BMW Sydney, Rushcutters Bay. The legs you see in this picture be ong to John. His job is to make sure when you drive away after a service at BMW Sydney, your car looks as good as the day you drove it off the showroom floor. And we can honestly say, when it comes to detail, no one is as driven as John. Of course, he's not alone. He's only one of five staff dedicated to this sole task. And obviously, we do mean dedicated. It's quite selfish really, but we've always believed that if you look good, so do we. From the way we service your car to the way we serve you a coffee while you wait, it's what makes BMW Sydney a world of BMW. BMW Sydney, 65 Craigend Street, Rushcutters Bay. 9334 4555. www.bmwsydney.com.au 1999 Telstra Sydney to Hobart A TIME TO REMEMBER 4 In the fastest race in 55 years, the Volvo 60 Nokia, a Danish/Australian entry, slashed the record for the Telstra Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race while 15 other yachts also broke Morning Glory's time. YES TO YENDYS 8 IMS Overall winner of the 1999 Telstra Sydney to Hobart, the Farr 49 Yendys, had raced for only nine days , including the Hobart, when she crossed the line on the Derwent River to clinch victory for owner/skipper Geoffrey Ross. TAILENDING THE FLEET 12 The story of the race aboard the 22-year-old 33-footer Berrimilla, the last yacht to complete the race to Hobart, taking seven days 10 hours and logging 920 nautical miles for the rhumbline course of 630 mile. WINNERS FROM THE WEST 14 Western Australia had two entries in the 1999 Telstra Sydney to Hobart, Red Jacket and Impulse. Both won their IMS divisions. TASMANIANS TAKE TROPHIES 14 Tasmanian yachts lnterum and Valheru finished first and second in IMS Division B, Mirrabooka second in IMS Division C and Grand Chancellor third in PHS Division D. FROM THE COMMODORE 16 CYCA Commodore Hugo van Kretschmar comments on the lessons learned from the 1999 Telstra Sydney to Hobart, in which he sailed aboard Bumblebee 5. CYCA'S SAFETY RULES PAYDMDENDS 22 Editor Peter Campbell reports on the practical results from the additional safety equipment and rules and from crew training introduced for the 55th race in the wake of the tragic race of 1998. 0 C bore Yachting A NAVIGATOR'S REPORT 51 ORD MINNETT REGATTA 42 International navigator Adrienne Now well established as Middle designs for Cahalan sailed to Hobart aboard the Harbour Yacht Club's major grand prix 62-footer, Bumblebee 5. regatta, the Ord Minnett also 2000 saw the dominance of the HONOUR ROLL 23 Beneteau 40.7s. SYDNEY 38 OD 48 Overall and divisions IMS, IRC and Australian and American PHS placings in the 1999 Telstra CANON BIG BOAT buyers for the latest Sydney to Hobart. CHALLENGE 44 Sydney Yachts, the Protests and disqualification Sydney 38 One Design. HOBART RESULTS IN DETAIL 24 marred the outcome of this Complete results of the 1999 Telstra classic Sydney Harbour regatta BAVARIA 42 49 Sydney to Hobart Race. for maxis and 60-footers-plus. Here is a real cruising Infinity Ill came out the winner. yacht, the German-built America's Cup Bavaria 42, with no STRATHFIELD PITTWATER TO claims to being a Countdown COFFS HARBOUR SERIES 52 cruiser/racer. Admiral's Cup team captain Bob CONNER, GILMOUR Steel sailed Quest to a close LOSE OUT 25 IMS overall win in the Pittwater Regular High profile skippers Dennis Conner to Coffs Harbour race, with Features and Peter Gilmour are out, with Martin James taking out the AmericaOne and Prada the finalists Line/PHS honours double with to challenge the New Zealanders. Infinity Ill. WHAT'S NEW 53 The latest new go-fast Sydney 2000 Destinations gear for sailors. NEWS FROM Olympic Games THE BEST OF GREECE ALL PORTS 58 Trevor Joyce reports on how Yachting news from all UPSET IN 49ers 29 Australian crews enjoyed the around Australia and There has been a major controversy Beneteau Regatta in Greece, on overseas, including the over the Australian Yachting the water and ashore. winner of the Audemars Federation's nomination of the crew Piguet watch fund-raising for the 49er class at the Sydney raffle for the CYCA's 2000 Olympics. Technical Safety of Life at Sea Trust. Other races, OFFSHORE RACING COUNCIL 46 Australian councillor and naval YACHTING CALENDAR 64 regattas architect David Lyons reports on All the major offshore and the latest decisions of the ORC. inshore races and TELSTRA CUP 36 regattas for the rest of Another great regatta on Sydney OPTIMISING 56 this summer sailing Harbour and off the Heads, with Designer Scott Jutson season. victory going to the the Beneteau comments on allowing water 40.7, Fruit Machine. ballasted yachts in the Sydney LATE NEWS ..... to Hobart. CYCATORUN FARR 40 OD NATIONALS 40 MOOLOOLABA RACE 45 Sailed in conjunction