steve Brown) finally got out of the doldrums of Storm Bay to finish during peak sea breeze and a roaring crowd at the Taste festival.

Big Pup (Teresa Badrock) also had a good night, leapfrogging over Planet X (Dylan Reid) and into 1st place in the PHS, both boats rounding Tasman Island as the finishers tie up ashore and hoping the breeze holds through the night.

Congratulations to all sailors and crews, including the retirees, all safe and accounted for. Congratulations to Line Honours winners Fork in the Road, IRC and ORC winners Sundowner and Big Pup for the PHS win.

Words: Liz Loughridge

Photos: Gill Dayton & Colleen Darcey

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