At noon today, Friday 3 August, twenty-seven yachts successfully started in the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht race from Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.

There was a good mix of entrants this year, with yachts up from the Gold Coast, Sydney and Hobart. Andrew Hunn, skipper and owner of Mr Kite had just flown in from Hobart, with little more than half an hour to spare before the start. Andrew said, ‘the boat was brought up from Hobart to Sydney a few weeks ago. There’s a good video on YouTube showing the delivery in about 26 knots. We’ve just finished the Sydney to Gold Coast race and came in first in the forty foot and under fleet. But this is our first Brisbane to Keppel and the conditions are very different. We’ll try and do the same thing, at least beat all the boats our size, and see how that goes!’ 

The light breeze of only about 5 or 6 knots made it challenging to find a place on the line with most boats crowded around the pin end at the start.

Nothing was stopping Wild Oats XI from quickly and effortlessly taking the lead, however, and Black Jack was close behind.

The average length of boat has increased this year. Last year there were more Farr 30’s in the race but the average this year is around 40 foot.

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Commodore Greg Clarke, a trimmer this year on Bribie Star, said, ‘This is our sixth race to Keppel. It is really our premier event and it’s getting more and more exciting every year. The conditions might be a bit lighter this year so it could take a bit longer for some of the boats to get there but it’s always a lovely time of year to be heading north into a warmer climate. We see great sunsets and sunrises and we often see whales up close. As always we sincerely thank our volunteers for their invaluable contribution and of course the sponsors who make this event possible.’

Black Jack – a strong contender for this year’s Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Race.

Alaine Neilson

Last Updated ( Friday, 03 August 2012 )