7:19 AM Sun 27 Dec 2009 GMT
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'Andrew Hunn’s Mr Kite quickly taking the lead and winning the race to Low Head from Gary Smith’s The Fork in the Road - Sargisons Launceston to Hobart Race'
Peter Campbell ©
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State-of-the-art Hobart yacht Mr Kite has opened up an early lead in the 285 nautical mile Sargisons Jewellers Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race, bouncing into the lead within seconds of the start at Beauty Point today, then leading the 35 yacht fleet of the Tamar River at Low Head and into Bass Strait.
Skippered by Andrew Hunn, the Cape 40 is revelling in the light winds prevailing since the 1pm start, with these conditions forecast to continue for 24 hours as the yachts head down the Tasmanian East Coast.
Late this afternoon the leading yachts were north of Piper River on the north-east coast of Tasmania, heading for the tricky passage through Banks Strait and then down the east coast.
Mr Kite features a carbon fibre hull and rig and a canting keel that enables her to outsail similar sized boats to windward. At the same time, she is exceptionally fast off the wind.
Her windward sailing capability was clear today as Hunn and his expert crew tacked the 40-footer down the river, moving steadily away from the bigger but heavier 45-footer The Fork in the Road, skippered by former Olympian Gary Smith.
Tourism, Sport and Recreation Minister Michelle O'Byrne fired a cannon from the old Inspection Head wharf to send the fleet off on the fast six nautical mile dash down the Tamar River to Low Head where the historic foghorn was sounded to mark the first boat past the Farewell Beacons.
Mr Kite acknowledged the rather mournful signal as she headed out into Bass Strait into a 10 knot nor'nor'westerly breeze, comfortably ahead of The Fork in the Road, followed by Stephen Keal's cruiser/racer Cyclone.
Then came the two Beneteau 40.7s, Blue Sky (Richard Fisher) from the Tamar Yacht Club and Blue Chip (Stuart Denny) from Bellerive Yacht Club, duelling for fourth place in the fleet.
Well placed at this stage was Whistler (David Rees) whose crew includes young teenage lasses Lucy Rees (13) and Zoe Bak (14, along with an experienced team of adult sailors.
Enjoying the light conditions were 2007 race winner Host Plus Executive (Jeff Cordell), a Mumm 36, from Bellerive Yacht Club and the lightweight Kingsmeadows Capital Chemist (Sebastien Verbeeten) from the Tamar Yacht.
Hobart yacht Pisces, skippered by David Taylor) again had a disastrous start to a race from Beauty Point, running aground on mud flats off Sandy Beach just minutes after the start. The crew managed to free her as the tide ebbed, but the Sydney 36 was at least half an hour astern of Mr Kite when she finally reached Low Head, dead last in the fleet.
Earlier this year, Pisces ran aground on Shag Rock in the middle of river, north of Beauty Point, after the start of the Three Peaks Race.
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Whistler beating down the Tamar River after the start of the Sargisons Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race from Beauty Point today. In the crew are 13-year-old Lucy Rees and 14-year-old Zoe Bak. - Sargisons Launceston to Hobart Race - Peter Campbell ©
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by Peter Campbell
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