Yacht’s victory ‘a warm-up’

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32493, 31 December 1970, Page 3

Yacht’s victory ‘a warm-up’

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) HOBART. The New Zealand yachtsman Mr T. Clark, who took line-honours with Buccaneer in this year s Sydney-to-Hobart yacht classic said yesterday that although he regarded the win as his greatest victory, it was only a warm-up tor bigger international events.

Buccaneer crossed the line at 3.06 a.m. yesterday (N.Z. time). Her official time for the 680-mile journey was three days 14hr 6min 12sec. He would return to Auck. land for local racing, before trying for the big one—the San Diego-to-Honolulu race, next year, said Mr Clark. Although he saw the race as only the first in a “campaign” he said that it was a hard race—especially the last day. “It was blowing like the devil.” “We were doing the best we could to windward,” he said. “But we were delighted! that we did have such a rough finish; it really proved' Buccaneer.” Buccaneer first ran into the

heavy winds on Monday evening, said Mr Clark. He had initially tacked well out to sea, expecting southeasterlies to blow the boat: in—but instead found headwinds from the south. Ke said that he could have cut half a day off Buccaneer’S; time if he had not run into! the head-winds. He explained reports from spotter aircraft that Buccaneer appeared to have back-tracked, after thinking mistakenly that she had overshot Tasman Peninsula. The weather had forced them “backwards and forwards.” “We were forced to vir-

tually to go round in circles, because of the wind.” On Tuesday morning, Buccaneer was reported by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania to have given her position as 20 miles south of the peninsula. When sighted later from the air, she was nearly 50 miles north of this point. Mr Clark denied overshooting the Tasman and said that Buccaneer had never back-tracked. Yachting veterans in Hobart say that this year’s race has been notable for errors in reported positions. They say that some owners believe that sending false reports confused the opponent into seeking winds that did not exist.

It is part of ocean-racing tactics, they said. Buccaneer was more than 10 hours outside the record of three days, three hours 46 minutes 16 seconds, set in 1962 by Ondine. The second boat, the New .South Wales yacht Pacha,; • finished at approximate!; 6.401 a.m. this morning. The third yacht was the Sydney sloop Ragamuffin, which crossed the line about 9.42 a.m. She was' followed at about 11.10 a.m. by her sister-ship Salacia. The New Zealand yacht Prospector was still some 170 miles from the finish line when these boats finished.