TP52 Pallas Capital Gold Cup Act 1 preview
by Nicole Douglass 26 Feb 2025 11:03 NZDT
1-2 March 2025
An incredible season is ahead for those racing in the Pallas Capital Gold Cup © Nic Douglass for @sailorgirlHQ
The Pallas Capital Gold Cup for TP52's in Australia will commence with Act 1 in Sydney as part of the Sydney Harbour Regatta on March 1 and 2.
With multiple boats being bought and sold over the summer, last year's winner on both TPR and IRC, David Doherty's Matador, will face stiff competition throughout the fleet. Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan, the newest TP52 in Australia will return for a rematch, and keen eyes will be on Peter White as the new owner of Geoff Boettcher's former Secret Men's Business, which he has renamed First Light.
"Myself and the whole team are super excited with the new boat," said Peter White of the purchase.
For White, the racing was initially about continual improvement, and the vibe of the class, but he felt he needed a new challenge.
"When I joined the class two years ago I thoroughly enjoyed the racing and the camaraderie between teams that the class brings together. When we entered the class our goal was to just keep improving, which we did to a level that ultimately, with the old boat, we couldn't go further. I decided I wanted to try and climb to the next level with a later model and faster boat".
"The new boat is a lot lighter and more responsive compared to the old, and without doubt faster. The twelve years of natural progression in design improves the boat everywhere - upwind, downwind and especially reaching," he commented on the newer model.
"We have a core of my old team from last year with a few very experienced new members including a couple who sailed on her previously to help our integration with the new and more complex systems".
In line with White's initial vision to continually improve, and to have fun he mentioned the addition of some new younger crew members.
"We've also added a few youth sailors who bring a wonderful enthusiasm and eagerness to learn to the team. It gives me great satisfaction to provide a platform for young sailors to learn and enjoy a Grand Prix yacht".
"We had our first sail earlier in February, [it was] a good shakedown and training session after extensive refit works. The boat and crew performance exceeded my expectations".
"We all can't wait to compete again in the upcoming Gold Cup, our expectations are tempered given the very limited time on the boat, however we'll use the competition to hopefully lift our performance. The team is super competitive, however it's especially important to me that we all still have fun".
In preparation for the first Act, on 26 February the whole fleet of TP52's will be weighed using the same scales, another step the class is taking to ensure all competitors are on a level playing field for the season ahead. Their IRC certificates will be subsequently amended and equalised, which will also feed through to the TPR rating that is used for the Pallas Capital Gold Cup.
The Pallas Capital Gold Cup 2025 will be contested over four Acts. The first is in Sydney as part of the Sydney Harbour Regatta (1-2 March), Act 2 is from the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club as part of SailFest (22-23 March), Act 3 as part of Sail Port Stephens (25-27 April), with the finale, Act 4 at Pittwater from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (17-18 May).
The entrants for Act 1 of the Pallas Capital Gold Cup (in alphabetical order) are:
- First Light (Peter White)
- Frantic (Michael Martin)
- Highly Sprung (Mark Spring)
- Hooligan (Marcus Blackmore)
- KOA (Andy Kearnan)
- Matador (David Doherty)
- Smuggler (Sebastian Bohm)
- Virago (Robert Kelly)
More TP52's are expected to join later in the season, with some boats still undergoing repairs post Sydney Hobart, maintenance following the summer offshore season, and as ownership transfers and deliveries are completed. Zen is also preparing for the Admiral's Cup, which the class celebrates for Gordon Ketelby and his crew. The TP52 is undeniably the best choice for the 50 footer representative for Australia.
Thanks to naming rights sponsors Pallas Capital and also to Zhik for their support.