"Irish Boat" Frantic Wins 1250-mile Sydney-Auckland Race

14th October 2023

Mike Martin (centre) and the crew of the all-conquering TP 52 Frantic in Auckland

As the 1250-mile Sydney-Auckland Race progressed from the start on Saturday, October 7th, it was clear that Mike Martin's veteran TP52 Frantic - originally Eamonn Conneelly's first Patches, and known with her crew lineup as "The Irish Boat" - was setting the pace despite the presence of the 70-ft Antipodes. The leaders are now in the Royal Akarana Yacht Club in Auckland, and the news is good.

Leading Frantic crewman and helm Trevor Smyth - formerly of Clontarf - delightedly confirms the news of the overall win with the information that although they had been contemplating an early Trans-Tasman return to Australia,
they're now staying on in Auckland for a day or so to cheer on Ireland in the Saturday rugby match in one of the local sailors' favoured waterfront bars. Doing that among so many fired-up Kiwis might just be the most dangerous thing they've done so far in an otherwise outstandingly successful campaign.

Trevor Smyth with the winner's Lipton Cup, orginally presented to the Sydney-Auckland Race organisers, the Royal Prince Alfred YC, in 1919. If you'd just raced 1,250 miles flat out in a TP52, you might also be a bit red-eyed.

Published in Offshore

Tagged under

Frantic

About The Author

WM Nixon

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William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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