• 1 Helsal II – Bill Rawson
• 2 Gusto - Patrick Giudice/Brian Pattinson
• 3 Quetzalcoatl – Joshua Ey

• 1 Qutzalcoatl – Joshua Ey
• 2 By Order of the Secretary (BOOTS) – George Shaw
• 3 Tevake II – Angus Fletcher

• 1 Tevake II – Angus Fletcher
• 2 New Morning II – Mark Buckley
• 3 Rough Red – Warren Schenk/Kevin Robinson

• 1 By Order of the Secretary (BOOTS) – George Shaw
• 2 Yoko – Robin Hewitt
• 3 New Morning II – Mark Buckley

A Boat Less Ordinary

• They say that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things and if ever this was to be proven true Helsal II is an example. Whilst many in the yachting fraternity knew that Helsal II was not a “fat wallet” boat, most like this correspondent did not know just how deep the spirit of camaraderie goes on this vessel. Here is a group of people that have come together to achieve an extraordinary aim.
• Getting Helsal II into the water for the Melbourne to Hobart was touch and go all the way. People who don’t even know how to sail found themselves sanding floors, painting the hull or simply cleaning the galley. All to achieve the ultimate aim of completing The Westcoaster, winning line honours is simply icing on the cake.
• Bill Rawson, skipper of this extraordinary conglomerate, calls himself lucky. This correspondent calls it work, dedication, humanity and a respect for the individual. When celebrating at a function for the crew and the army of helpers, credit was laid at the door of those who; painted, scrubbed, cooked meals or simply supported those who were doing these things.
• To talk about an inspirational sporting experience in this day of corporate sponsorship and purchased wins, seems almost naïve. Maybe that is not a bad thing. Bill Rawson and his sailing master Simon Dryden, have introduced hundreds of people, not just to the sport of sailing, but to a way of life that values loyalty, dedication and hard work. No Helsal II is not run with a “fat wallet” but rather with a deep enduring spirit.
• They deserve their race win and whilst Bill Rawson will wish to deflect the honour to his crew when receiving his trophy on the 2nd of January, he deserves all our admiration. For in Bill are maintained for ever the values of “a fair go”, “a true friend” and “winning is not everything and “to win at any cost is not to win at all”.
• This victory is sweet and very well deserved.

• 1 Gomez
• 2 Bullistic
• 3 Smooth Criminal
• The importance of this race to those going on to the two ocean races, Melbourne to Hobart and Melbourne to Launceston should not be under estimated. The Cock of the Bay is the first race of the Sovereign series, for the Hobart boats, and the Rudder Cup for the Launceston boats. Points from this race are added to the ocean race result and then finalised after the King of the Derwent race in Hobart and The Port of Launceston Cup in Launceston. As the boats finish tonight handicap positions will be looked at carefully before setting out tomorrow for the race through the heads into Bass Strait.
• George Shaw skipper of By Order of the Secretary (BOOTS) will be rightly pleased with his 1st in IRC division B. This well sailed yacht will be a Handicap favourite for not just the Melbourne to Hobart race but for the Sovereign series with close competition from New Morning II skippered by Mark Buckley. In the Melbourne to Launceston race potential Handicap winners are Bali Dancer and Wavelength.

• DEC 9, 2005
  
  A very fast field has gathered this year to contest the Heemskirk Consolidated Melbourne to Hobart yacht race. Yes all records are weather dependent but given the prevailing weather pattern we can expect the record set by Future Shock to be under pressure in this 2005 race. That record stands at 1 day 23hours 15mins and 38 seconds. Not one but four of the current entries are expected to be vying for both the honour of the first over the line finish but also the pleasure of writing their name in the record books.
• Gusto the open 60 from Royal Brighton Yacht Club has the lineage of the Whitbread round the world bred into its design and should fly down the west coast. Brian Pattinson and his crew had the disappointment of having to turn back last year, though they also helped out a fellow yacht which had made a May Day call. This year they could expect to be the first into Storm Bay and then fly up the Derwent.
• Helsal II out of Royals will treat the distance of 480 nautical miles as nothing more than a hop after its recent race-to-race global circumnavigation and at 22 metres in length Helsal II will carve through swell with her new keel and rudder. In 1999 she was 60 nautical miles in front when she was forced to retire from the race. This year should provide some payback for that disappointment.
• Quetzalcoatl has the advantage of heading home when pointing to Hobart and certainly showed her speed in difficult conditions last year when she took out line honours. Skipper Joshua Ey is looking to break his own speed record in the boat of 27.6 knots and there is no better time to do than with the big winds regular swell that can be created down the west coast.
• Tevake II is the dark horse of the race. New to skipper Angus Fletcher the boat is relatively untried for the new crew but as Angus has said “She is long, lean and light. In fact she is like the Greyhound of the boat world.”
• With a race start off Portsea at 4 pm on the 27th of December we can hope to see sails vying for position up the Derwent River on the 29th.

ORCV Signs ASX Listed Principal Sponsor for the 2005 Westcoaster

OCT 17, 2005

• The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria is pleased to announce Heemskirk Consolidated as the principal sponsor of the 2005 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race. The race for 2005 will be known as the Heemskirk Consolidated Melbourne to Hobart Ocean Yacht Race.
  “It is especially apt that Heemskirk Consolidated is to sponsor this great race down the West Coast of Tasmania,” comments Angus Fletcher, Commodore of the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria. “Their name originates directly from that first successful voyage of discovery of Tasmania by Abel Tasman in his famous sailing ship the Heemskirk. The corporate logo of Heemskirk Consolidated stylistically depicts the Heemskirk moving ahead on one of its many voyages.” In a further synergy, the long-standing trophy for the overall winner of the race is named the Heemskirk Perpetual Trophy. The ORCV look forward to working with Heemskirk Consolidated to make this relationship a great success for both our organisations.
• About the Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race
  The 480 nautical mile blue-water classic Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race was thought by some too dangerous in its inaugural year of 1972. Critics at the time described it as Russian roulette with yachts. Now in its 33rd year, the route takes the competitors in their yachts out of Port Phillip Bay on the 27th of December every year, across Bass Strait, travelling down the rugged West Coast of Tasmania and rounding the southern most tip of Australia before heading up the Derwent River to the finish in Hobart. It is often described as Australia’s most challenging yacht race. The race record is 1 day 23 hours and 15 minutes, set by Future Shock in 1996.
• About Heemskirk Consolidated
  Heemskirk Consolidated is an ASX listed global mining house. Their focus is on growing cash flow and profits by direct participation or investment within the resources industry.
  The company has key operations and investments in Australia, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Senegal. www.heemskirk.com
• About the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria
  The ORCV is unique in yacht clubs in Australia. It doesn't have a clubhouse, it doesn't have a bar and it doesn't have a marina. Yet it has a membership of 450 of Victoria's best offshore yachtsmen and all the top yachts.
  These sailors are members of the ORCV because they are attracted to the challenge of the eight Bass Strait races that the ORCV run every year, including the often brutal Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster, and the new Melbourne to Vanuatu Ocean Race. To those who regularly take on the best and worst of what Bass Strait and Tasmanian waters have to offer, the ORCV is the authority on offshore yacht racing in Victoria. They highly regard the training courses and seminars that the ORCV have designed to encourage and develop the sport of Ocean Racing.
  www.orcv.org.au

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