Melbourne Winter Series (MWS)
They come in 3's.
John Williams, Graeme Ainley and Jason van der Slot are three good people and fantastic yachties. 'Bacardi', 'Georgia' and 'Stay Calm' are three great boats.
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| 'The Bus' is still ever so reliable |
Vale 'Georgia', you sweet thing. |
'The new toy 'Stay Calm' off Mallorca |
After the sudden loss of 'Georgia' in last year's Sydney to Hobart, Willow and GA as they're known, were left boatless - a very rare event for these venerable, well-travelled sailors.
For sure GA got his medal for his 25th Sydney to Hobart, but he considered it premature, as they obviously did not get there by boat. He still had the bug and so a replacement was needed. Having very successfully joined Melbourne's hotly contested 50footer class with 'Georgia', there could be no turning back. They had revelled in the competition with everyone, especially with her near sister ship 'Goldfinger', but times change, the 50footer class was booming and the competition had got even hotter. Time to get a TP52!
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Enter 'Slotty' (as he's known), who was also looking for a new challenge. It was at this year's Geelong Week regatta that the plan was hatched, although the jury is out on exactly who talked whom into what! Anyone who's been to this regatta has a fair idea of why.
Together, the three musketeers found the regatta-winning 'Stay Calm' in the UK. GBR 5252 had already been IRC'd and she was on a car RORO carrier bound for Melbourne some six weeks ago (due 23/5/09) - the hull on one dolly and the stick on another. The container/workshop with all her gear, including some 33 sails, arrived a week earlier on 15/5/09, but still hasn't cleared the docks.
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| If you've been around yachting, then you know these two. Three time Melbourne Offshore Champions in the last 10 years. |
As Willow says, "She's just going to be 'Calm'!" It's a bit like the guys themselves... They'll sail their Gen4 Farr designed toy under the number Sm5252, once they've put her back together and given 'Calm' her first ever coat of antifoul! I would imagine that she has a handicap a little under 1.35. GA tells me, "We Hope (with the capital H) to be ready for the first of the ORCV's Melbourne Winter Series on July 5". We hope so too, for these guys have won the Melbourne Offshore Championship three times in the last 10 years.
Their plans are to learn the new boat, go hard against the competition in Victoria and NSW and of course, complete GA's unfinished business. The 2010 Melbourne to Vanuatu may be in the picture, but one thing we know about these guys is, they'll be on the water somewhere.
By John Curnow
