The super maxi Skandia, one of four major contenders for line honours in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, will return to offshore racing in this weekend’s race across Bass Strait from Melbourne to Stanley on the north-west tip of Tasmania.

Skandia, the Don Jones designed 30m yacht owned by Grant Wharington from Mornington Yacht Club, heads the best and biggest fleet ever entered for the 152 nautical mile race.

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria expects most of 45 boats in the Stanley Race to start in what is a qualifying offshore event for the Rolex Sydney Hobart and also the Heemskirk Melbourne to Hobart Race.  

At least ten of the fleet, all Victorians boats except for one from the Tamar Yacht Club in northern Tasmania, has already nominated for the Rolex Sydney Hobart (entries close today) and most of the others are expected to compete in the Centenary Rudder Cup.

In a one-off event, boats contesting both ORCV’s Melbourne to Launceston and the Melbourne to Hobart races will be eligible for the Rudder Cup, first raced for in 1907 over a course from Queenscliff, just inside The Rip at the entrance to Melbourne’s Port Phillip, across Bass Strait the Low Head, at the entrance to Tamar River in northern Tasmania.

Yachts entered for both races, which start together from Queenscliff on 27 December 2007, will sail through a finish line/gate off Low Head, with those in the Melbourne to Hobart Race continuing on down the East Coast of Tasmania to Hobart.  In all past races, the Melbourne to Hobart course has been down the West Coast of the island state.

ORCV racing managing Dennis Livingston today described the fleet for the Melbourne to Stanley race as “probably the biggest and certainly the best in the quality of entries with some of Australia’s already proven ocean racing yachts, plus several new boats lining up for the race.”

This weekend’s Melbourne to Stanley race will start at 0130 hours on Saturday morning to ensure slack water at The Rip and also, hopefully, a daylight finish at Stanley.

“With the 100-footer Skandia in the fleet we are looking for a possible record passage – the record stands at 14 hours 36 minutes set in 2002 by Kontrol,” Livingston added.

The Stanley race will also see the offshore debut of prominent Yacht Club of Victoria member Bruce Taylor’s latest Chutzpah, a Hart 40 that has already been described as a “rocket ship.”

Also new to the Victorian offshore fleet is Georgia, a Farr 53 which ocean racing veterans John Williams and Graeme Ainley have bought to replace their equally veteran yacht Bacardi, now owned by Martin Power, also from Sandringham Yacht Club.

Chutzpah and Georgia are both entered for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

There is also one Tasmanian boat in the fleet, Tamar Yacht Club member David Stephenson sailing his Frers 38 Matangi across Bass Strait to compete in the Stanley race as a qualifier for the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Following the success of the TP52 Wot Yot and Ragamuffin in recent CYCA racing out of Sydney, interest will centre on the performance of Alan Whiteley’s TP52 Cougar II from Sandringham Yacht Club in the Stanley Race.  She too has been nominated for the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Another to watch will be Rob Hanna’s Rogers 46 Shogun from Royal Geelong Yacht Club, which has already shown good form in ocean races up the East Coast.  She has also entered for the Rolex Sydney Hobart, as have others in the Stanley Race, including Rush, John Paterson’s Farr 45 from Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Ocean Skins, Tony Fowler’s Inglis 47 from RGYC and Goldfinger, Kate Mitchell and Peter Blake’s Farr 52. – Peter Campbell