The little guys at Hamilton Island Race Week.
Ok, it’s kinda about all that stuff, but spare a thought for two men and their wives who are driving their trailer sailors over 6000km from Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club in South Australia. The Farr 7.5 ‘Farrnfast’ (what is it with Farr’s and names!?) will be joining Farr’s of the much larger and faster varieties in the annual regatta in the Whitsundays, closely followed by a Sonata 26 ‘High C’ in cruising non-spinnaker division.
The little trailer sailors are only 7.5m long, and both built in the 1980’s. With a cruising speed of around 5 knots on your average Hamilton Island day, they’ll be dwarfed by the fleet in both size and speed, but owners Locky McClaren and Brian Doser aren’t letting that phase them – Brian has competed once before, and Locky has wanted to participate in Race week for years now.
It all started when Brian and his wife Sue entered the Sonata in Race week, intending to go on their own; but when a casual offer was thrown around to the members of the club, Locky and Jayne threw their hands up, volunteering to join them on the 6000km road trip north.
“We are going to Race Week to enjoy the sailing, warm weather, festivities and camaraderie we have heard so much about,” said Locky McLauren, owner of ‘Farrnfast’. “This will be a great adventure for the four of us in many ways. If we come across an appealing lake, river or coastal port along the way we’ll stop there, launch the boats and sail around for a day or so. We’re also going to cruise around the Whitsunday Islands before the regatta.”
Audi Hamilton Island Race Week starts on the 15th of August 2015 and runs for a week, until the 22nd August. Already the entry list is growing fast, with more than 100 entries expected by close of registration which is just 90 days away…
Cunjurong Pt, NSW
