By David Salter (Mister Christian)

In many ways it was like a traditional four-day Sydney Hobart Yacht Race squeezed into just three hours.

First, the casual jumble of yachts drifting around the Harbour before the start. Then a light-to-variable breeze for the opening stanzas, plenty of gunnel-down sailing as the race developed, and finally a few restorative ales among friends once the fleet had finished.

Rescued from near extinction a few years ago, the annual Great Veterans Race is again a notable fixture on the CYCA sailing program, attracting more than 20 classic yachts.

Up to now, entry had been restricted to any boat with a launch date prior to 1976 that has competed in at least one Hobart race. This year the fleet was expanded to include a new division for yachts that had raced south under the IOR rule up to 1991.

As Commodore Noel Cornish remarked at the post-race presentation, all the participating yachts and the heritage they embody are “part of the club’s DNA”.

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Congratulations to all competitors, the organising committee and particularly the placegetters.

Division 1

1. Fidelis (Nigel Stoke)
2. Love & War (Simon Kurts)
3. Defiance (Nicole Shrimpton)

Division 2

1. Solveig (Annie Lawrence)
2. Suraya (Carl Sriber)
3. Nike (Samuel Hunt)

IOR-era

1. Wild Oats (Gordon Barry Smith)
2. Sagacious V (David Hundt)
3. EZ Street (Bruce Dover)

Images by Andrea Francolini