with the Telstra The CYCA has announced Cup, the inaugural Australian that, in conjunction with championship for the Farr 40 One Mooloolaba Yacht Club, it will COVER: Ian Mainsbridge's dramatic picture of Design class, introduced new the Volvo 60, Nokia, in Bass Strait as she heads conduct a pre-Easter race concepts in offshore racing. towards her record-slashing line honours win in from Sydney to Mooloo/aba, the 1999 Telstra Sydney to Hobart Race. starting on April 15. Offshore Yachting February • March 2000 3 of St Helens on the Tasmanian east 43, Atara, skipper Roger Hickman coast. reported that the boat was sailing As a result, apart from several broken The Australian IMS maxi yacht under a reefed mainsail and poled out booms, the most serious damage sus­ Brindabella, George Snow's Jutson 76, headsail, and was still surfing down tained was one broken mast. again finished second, less than an waves at 22 knots. "We haven't been Crews were not so lucky. More than hour astern of Nokia, also slashing the under 14 knots since we have dropped a dozen yachtsmen ended up in hospi­ record, with the third boat to finish the kite," Hickman told the Telstra tals in Tasmania with injuries ranging being Grant Wharington's Wild Thing, Media Information Centre in Hobart, from broken wrists and ribs to dislocat­ a Murray, Burns & Dovell designed 76- using a Telstra Minisat satellite tele­ ed shoulders and back injuries. One footer from Melbourne, half an hour phone. man ended up in the Launceston Gen­ astern. The weather was not only the most eral Hospital suffering severe shock Then came the radical-looking, favourable for a race record since 1975, after being knocked overboard from twin-ruddered Open 60, Magna Data, but the conditions were ideal for Nokia. the Papua New Guinea yacht, Hi Flyer­ skippered by Sydney skiff sailor and The crew of the Volvo 60 made full use he was recovered within a matter of marine maintenance operator Sean of her water ballast, pumping water minutes in a co-ordinated crew effort. Langman. into the aft tanks to lift the bow for the He was taken ashore by the Tasmanian Each of these yachts had at one surfing dash across Bass Strait. Despite police launch Van Dieman which stage led the fleet in the highspeed Nokia's advantage, the IMS maxi Brind­ played a key role in bringing other dash to Hobart, but Nokia took control abella, sporting a new Doyle Fraser injured crew ashore. as the fleet swept past Jervis Bay on the Mainsail sailed an excellent race to fin­ Five crew from the Queensland first evening of the race and was never ish so close, closing the gap as the yacht Esprit de CQrps were taken to St headed. Twenty-four later, maintain­ winds lightened near Storm Bay. Helens Hospital, as were three crew ing a boat speed of 20 to 25 knots, surf­ The superyacht, Mari-Cha III, sail­ from the Sydney yacht Hogsbreath Witch­ ing down waves at 30 knots, Nokia was ing as a demonstration yacht, had ear­ doctQr and three from the Victorian south of Flinders Island. lier been the first boat to cross the fin­ boat Amaya. The Tasmanian yacht At this stage, Nokia had elected to ish line, with the huge ketch complet­ Mirrabooka also dropped an injured drop her spinnaker, as did most other ing the course one hour and 16 min­ crew ashore at Triaburtna, an ill crew­ yachts astern of her. Aboard the Lyons utes earlier, her VMG being 14.82 man was picked up from the PNG boat Phillip's Foote off Port Arthur and anoth­ er man was taken to Hobart General Heavily reefed, the Melbourne yac:ht Challenge Again, skippered by Lou Abrahams, battles to windward off the Hospital with suspected spinal injuries Tasmanian East Coast (pie: - Richard Bennett). afte.r the Tasmanian yacht Interum fin­ ished. Nokia, the former Swedish Match which finished third overall in the last Whitbread Race, sailed the 630 nauti­ cal mile course with a VMG of 14.39 knots, probably one of the fastest aver­ age speeds every achieved in a long ocean passage race in the world. The next 15 boats to finish, , includ­ ing four 40-footers, also broke MQrning Glory's record, but the final boat to cross the line, the 33-footer Berrimilla, took 7 days 10 hours 4 minutes 48 sec­ onds, resuming the race after shelter­ ing for 18 hours in Skeleton Bay north Offshore Yachting February • March 2000 5 knots. Unlike the sombre arrival of Say­ onara after taking line honours in the tragic 1998 Sydney to Hobart, Nokia's victory was highlighted by the firing of an Army cannon, day pyrotechnics and a jazz band afloat, with thousands packing the dockside to cheer the win­ ning crew and watch the colourful pre­ sentation of the JH Illingworth Trophy for line honours and Telstra medal­ lions to each crew member.