The 2023 Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race on December 26th is now less than two months away, and with the entry list closed at 120 boats, we’re learning of more direct Irish involvement to add to Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt of Kinsale and Cinnamon Girl fame campaigning the two-handed division in a Sun Fast 3300 chartered in Sydney from ex-Limerick Lee Condell, while Trevor Smyth of the Clontarf Sailor Smyths will be out again in Mick Martin’s TP 52 Frantic (ex-Patches) to see if they can replicate their winning form in last month’s inaugural 1250-mile Sydney-Auckland Race.
Obviously, a full-on involvement by a complete Irish crew is a huge logistics and local contacts-requiring challenge, exacerbated by the fact that even the most obliging people in the Sydney Harbour marine industry will be caught up in their family’s count-down and celebration for Christmas. But Denis Power of the Royal St George YC – well known for his involvement with the J/97 Windjammer in Cruisers 2 in Dublin Bay – has hit on a really cool way of minimising the hassle.
He has simply bought a berth to Hobart aboard Flying Fish Sailing’s Radford/McIntyre 55 Arctos. This interesting and well-proven racer has something of the Transpac sled about her, but however you see her, she is a very good bet for adding worthwhile Sydney-Hobart participation to your sailing CV.
Flying Fish Sailing have been steadily developing from small beginnings nearly thirty years ago, and these days the organisation’s extensive range of training and sailing at all levels in every setting is a powerful resource both for sailing in Australia, and at an international level.