8:22 AM Thu 25 Feb 2010 GMT
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'Greg Prescott'
Peter Campbell ©
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One of the world's newest and exciting one-design racing yachts, the Melges 32, will make its Tasmanian racing debut in this weekend's Crown Series Bellerive Regatta with Hobart international yachtsman Greg 'Enzo' Prescott
on the helm.
The Melges 32, which Prescott has descriptively named 2Unlimited, heads a fleet of nearly 100 keel yachts and trailable yachts entered for the Regatta, which starts on Friday evening with a non-spinnaker twilight race and continues over the weekend with four full-on spinnaker races on the river.
Yachts from most southern clubs have entered the huge regatta, while the trailable yacht fleet includes a strong contingent from northern Tasmanian clubs and one from New South Wales.
Prescott, who notched up his 25th Sydney Hobart Race on the West Australian-owned yacht Limit in December, has teamed up with another Hobart yachtsman, Richard Fader, to import the Trinidad-built Melges 32, describes sailing it as 'like a Laser but with more sails and more crew.'
'I've done most of my racing out of Sydney for the past 12 to 15 years so I thought it was time to do some racing back on the Derwent,' Prescott said. 'I've put together a strong crew, including some keen 18 to 20-year-olds, to
race the boat, but for the Crown Series I'll be joined by another expat Hobartian, Darren 'Twirler' Jones, a several times world champion crewman.'
2Unlimited is the sixth Melges 32 to be imported to Australia, the others being raced in Sydney by a number of wellknown yachtsmen, including Farr 30 world champion Guy Stening. The 32-footer weighs only 3,775kg and carries a 41.3 m2 mainsail, a 23.6m2, 105% jib, while its biggest asymmetrical Cade 2A running spinnaker is a massive 121 m2.
Innovative features include a retractable 9hp outboard motor that fits into well admidships and direct steering without a rudder stock.
2Unlimited's opposition in Division 1 of the Crown Series Bellerive Regatta will include recently successful yachts Auch (David Bean), The Fork in the Road (Gary Smith), Intrigue (Don Calvert) and two two Bellerive Yacht Club
champions from last year, Jeff Cordell's Host Plus Executive and Harold Clark's Invincible.
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Farr 40s - Peter Campbell ©
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All five Farr 40s in Hobart - Hughie Lewis' Euro Central, Wayne Banks-Smith's War Games, Stephen Boyes' Wired, Craig Clifford's POW and Andrew Hunn and Lloyd Clark's Voodoo Chile will race as a one-design class, while other yachts will race in Division 2 and 3, 9 metre, Half Ton, Cruising and Performance Cruising divisions on mid-river course.
by Peter Campbell
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