Chaos in fleet

Press, 27 December 1985, Page 26

Chaos in fleet

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney The Sydney to Hobart yacht race started in chaos yesterday. It was everything the New Zealanders — who had flushed for a separate gun or the Southern Cross boats — had feared. The magnificent weather brought out a huge spectator fleet, but it was the competitors themselves who created the most headaches, with six boats jumping the gun and ordered to restart, collisions, and a rash of protests. Of. the six ordered to return and start again, only three did so — two Southern Cross Cup boats Marloo II and Another Concubine, and an Australian boat Dr Dan (formerly the New Zealand sloop Honky Took Woman). The other three, the line honours leader Rampant 11, the handicap leader Prime Suspect, ana Parmelia, will all face stiff penalties when they reach Hobart, according to the race director, Gordon Marshall, of the order of 3040 per cent of time, or up to 20 places. The most serious of the collisions was between the maxi Ragamuffin and the little Farr 40 Zap, one of three boats representing Papua New Guinea in the Southern Cross Cup. The crash left Zap with damaged topsides, lifelines and rigging, but she* was still ploughing south with the rest of the fleet. One of the three line honours favourites, the giant Apollo, got the best of the start, roaring out of the Heads in less than 13 minutes, rounding the mark and heading south 42 seconds ahead of archrival Windward Passage. But the eye-catching performance again came from the New Zealander Mad, Max as she raced out of the Heads eighth, ahead of Australian Drake’s Prayer, with the best of the New Zealand A team boats Exador 16th, another A-teamer SwuzzleBubble 19th, ’and the B-team boat Thunderbird 22nd. Fourth out of the heads was the New Zealand pocket maxi Starlight Express. ’ V..-