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  • UPDATES | 2022 Cabbage Tree Island Race

UPDATES | 2022 Cabbage Tree Island Race

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  • 02 Dec, 2022 10:55:00 PM
UPDATES | 2022 Cabbage Tree Island Race
Cabbage Tree Island Race 2022 - WINGS ©Andrea Francolini

UPDATES | 2022 Cabbage Tree Island Race

Updates from the 2022 Cabbage Tree Island Race, the penultimate race of the 2022/23 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore.

Follow the race:

The start

A fleet of 69 boats is heading north in the 172 nautical mile Cabbage Tree Island Race after an exciting twilight start on Sydney Harbour.

It was an eventful pre-start sequence off Point Piper as the packed fleet jostled for position, with an 11 knot sou’easter setting them on their way.

Hamilton Island Wild Oats, one of four 100-foot maxis in the fleet, was over the line early and subsequently recalled as Black Jack and Andoo Comanche broke away, with LawConnect in pursuit.

It was the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Line Honours winner, Black Jack, that was first out of the Heads around 24 minutes after the start.

URM Group, Hamilton Island Wild Oats, Alive and Moneypenny featured in the chasing pack, followed by the remaining mini maxis and TP52s, led by KOA and Zen.

Enterprise Next Generation, Anthony Kirke and Andrew Nuttman’s Botin Carkeek GP42 from Western Australia, got off to a good start, keeping pace with the 52s.

The lead two-handed boat was Mistral, Rupert Henry’s Lombard 34, co-skippered by Greg O’Shea, with the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Two-Handed Division winner Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth (Jules Hall/Jan Scholten) not far behind.

The two smallest boats in the fleet – Gun Runner and Currawong – were out of the Heads inside an hour as rain drizzled down, with lightening breeze set to provide a challenging night for the smaller boats.

Friday 2 December - 2200hrs

Three hours into the race & the four 100' maxis have stretched out ahead of the fleet. John Winning Jr's Andoo Comanche is currently 16NM south of Nobby's Head averaging 17.3kts, almost 4NM ahead of Christian Beck's LawConnect, the Oatley Family's Hamilton Island Wild Oats & Peter Harburg's Black Jack.

The mini-maxis are a further 7NM astern; Willow & URM Group lead Alive, Moneypenny, Whisper & No Limit who are currently doing around 13kts.

The eight TP52s are in a pack (as usual) with only the 72' Antipodes breaking them up: Gweilo, Zen, Patrice, Quest, Smuggler, Celestial, KOA & Denali.

In IRC standings, it's currently a big boat leaderboard with Gweilo & Zen the only other sub-60' boats in the Top 10.

For the two-handers back near Broken Bay, Mistral leads Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth & Jupiter.

Saturday 3 December - 0200hrs

Seven hours in & the four maxis have already rounded Cabbage Tree Island, NE of Port Stephens, & are heading home, weaving their way through the fleet who are still heading north along the rhumb line.

Averaging almost 16kts, Andoo Comanche is now over 4NM ahead of LawConnect with smaller gaps back to Hamilton Island Wild Oats & Black Jack. They have stretched their lead over the mini maxis with Jim Cooney & Samantha Grant's Volvo 70 Willow looking strong, 12NM astern, just passing inside most of the outbound 52s near Fingal Bay. The other 60-80 footers are currently rounding the half way mark.

Mistral is leading the two-handed entrants in 31st place. The fleet of 69 is strung back down to Terrigal where Gun Runner & Currawong (TH) bring up the rear.

Current Standings:
IRC - Patrice | Zen | Gweilo
ORCi - Patrice | Quest | Gweilo
PHS - Enterprise Next Generation | Antipodes | Patrice
IRC (TH) - Mistral | Transcendence Crento | Rum Rebellion

Saturday 3 December - 0600hrs

The maxis are motoring down past Pittwater & the Northern Beaches with Andoo Comanche on track to set a new race record.

She only has 12.5kts to the finish & is currently doing 10kts.

LawConnect is 6.7NM behind with a further 1.5NM back to Hamilton Island Wild Oats & Black Jack who have been in a close tussle for most of the race.

Current Standings:
IRC - Gweilo | Quest | Smuggler
ORCi - Transcendence Crento (TH) | Gweilo | Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth
PHS - Llama II | Antipodes | Transcendence Crento (TH)
TH IRC - Transcendence Crento | Mistral | Rum Rebellion

Saturday 3 December - 0719hrs

Andoo Comanhe takes Line Honours and sets a new race record of 12 hours, 19 minutes and 8 seconds. Read more.

Saturday 3 December - 1000hrs

After Andoo Comanche had broken the new Cabbage Tree Island Race record in a time of 12 hours, 19 minutes, 8 seconds, (at an average speed of 13.9kts), Law Connect was next over the line, 49:31 behind her.

Just over 20 minutes later, Black Jack & Hamilton Island Wild Oats fought all the way home, finishing a mere 59 seconds apart.

Six mini maxis, led by Willow, have between 8-18 NM still to go so should finish in the next few hours; the TP52s, currently south of Norah Head, are a further hour or so back.

The rest of the fleet is staggered across the Central Coast with several boats still to round Cabbage Tree Island.

Standings have fluctuated overnight. Carl Crafoord's Sail Exchange is currently atop all three handicaps but it's still an open affair. Some of the two-handed teams are sailing well in the conditions & are pushing hard for podium finishes.

Current standings:
IRC - Sail Exchange | Mistral (TH) | Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth (TH)
ORCi - Sail Exchange | Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth (TH) | Transcendence Crento (TH)
PHS - Sail Exchange | Llama II | Kialoa II
TH IRC - Mistral | Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth | Transcendence Crento

Saturday 3 December - 1600hrs

A steady stream of arrivals all day has brought the total of finishers to 23. Since the four maxis earlier this morning, all mini maxis & TP52s have completed the race, as well as Enterprise Next Generation, Mayfair & Allegria Republic.
Four other boats are approaching North Head - Khaleesi, Kialoa II, Insomnia & Pretty Woman. The rest of the fleet is spread from Broken Bay to Port Stephens so there is still a lot of racing ahead for some.
Current standings are getting pretty interesting as boats finish & the fleet draws nearer.

IRC - Mistral (TH) | Sail Exchange | Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth
ORCi - Disko Trooper_Contender Sailcloth | Transcendence Crento (TH) | Mistral (TH). Another two-handed team, Jupiter, is also holding down 4th place.
PHS - Llama II | Kialoa II | Mistral (TH)
TH IRC - Mistral | Disko Trooper_ Contender Sailcloth | Transcendence Crento

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