ICAP Leopard starts final leg of prestigious yacht racing treble

11:07 AM Sat 26 Dec 2009 GMT

At 13:00 (local time) today ICAP Leopard, the 100ft supermaxi racing yacht owned by Helical Bar Chief Executive Mike Slade, crossed the Sydney Harbour startline in the world-famous Rolex Sydney-Hobart race.

The heavyweight British challenger is aiming to be the first to Tasmania, in a bid to win a prestigious yacht racing treble that would also include her victories in the Rolex Fastnet and Middle Sea races earlier this year.

A tropical storm in the north of western Australia has made the weather difficult to predict for navigator Hugh Agnew, but with lumpy seas, brisk winds and the coldest Boxing Day in Sydney for more than a century, the northern hemisphere yachts were certainly made to feel at home by the conditions. As Slade's ebullient Kiwi tactician Ray Davies put it: 'It's likely to be blowing poms out of pubs, which is good for us as a British entry!'

With a race that may see some fierce squalls as the 100-strong fleet battle across the infamous Bass Strait, the thoughts of ICAP Leopard's owner and skipper Mike Slade were on more than simply being the fastest to Hobart. In 1998 six people died when storms ripped through the fleet, so Slade took one last opportunity to wish his competitors well before the off:

'We're hugely proud to be a contender in what is the best yacht race in the world. Lets hope and pray that all boats finish as they started. See you in Hobart!'

www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

by Henry Foster