Single-handed yacht race organised

Press, 11 January 1986, Page 3

Single-handed yacht race organised

NZPA-Reuter New York Fifty-four sailors from 12 countries, including New Zealand, are preparing for a single-handed vacht race round the world, organisers said yesterday. The 27,000 nautical mile race will offer more than SUSIOO,OOO (?NZ2OO,OGO) in prize money. Competitors in the 8.0. C. Challenge will set off on August 30 from Newport, Rhode Island, and return to Newport some eight months later after scheduled stopovers in Cape Town, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro.

“This is the supreme individual test of a human being,” said the race chairman Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to solo sail non-stop round the world in 1968-69. “Everyone who fin-

ishes this Everest of sailing is a winner.” Two classes of boats will compete, yachts between 12.40 metres and 15.50 metres in length and yachts up to a maximum of 18.60 metres.

Philippe Jeantot, of France, won the inaugural “Around Alone” race four years ago over the same course and will aim to improve on his winning time of 159 days.

United States sailors are best represented with 22 entered, followed by France with 11, Australia (5), Britain (4), Canada, Finland, South Africa and Switzerland each with two; and New Zealand (Dick McBride, of Dunedin), Brazil, Japan and Portugal with one each. .