‘Catch Me If You Can’ – Smuggler Puts Down the Hammer and Goes Unchallenged
The reigning Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Champion, Smuggler, set a clear goal to open her offshore season with strength and continue her streak of top performances. She delivered on that promise, outpacing the competition and never looking back.
From the race start, a classic strategic dilemma presented itself: stay close to shore in flatter water and slightly softer breeze, or gamble on the offshore route, chasing stronger pressure but contending with larger waves. By the end of day one, 28 of the 61 yachts had committed to the offshore option, drawn by the extra pressure offered in the wide lane.
The offshore pack included the fleet’s largest contenders, the TP52s and both Class40s, but also several smaller yachts like the JPK 11.80 Bacchanal and the Double Handed J/99s Balancing Act and Jupiter.
Wild Thing 100 Wins Line Honours
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing 100 took Line Honours, crossing the finish line at 2204hrs on Sunday 27 July after 1 day, 9 hours, 4 minutes and 12 seconds of racing. The crew maintained an impressive average speed of 12.3 knots over the 384-nautical-mile course.
Reflecting on the race, Wharington said: “It was quite windy and bumpy, with a lot of northerly to northwesterly winds, so it was pretty much upwind the whole way.”
He added, “We saw a little bit of reaching action later on Sunday, which was a welcome change. The boat really loves that point of sail and it performed really well.
“The jib sticks are fantastic. We only built them last year and it’s been challenging to make them strong enough, so it took a lot of trial and error. But they worked brilliantly. We used a J0, J2 and J4 and J6 at different times. The boat really lights up, it’s incredible how powerful they are.”
On the challenging conditions, he noted, “We experienced wind speeds up to 37 knots, but we handled it okay, but definitely bumpy and plenty of slamming.”
Discussing their race tactics, the Skipper explained: “We ended up a little further offshore than we normally would. Usually, you race up the coast trying to stay inside the rhumbline, but we found ourselves about 45 nautical miles offshore around Coffs Harbour. There was a bit of a wind shadow there which we wanted to avoid, it may not have been as much as models predicted, but it was noticeable.”
Smuggler Races Far Offshore and Proves Unbeatable
Sebastian Bohm’s Smuggler, skippered by Tim Davis, stormed across the finish line at 0714hrs on 28 July, just as the sun rose over Main Beach on the Gold Coast. Although boat owner Bohm was unable to join for this race, his crew delivered an incredible performance.
Skipper Davis said, “While Seb wasn’t able to join us this time, we’re very grateful we could still compete. We missed him on board, but we’re incredibly proud of how the team performed.”
Tactician Stephen McConaghy added, “Our goal is to defend our Blue Water Championship title, so it was important for us to be here and compete.”
Davis and McConaghy took charge of race tactics early on, throwing down the gauntlet with a clear offshore strategy. After exiting Sydney Heads, Smuggler headed 30–50 nautical miles offshore, maintaining an impressive average speed of 9.1 knots over the 384-nautical-mile course.
McConaghy joked, “We didn’t plan on tacking or gybing the whole race. There was a running joke on board that we didn’t even know how to sail on the other tack anymore.”
“Eventually, we had to tack several times to reach the finish. Before doing so, the crew double-checked the rigging on the starboard side to make sure nothing had been damaged without us noticing.”
On the sea state and conditions, the duo explained the importance of protecting the yacht: “We focused on peeling off the back of each wave rather than slamming straight over the top. We did a great job with that, which was especially important on the first night.”
After the wind swung west, they deployed the jib top alongside the jib and genoa staysail, making sailing more comfortable as conditions settled. It was at this point that Smuggler managed to pull clear of the competition and secure the top spot on the podium.
The IRC Podium
Smuggler is joined on the podium by two international entrants, in second is Bacchanal from the United States and Antipodes from Hong Kong is in Third.
After nearly 24 hours of racing, Bacchanal made a bold tactical shift off Seal Rocks, heading further east to jump across the southbound current and rejoin the offshore group in a bid to reshape the leaderboard.
Navigator Alex Nolan explained their thinking: “It was always the plan to be offshore around this area. We just needed to pick the moment and this seemed like a good one. We had a good shift and pressure and went for it.”
