Yachting record for Blake

Press, 4 March 1988, Page 34

Yachting record for Blake

PA i [ Wellington Steinlager 1 sailed under Auckland Harbour Bridge at 14:2.33 yesterday to be! credited with a yachting (record for the Tasman [ crossing from Sydney to Auckland. Peter Blake and Mike Quilter covered the 1250 miles in (five days 2min 33s (in their 18.2 m trimaran. ( The yacht finished the Transfield trans-Tasman race nearly 300 miles clear of the Australian

trimaran Verbatim which, the Australian race organisers claim, previously held the fastest crossing time of five days and four hours. Steinlager 1 made the delivery crossing to Sydney two weeks ago with a crew of four in exactly five days. Verbatim, crewed by Cathy Hawkins and lan Johnston, has crossed the Tasman 11 times and has been beaten only three times in 40 races. Line honours in the Transfield

race was the first international win for Steinlager 1. As Steinlager 1 tacked into a stiff southeasterly in the closing hours of the gruelling race yesterday morning, the other two-man crews were reporting a rough evening in the Tasman sea. Verbatim had been buffeted by winds gusting from the southeast at 25 knots and big seas had delayed progress towards Cape Reinga. Rough conditions dur-

ing the night had forced most of the fleet northwards and some of the yachts have been badly delayed. Tail-enders are not even at the halfway stage of the race. In spite of problems with rigging during the night, the 55ft New Zea-land-built monohull Starlight Express overhauled the catamaran D Flawless to be running third. These two yachts are about 550 miles from the finish at Richmond Yacht Club.