Sportsboats heading to Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week

2:36 AM Mon 15 Jun 2009 GMT

'Bendigo Private (Cam Rae)' Ian Grant Click Here to view large photo

Southern state sports boat sailors are looking forward to some warm water racing in the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week on Pioneer Bay in August.

They are experiencing withdrawal symptoms when cold winter temperatures plummeted to five degrees in Melbourne last weekend adding an uncomfortable chill factor to the wind which again kept the fast lane sailors struggling to gain important practice in preparation for the prestigious championship event starting on August 14.

It was cold in all of the major sailing ports south of the Tropic of Capricorn last weekend while The Whitsunday Passage and the Whitsunday Sailing Club course on Pioneer Bay became a more pleasant 'tropical shirt' sailing playground with temperatures averaging between 12 to 24.8 degrees.

Royal Geelong Yacht Club skipper Cam Rae who helmed the exciting Thompson 8 Bendigo Private to the Silver Medal in 2008 has shown his intention to break the icy shackles.

Bendigo Private is among the 12 early nominations to compete for the 2009 champion Sports Boat class trophy in what promises to be another interesting regatta where champion crews sailing the fastest and most exciting 'sprint machines' in the Nation place their skill and tactical reputations on the line.

West Australia's Heath Townsend will again complete another marathon journey along the 'bitumen rhumbline' including a long haul across the Nullarbor Plain to defend the 2008 Bronze Medal with his new Melges 24 class challenger What Tha.

Both crews have the experience and regatta results to suggest they will be on the pace and deserve to be ranked among the 2009 title favourites while the former Australian JOG Champion Noel Leigh-Smith skippering the super fast Vivace will again be a strong contender to win the fastest time trophy.

Vivace designed by Julian Bethwaite and previously skippered by French Americas Cup sailor Pierre Gal and former World 18 ft skiff champion Peter Sorensen has a long list of success in racing off Airlie Beach and her present skipper is equally determined to again sail on the fine edge between distinction and disaster to protect her reputation.

Meanwhile the 13 skippers representing West Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland will focus their limited preparations on being ready to enter the tactical 'bull ring' on Pioneer Bay.

They are still nine weeks away from answering the starting signal and all skippers anticipate the entry list will continue to grow attracting a highly competitive fleet including the 2008 champion Quantum Sails representing the Runaway Bay Yacht Club.

Quantum Sails owned by Gold Coast sail maker Graham Sherring and steered by his cousin Neil Sherring proved to be the star performer in the 2008 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week with her commanding 13 point win over Bendigo Private.

However Cam Rae and his Victorian crew on Bendigo Private remain as the pre-title favourite while intense interest and speculation surrounds the intentions of the Quantum Sails crew to be on the start line and perhaps prove that the 'baby' Brendan Egan designed 6.5m sloop has the pace to win successive championships.

by Ian Grant