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ORCV Heemskirk Consolidated Westcoaster (from 27/12/2011).

Arrival.

For the 30th consecutive time since 1982, Yoko has arrived in Hobart. Same boat, same mast, same owner and a lot of the same crew have done them all. Well done!!

Jan Huggard and Val Hewitt deserve the medals for being dedicated shore crew for 30 years. Here they are moments after Yoko crossed the line at just a few minutes after 11pm on December 30, 2011. You can just make out the boat in the background. Below is Trevor before setting off on his 31st Westcoaster...

Robin and Val Hewitt - 30 years of connecting again in Hobart...

Back in the days of sun visors and funky graphics...

The keg gets taken aboard.

Robin sits atop the chiller for the keg.

Robin said of the trip, "A delightful sail for a delightful occasion and to get a place is a bonus! Only damage was that the head of the #3 headsail got broken and that cost us a bit of time."

We'll be back with more...

Ultimately, whether the 40^th Westcoaster is your first or your tenth, you can look forward to many things. The challenges and unbelievable scenery, which you just won’t comprehend until you get there, but most importantly, a cold case of beer at the Elizabeth Street pier in Hobart.

If you want to join Yoko and be a part of the 40th Westcoaster, then the NoR and details are available, HERE. Yoko certainly were the first to put their name down, and then they were joined ever so quickly by Hot August Night from Hobart, Slinky Malinky - former Sovereign Series winner (three races - BDD, M2HW, KoD), eXtasea, reigning Offshore Champion (last three years running), Magazan 53, Nick is sure he will get the right mix of boat,  preparations and conditions, Spirit of Downunder, Laurie 'Handbrake' Ford is allowed back on by son,  Tim, for this run, There is Alien,  who had a spectacular departure through the Heads in 2010, then there was Matrix and Addiction, both of whom are from Royal Melbourne, 2010 Melbourne to Vanuatu winner, Tevake II showed up. Look out for them if the Radford can get a good solid reach going, The Cavalier 350, Barinya, from Sandy is in, and the final entrant is Phil and The Cappers aboard, Under Capricorn.  You can join them - the NoR and details are available, HERE.

ORCV Land also extends on to the ORCV Facebook page, so make sure you go and "Like" the page, now. 330 Souls already have and thank you to each and every one of you.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

		Heemskirk are proud sponsors of the ORCV's pair of races heading to Hobart just after Christmas. Their name has strong links to Tassie with it originating from Abel Tasman's Flagship, as well as the mountain on the West coast that also shares the name.

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ORCV Heemskirk Consolidated Westcoaster (from 27/12/2011).

Emphatic win.

eXtasea, skippered by ORCV Committee Member, Paul Buchholz, has taken Line Honours in the 40th running of the mighty Westcoaster - The race they said could not be run, all those years ago!

Crossing the Battery Point finish line at 07:37:08 this morning, the reigning Offshore Champion also holds IRC and AMS, provisionally. Performance Handicap was also part of that equation until earlier this morning, so it will be interesting to see if the fickle breezes return that particular title back to eXtasea and allow them the complete sweep to really stamp their mark on this historic event.

Paul said of his boat and crew's great win, "A lot of us have been together for 20 years doing these wonderful races, so it is marvellous to take out the 40th Westcoaster. We had a wonderful trip and it certainly was hard yards early on. It was our plan to go East and come out behind Three Hummock Island, which we did and had around 2.5knots of current going with us. Think we got a bit of a boost there, which we grabbed and we marched on from that point. It is an amazing race down the West coast and the scenery is terrific, with plenty of tides, rocks and wind changes to keep you all very much thinking as you go. Many thanks to the sensational crew, who make it such a joy to be out there."

Alex McKinnon climbed the mast to deliver this © crew shot whilst she was on board
with all the family and friends, once eXtasea arrived at the dock.

Cheers and greetings, as eXtasea tied up at the Elizabeth Street Pier.

