Ray White Solo Tasman Yacht Challenge - Singlehanders set out to tackle Tasman
by Lindsay Wright 10 Apr 23:30 NZST
2 April 2023
Start Ray White Solo Tasman Yacht Challenge - New Plymouth - April 9, 2023 © New Plymouth YC
Early in the afternoon of Easter Sunday, a fleet of yachts started their pre race maneuvers in Port Taranaki.
They are the nine entrants in the Ray White Solo Tasman Yacht Challenge, the 1250nm singlehanded race from New Plymouth to Southport in Queensland.
The 2023 event is the 14th race held – the event has been run four yearly since 1970 and is the only singlehanded ocean race n the Southern Hemisphere.
Nelson boatbuilder and designer, Malcolm Dickson, sailed his big blue pilothouse cutter, Sarau, through the fleet and tacked on the start line to be first across but he was picked up by Australian Mark Hipgrave in his IRC contender, Mister Lucky, on the 1.4nm reach to the turning mark off downtown New Plymouth in 15kts of NW wind.
The fleet was tightly bunched as they sheeted in and headed for Australia.
Another Australian skipper and two time entrant in the race, Trevor Hill, was stranded in the harbour after pre start checks had uncovered a computer fault with his autopilot and by late afternoon Wellingtonian, Mike Carter headed back to port to sort out some issues with Allegresse, but restarted at first light on Monday.
As the boats bashed through the night in wind which reached over 40kts, the only female skipper in the fleet, Lucy TeMoana nui also turned back due to problems with her chartplotter/AIS and a halyard on her Contessa 32 that was jammed up the mast.
By Monday morning Sarau was180nm from port and averaging 6.5kts, well north of the other boats.
Top IRC contenders, Alan Yardley (Melting Pot) and Mark Hipgrave (Mister Lucky) were engaged in their own race well south of the leaders and about 160nm down the track.