TAKING IT TO THE MAXIS

While attention on the 100’ Maxis, (by IMA definition, no longer “Super Maxis”), and the pursuit of Line Honours glory inevitably captures much of the press and television coverage of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, it is often the smaller Mini Maxis (60 - 80’) and the sizeable group of 52-footers behind them that threaten for Overall IRC victory.

This year’s Mini Maxis represent some of the finest racing crews available and combine years of offshore experience from Australia and around the globe with younger talent drawn from Australia’s 18-foot skiff and other one-design classes.

Their collective results in the 2022/23 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore as well as other major offshore races this year have been impressive.

Moneypenny

Sean Langman’s Reichel/Pugh 69 Moneypenny, is one of the most beautifully prepared Mini Maxis going around and was a popular winner of the 2022 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race back in July. She then finished 2nd in both the Flinders Islet and Bird Island races and 3rd in the Tollgate Islands Race. “Everything we’ve done was to maximise [the boat’s] performance. It really enjoys upwind and waterline reaching where the other boats aren’t planing.”

Langman’s crew is a who’s who of Australian sailing including long time mates Josh Alexander, Matt

URM Group

Anthony Johnston’s Reichel/Pugh 72 URM Group (formerly Shockwave) is skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones and has been one of the most consistent performers in the 2022/23 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, winning the opening Flinders Islet Race, placing second in the Tollgate Island Race and third in the Bird Island Race.

Ashley-Jones is keenly aware though of how closely matched the Mini Maxis are: “Every second counts when you’re out there racing. It’s a combination of the whole crew working together – from the bow team to the trimmers keeping the boat fast and tacticians putting us in the right position to make the most out of the wind shifts.”

The team is comprised of many well-known younger skiff sailors as well as Steve Jarvin, competing in his 33rd Sydney Hobart, and Olympic medallist Jason Waterhouse. All three Johnston brothers are on board and hoping to make their mark this year.

Whisper

The Judel Vrolijk 62 Whisper, last year’s winner of the Mini Maxi Division at the 2021 Australian Maxi Championship, is fully race-ready after a mishap prevented her from competing in the Flinders Islet and Tollgate Islands races. She finished 4th in both the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast and Bird Island races. According to owner/skipper and CYCA Director David Griffith, “The challenge for the 60-70 footers in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is to try and hang on to the back of the 80’-plus boats and get enough clear air to jump away from the pack of 52s that are always breathing down their necks.”

Griffith has assembled a high class crew with a wealth of experience, including Michael Coxon (tactician and sailing master) , Grant Simmer (strategist), Noel Drennan (helm and speed specialist) , Doug McGain (helm and main sheet), Sam Hunt (pit) , Justin ‘Juggy’ Clougher (bow), Tommy Braidwood (crew boss), David Dickson (navigator), Ian McKillop (trim and main), Nick Beaudoin (trim), Lachie Hornsby, Dave Ward, Rudy Midya, Wil Coxon (son of Michael), Holly Griffith (rookie daughter of ‘Griffo’) and Luke Watkins (boat captain).

Aside from many RSHYR wins and line honours victories, this team has competed in (and won) a number of Volvo Ocean Races, America’s Cups, Etchells World Championships, skiffs and Finns Championships and pretty well every significant ocean race within and out of Australia.

Stefan Racing

The Botin 80 Stefan Racing, formerly Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste, has four owners and is skippered by Grant Wharington who has raced big boats for decades, famously taking Line Honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart on Skandia in 2003.

Wharington is joined again by his son Oliver this trip and there are other father and son combinations onboard in 2022. They placed 3rd in the 2021 Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Race earlier in the year and are geared for another strong performance on Boxing Day.

The vibrantly hued pink hull will once again be seen chasing the Maxis down the coast and could give them a real shake if conditions are favourable:

“The boat can be very good for many, many years. It’s very fast in certain conditions. It’s a very powerful boat, it needs a lot of wind and that’s why it’s good for this race.”

Alive

Phillip Turner’s Reichel/Pugh 66 Alive won the 2018 Rolex Sydney Hobart and has been a force to be reckoned with for a long time. Her skipper, Duncan Hine, was named Australian Sailing’s 2021 Offshore Sailor of the Year after a stellar year and proudly flies the Tasmanian flag.

Alive placed 2nd in the 2022 Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Race and the crew is hoping to have another solid crack at Overall Victory in 2022.

No Limit

David Gotze’s Reichel/Pugh 63 No Limit, (formerly Limit and Voodoo), has more experience on board for this year’s race than most – 266 Hobarts in total, including a phenomenal 53 by Tony Ellis alone.

Placed 10th in the 2022 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race & an unfortunate retiree in the slow Bird Island Race, she is looking forward to the Cabbage Tree Island Race and will hold her own if she gets the right conditions.

Willow

Owners Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant are no strangers to the Rolex Sydney Hobart, having previously raced the Volvo 70 Willow as Maserati. They had owned and raced the Jutson 80 “People’s Maxi” Brindabella for many years and more recently, the 100’ Maxi Comanche, which won Line Honours in 2017 and 2019 and is the current Race record holder. The team for 2022 is very similar to previous years with many returning crew from Comanche, Maserati and Brindabella, including Volvo specialists Daryl Wislang, Andrew Cape, Nick Bice, Martin Stromberg, David Burt and Mike Sanderson. It also includes two of their children, James and Douglas who have had lots of experience on the boat.

Preparation is comfortably on track following a major keel hydraulics refit and some minor modifications over winter. The Volvo 70 is not designed for frequent manoeuvres and sail changes, so they have made some of those systems a little quicker and easier to manage.

Cooney notes “It’s now three years since our last Hobart race and our team is really looking forward to the challenges of blue water racing. Given a favourable forecast of moderate to strong winds we can demonstrate why the Volvo 70 is such a solid and versatile offshore racer. “

“Racing with my children on board for the past 12 years has been the most rewarding part of my sailing career. James and Julia have shared five Hobart races with me including two Line Honours. Doug joined us in the 2019 Transpac winning crew; we are now very excited to have him in the team for his first RSHYR and we hope to put in a solid performance.”