As eXtasea crossed the line, Paul 'Bucky' Buchholz let his happiness be known.

We'll be back with more...

Ultimately, whether the 40^th Westcoaster is your first or your tenth, you can look forward to many things. The challenges and unbelievable scenery, which you just won’t comprehend until you get there, but most importantly, a cold case of beer at the Elizabeth Street pier in Hobart.

If you want to join Yoko and be a part of the 40th Westcoaster, then the NoR and details are available, HERE. Yoko certainly were the first to put their name down, and then they were joined ever so quickly by Hot August Night from Hobart, Slinky Malinky - former Sovereign Series winner (three races - BDD, M2HW, KoD), eXtasea, reigning Offshore Champion (last three years running), Magazan 53, Nick is sure he will get the right mix of boat,  preparations and conditions, Spirit of Downunder, Laurie 'Handbrake' Ford is allowed back on by son,  Tim, for this run, There is Alien,  who had a spectacular departure through the Heads in 2010, then there was Matrix and Addiction, both of whom are from Royal Melbourne, 2010 Melbourne to Vanuatu winner, Tevake II showed up. Look out for them if the Radford can get a good solid reach going, The Cavalier 350, Barinya, from Sandy is in, and the final entrant is Phil and The Cappers aboard, Under Capricorn.  You can join them - the NoR and details are available, HERE.

ORCV Land also extends on to the ORCV Facebook page, so make sure you go and "Like" the page, now. 330 Souls already have and thank you to each and every one of you.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

		Heemskirk are proud sponsors of the ORCV's pair of races heading to Hobart just after Christmas. Their name has strong links to Tassie with it originating from Abel Tasman's Flagship, as well as the mountain on the West coast that also shares the name.

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ORCV Heemskirk Consolidated Westcoaster (from 27/12/2011).

Retirement.

Barinya have decided to retire from the 2011 Heemskirk Westocaster and make for Hobart under Diesel. Their intention is to reach hobart in time for NYE and they have around 147nm to make, so one would hope they can also do a bit of motor sailing at some point or even get the sails back up, once they have round SW Cape. Where they are currently, approaching Low Rocky Point, they have a complete glassout.

Alex McKinnon took this © shot of Barinya whilst they made for the Shortland Bluff turning mark, back inside the Heads.

We'll be back with more...

Ultimately, whether the 40^th Westcoaster is your first or your tenth, you can look forward to many things. The challenges and unbelievable scenery, which you just won’t comprehend until you get there, but most importantly, a cold case of beer at the Elizabeth Street pier in Hobart.

If you want to join Yoko and be a part of the 40th Westcoaster, then the NoR and details are available, HERE. Yoko certainly were the first to put their name down, and then they were joined ever so quickly by Hot August Night from Hobart, Slinky Malinky - former Sovereign Series winner (three races - BDD, M2HW, KoD), eXtasea, reigning Offshore Champion (last three years running), Magazan 53, Nick is sure he will get the right mix of boat,  preparations and conditions, Spirit of Downunder, Laurie 'Handbrake' Ford is allowed back on by son,  Tim, for this run, There is Alien,  who had a spectacular departure through the Heads in 2010, then there was Matrix and Addiction, both of whom are from Royal Melbourne, 2010 Melbourne to Vanuatu winner, Tevake II showed up. Look out for them if the Radford can get a good solid reach going, The Cavalier 350, Barinya, from Sandy is in, and the final entrant is Phil and The Cappers aboard, Under Capricorn.  You can join them - the NoR and details are available, HERE.

ORCV Land also extends on to the ORCV Facebook page, so make sure you go and "Like" the page, now. 330 Souls already have and thank you to each and every one of you.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

		Heemskirk are proud sponsors of the ORCV's pair of races heading to Hobart just after Christmas. Their name has strong links to Tassie with it originating from Abel Tasman's Flagship, as well as the mountain on the West coast that also shares the name.