At the time Bacchanal crossed from the inshore track to the offshore lane, she was placed ninth overall on IRC but the move paid dividends, lifting her into second place by the finish.
Antipodes was also part of the offshore contingent. As a heavier Santa Cruz 72, the crew opted for the offshore route to chase stronger pressure, something the boat needs to perform at her best. The decision was only finalised on Friday night, when updated weather models showed that choosing the inshore option would add six hours to their race time, this would definitely put her back places on the overall list.
The next challenge was deciding how far offshore to go. They aimed to thread a gap between two opposing southbound currents. While Smuggler found a favourable northerly eddy, described by Antipodes’ Bradshaw Kellett as the “perfect gap”, Antipodes just missed it as they were not as far north as they would have liked to have been. Their commitment to the offshore strategy paid off nonetheless.
Double Handed Line Honours
Italian sailors Massimiliano “Max” Fonzo and Matteo Brignoli delivered an impressive debut to their Double Handed racing calendar, securing Line Honours in the Double Handed Division and IRC Honours in IRC Division 1, aboard their Akilaria RC2 Voltstar Yeah Baby. Last year’s overall winners (crewed) of the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.
Opting for a bold offshore strategy early on, the team headed 30–50 nautical miles east, crossing the Eastern Australian Current (EAC) promptly to tap into the westward wind flow predicted later in the race.
The pair endured rough conditions and a cold, sleepless night offshore, but their tactical commitment paid dividends. When the anticipated westerly wind shift arrived, Voltstar Yeah Baby was perfectly positioned to push hard using a jib top and genoa staysail combination, maintaining strong pace despite equipment setbacks such as a snapped tackline mid-race.
In the final stretch, the duo battled a challenging wind hole near Point Danger that allowed rival Daguet 2 to overtake the duo. Nevertheless, they crossed the finish line at Gold Coast Main Beach just as daylight faded, marking an impressive first ocean race together.
Reflecting on their performance, Brignoli said, “Our crew strategy and planning really paid off. The goal from here is clear: to race hard in every offshore event leading up to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.”
Toucan is Top Performer of the Inshore Competitors
In a race where the offshore side of the track delivered most of the top IRC results, Toucan stood out. Co-skippered by Edward Curry-Hyde and Billy Sykes, Toucan is the only yacht in the IRC Overall top ten to take the inshore route. Finishing an impressive fourth overall and claiming victory in the Double Handed IRC Division.
In a strong Double Handed fleet, Toucan beat Balancing Act and Jupiter, both of whom committed to the offshore strategy.
“We pushed very hard,” Curry-Hyde said. “Sunday in particular, the conditions were perfect for us going past Ballina and Cape Byron. Equipped with J0, (a Code Zero with a smaller draft) and gennaker staysail, a reefed main and sitting around 60 degrees TWA. The highest speed we hit was 14 knots, not huge, but we were averaging really consistent speeds.”
While many expected lighter conditions inshore, Toucan benefited from a bit of luck: “We were lucky that the breeze inshore on Monday was stronger than forecast,” he admitted.
Their decision to go inshore was made spontaneously, “We were watching Min River closely at the start and said we’d follow her, but stay inside further west. The idea was that the rest of the Double Handed fleet would be further out than us.” Curry-Hyde explained.
In a light-hearted moment during the interview, Min River’s crew, Jiang Lin and Jan Scholten, joked that they had followed Toucan inshore, while Edward believed it was the other way around.
Toucan is also in the midst of optimising her IRC rating. The team chose to sail with symmetrical spinnakers and without utilising their water ballast “It was the perfect race to try it,” Curry-Hyde said. “With a lot of tight reaching, it came down to the balance of the boat. By reefing the main and carrying the full J0 and gennaker staysail, we found a set-up that really worked.”
The Lead Up for a Big Season
With a strong showing in the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, crews across the fleet are now turning their focus to the major races ahead. The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race looms large on the calendar, promising another world-class contest in December.
Just weeks later, many boats have got eyes on the inaugural Trans-Tasman Yacht Race to Auckland, adding to the intensity of the summer season. For teams fine-tuning their performance and testing new setups, this race was a critical milestone. A big race behind them and an even bigger season ahead.
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