Struggle for lead in Sydney-Hobart race

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33110, 28 December 1972, Page 3

Struggle for lead in Sydney-Hobart race

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent)

SYDNEY.

The big North American yachts American Eagle and Graybeard were last evening locked in a grim struggle for line honours in the Sydney-Hobart yacht race as the fleet of 79 settled down for its second night at sea.

American Eagle, the 68ft converted 12-metre sloop sailed by the television station magnate, R. E. Turner, had late in the afternoon a two-mile advantage over the 72ft Canadian ketch Graybeard, the biggest yacht in the race.

At that stage, American Eagle was off Eden, on the far south of the New South Wales coast, having covered about 250 miles of the 640mile trip to Hobart American Eagle and Graybeard had cleared right out from the rest of the fleet, there being a gap of 13 miles back to the Sydney sloop Apollo. Then came Apollo 11, the 44ft sloop sailed by A. Bond (Perth) Australia’s next challenger for the America’s Cup, and the Sydney yachts Pacha, Meltemi, and Gingko.

RUNAWAY IMPROVES Pacha’s tactics of sailing well to the east has paid dividends, for she was able to take full advantage of a northerly wind shift of about 10 to 15 knots yesterday afternoon, which caught her before the other yachts closer to shore. Pacha followed the same line in 1970, ending up a smin winner on handicap over the Sydney yacht Ragamuffin.

The New Zealand onetonner Runaway, skippered by I. Gibbs (Auckland) made steady improvement after faring badly in the extremely light conditions soon after the start.

After being in forty-first position over-all and fortysixth on handicap on Tuesday night, Runaway moved steadily through the fleet and last evening was lying twenty-sixth and in twentysecond place on corrected times. She is second on handicap of the six yachts in the One Ton Cup division, be-

hind the Victorian sloop Mark Twain.

An apparent reporting discrepancy has put another New Zealand one-tonner Chantal, entered by Marshall Brothers (Warkworth) well back in the fleet. The position reported to the radio relay ship by Chantal on Tuesday night made her the One Ton Cup leader, second over-all on handicap, and thirteenth in the fleet. Last evening’s report position, however, made her fifty-first of the 79 yachts, fifty-fourth on handicap and fifth of the six one-tonners.

New Zealand’s small halftonners continue to do well on handicap, with the 31ft Kidnapper, sailed by A.'St C. Belcher (Tauranaga) in twenty-sixth place on handicap and second in the HalfTon Cup division, behind Sydney’s Granny Smith. Kidnapper was lying fortyseventh in the race fleet last evening, one place in front of her fellow half-tonner Mokoia, skippered by G. Fyfe (Auckland). Well up on line honours rating last evening was the Japanese sloop Vago 11, which has been in New Zealand since last year’s race and which this year has four Aucklanders among her crew. Vago II was twenty-third in the fleet last evening, thirtyfourth on corrected time and twelfth on handicap in division B. NEW ZEALAND YACHTS Positions of the New Zealand yachts last evening, showing fleet place, handicap position, and classing placing on handicap were:— Runaway, 26th. 22nd, 2nd onetonner. Escapade, 35th, 35th, 3rd onetonner. Kidnapper, 47th, 26th, 2nd halftonner. Mokoia, 48th, 27th, 3rd halftonner. Chantal, 51st, 54th, sth onetonner. Unicorn, 61st, 39th, 4th halftonner. Leading the fleet on handicap was the 44ft Sydney sloop Meltemi, a contender for the Australian Admiral’s Cup team. The Sydney-Hobart race is the final evaluation trial for the three-

strong cup team, and Meltemi last evening had a narrow lead over her fellow cup contenders Apollo II and Barcardi. Next on handicap came American Eagle, followed by two more Admiral’s Cup hopes, Gingko and Ragamuffin.