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ORCV Heemskirk Consolidated Westcoaster (from 10:00 on 27/12/2011).

Good form.

As the start of racing in the Heemskirk 40th Westcoaster looms ever closer, the inevitable form guide begins, too.

There's one boat keen to do well and she's a bit of BP Player about it. She's well maintained, well sailed and had few tweaks and mods in the last 18 months or so. True, she won't have it all her own way and will be happier if the sheets are sprung or even better, the Bag gets an airing, but she's more than well credentialled for the gig. She's not a shoe-in and of course, in order to finish first, first you have to finish. Also, she's got other craft that'll be keen to have a piece of her, like say, Spirit of Downunder, but then she's seen it all before and still came out on top.

Worked it out?

It could only be Tevake II, which won the 2010 Melbourne to Vanuatu race in demonstrable style. That year, Angus Fletcher was also the recipient of the 12-month subscription to Tidetech.

If they get Line Honours in the 40th Westcoaster, one man who'll be very happy is Graham Radford, who penned the boat's distinctive lines.
Image courtesy of and © to Teri Dodds.

Angus Fletcher behind the helm of Tevake II just after the start of the 2010 M2V. Image courtesy of and © to Teri Dodds.

So as it is all about form, here's the 21st Birthday trump card. Not only have Angus and the Tevake (I and II) crew been out for nine previous Westcoasters, they've also done 11 Melbourne to Devonport races, which was the previous location to Launceston. That is certainly one well travelled outfit, but the other part of the campaign is the shore crew and Holly Fletcher will be on the pier once more. "I will be more than happy  taking up my position on the Portsea Pier, as 'Madame Butterfly'. Since 1998, I've been there on December 27. This is our tenth Westcoaster and when you include the eleven Devonport races and the other event a tad further North, it is 23 years of continuous Christmas racing, which is not a bad record for both of us. I think we could now qualify as seasoned campaigners", said Holly.

The Portsea Pier awash with spectators in 2009, as indeed it is every year. In 2011 at 10am on December 27, it will be eight deep again, as usual...

Tevake II exits Port Phillip Heads and proceeds East past Point Nepean in the 2010 M2V. On December 27 however, it's all South as they begin their tenth Westcoaster. Image courtesy of © to Teri Dodds.

Oh yes! We have more...

Ultimately, whether the 40^th Westcoaster is your first or your tenth, you can look forward to many things. The challenges and unbelievable scenery, which you just won’t comprehend until you get there, but most importantly, a cold case of beer at the Elizabeth Street pier in Hobart.

If you want to join Yoko and be a part of the 40th Westcoaster, then the NoR and details are available, HERE. Yoko certainly were the first to put their name down, and then they were joined ever so quickly by Hot August Night from Hobart, Slinky Malinky - former Sovereign Series winner (three races - BDD, M2HW, KoD), eXtasea, reigning Offshore Champion (last three years running), Magazan 53, Nick is sure he will get the right mix of boat,  preparations and conditions, Spirit of Downunder, Laurie 'Handbrake' Ford is allowed back on by son,  Tim, for this run, There is Alien,  who had a spectacular departure through the Heads in 2010, then there was Matrix and Addiction, both of whom are from Royal Melbourne, 2010 Melbourne to Vanuatu winner, Tevake II showed up. Look out for them if the Radford can get a good solid reach going, The Cavalier 350, Barinya, from Sandy is in, and the final entrant is Phil and The Cappers aboard, Under Capricorn.  You can join them - the NoR and details are available, HERE.

ORCV Land also extends on to the ORCV Facebook page, so make sure you go and "Like" the page, now. 285 Souls already have and thank you to each and every one of you.

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.

		Heemskirk are proud sponsors of the ORCV's pair of races heading to Hobart just after Christmas. Their name has strong links to Tassie with it originating from Abel Tasman's Flagship, as well as the mountain on the West coast that also shares the name.