Anticipation holds her lead

Press, 9 May 1979, Page 42

Anticipation holds her lead

PA Auckland Anticipation, the 50m Miller-designed masthead sloop, strengthened her grip on the Auckland-Suva yacht race yesterday as she led the fleet north in head winds of between 10 and 15 knots. Owned and skippered by Don St Clair Brown, the alloy yacht was 50 miles ahead of her closest rival Angstrom, the 11.6 m Earr 38 design skippered by Trevor Fell. The lead in the simultaneous Lautoka race was a battle between the 14.6 m Quando (Jim Edmonds) and another Farr 38, Golden Eagle (Peter Penlington). They had covered the same distance north, both working about 50 miles to the west of thgir rhumbline

course-. The Birdsall design Ponsonby Express (Noel Angus) was 23 miles astern, 10 miles to the east of the rhumbline. Anticipation had covered 373 miles and was working 60 miles to the west of the rhumbline when she sent a radio message yesterday. She had averaged 5j knots since the start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and was dropping further behind the schedule for an attempt on Ta’aroa’s 5 days 12 hours 52 minutes (in 1973) for the 1140-miie trip to Suva. However, the moderate head winds were exactly to her liking and she was stepping out to lead the Suva fleet in distance covered and on handicap. The fleet yesterday was spread out over a 240-mile front from west to east.

The Cavalier 32 Cabot (Lew Adam) was furthest east, working 120 miles out to the right of the course, and thq Pacific 38 Luhlua (Lance Whittington) was furthest west, working 100 miles out to the left.

Royal Akarana Yacht club officials yesterday estimated that Anticipation was leading on handicap in the Suva race, from the 11m Kishmul (Dick Tapper), the Robertson design 11.5 m Plane Jane (Don Harland), and Angstrom.

Cabot and the Pacific 38 design Ish-Me (A. Ruiterman) were leading on handicap in the Lautoka fleet from another Cavalier-type Caballero (Pat Lloyd), and Ponsonby Express. Kishmul was well up in the fleet, sailing 15 miles to the east of the rhumbline.

Plane Jane was five miles astern 60 miles to the west of the line. Caballero was with Cabot away out to the east.

No r t h-westerlies have been reported ahead of the fleet in Fiji, so this race could remain predominantly on the wind. If that is the case, the rhumbline course will pay. However, the boats going well to the east are still gambling on picking up the elusive south-east trades to send them sliding to Suva and Lautoka with an edge on their rivals.

Only one casualty has been reported so far. Delphin tore the mainsail track of her mast and is on her way back to Auckland, hoping to start in the Tonga race on Saturday.