Match race for Gladstone glory

12:56 AM Tue 9 Mar 2010 GMT

'Night Nurse (9009) and Cracklin' Rosie (6530) Farr 40s' Sail-World.com /AUS &copy Click Here to view large photo

Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race history will be cast in stone when five almost identical Farr 40 class yachts stage a private match race to win The Courier Mail Cup.

All five high performance yachts crewed by experienced ocean racing sailors are individually capable of setting the fastest corrected handicap course time to win the honour of having their yachts name engraved on the prestigious trophy as the 62nd champion of Queensland's premier blue water classic.

Veteran Sunshine Coast skipper Bob Robertson a previous two time winner has high hopes of steering the Mooloolaba Yacht Club sloop Cracklin Rosie to another win but he will be hard pressed to repeat his wins with Sellers Witchcraft ll and Corobboree against his younger rivals.

However Bob Robertson has never been known to back down from a tactical 'dogfight' and will again demonstrate his tenacity and experience to protect his reputation in what promises to become and exciting match race over the physically demanding 308 nautical mile course.

Skipper Robertson remains confident in spite of being forced to 'lick his wounds' following below par results in short course racing on Moreton Bay in recent weeks when Cracklin Rosie was forced to follow the pace setting Howard Lambourne owned and David Lambourne skippered Lambordini.

'Sure our short course results have not been real flash but we hope to turn that around in the longer ocean race'. Bob Robertson said.

He will certainly need to be at his tactical best and sail smart during the critical hours after dusk on Good Friday night to hold the chance of finishing ahead of Lambordini and the evenly paced Eleven ( David Elliott), Night Nurse (Russell Mc Cart) and the former Admirals Cup champion Ken Down in Bribie Star.

The complex nature of this second by second and centimetre by centimetre match race where all five yachts are expected to race within hailing distance of each other could have a strong bearing on deciding the overall Brisbane to Gladstone Race winner for 2010 while possibly rivalling the closest finish on record when Ross Perrins and Colin Loel jointly steered Scamp A to a 26 second win over the Peter Cavill helmed Silver Shamrock in 1984

by Ian Grant

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Match race for Gladstone glory

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