Read a continuously updated race summary as the race progresses
RACE UPDATE SAT 2200HRS.
With Whisper just crossing the line at 2152hrs, there are now 3 boats finished and 18 still racing. URM Group had finished at 2117hrs.
Next to finish will be the TP52 Smuggler. The team currently has 25 nautical miles to go and is doing 12.5 knots on a course of 322 degrees. She is expected to arrive just after midnight and will not oust Comanche from the top spot on IRC Overall either.
The next boats are much further south on the racetrack below Ulladulla. Calibre 12, Wots Next and Mondo may finish before sunrise; others will arrive during the course of Sunday.
The IRC podium positions will be hotly contested. Comanche looks to have their hands on the Overall trophy but Lisa Callaghan’s Sydney 38 Mondo and Richard Williams Cookson 12 Calibre 12 could feature. They are just south of Jervis Bay.
PHS contenders are also probably competing for the places. Currently, Smuggler, Whisper, URM Group and Mondo trail Comanche but Mondo would take the lead if she arrives by 1134hrs tomorrow. She has 100nm to go and is doing 6.1 knots of boat speed.
Borderline, Rum Rebellion, Jupiter and Rumchaser sit in 11th-14th on Line Honours standings. Double Handed IRC sees Jupiter, Rum Rebellion and Verite holding down the top spots.
The south coast is showing SW/SSW breeze, generally in high single digits with a bit more to be found outside. It will build slightly in the morning & could be quite fresh after lunch as it moves more into the south.
RACE UPDATE SAT 1700HRS.
Comanche‘s finishing time of 18 hours, 45 minutes, 48 seconds set over three hours ago now is looking hard to beat. She currently sits atop IRC Overall and PHS standings, the likely victor in both.
With ‘Times to Beat’ now established to topple her from both handicap victories, all eyes will be on the clock. For IRC Overall, the best placed boats on current standings would be Whisper who is 57 nm out and would need to finish by 2025hrs tonight or either Jupiter (DH) or Rum Rebellion (DH), who would need to arrive a bit before 0900hrs tomorrow morning – both have approximately 128 miles to sail. URM Group is 21 nm E of Kiama doing 11.5kts and has averaged 9.3kts for the race. Her park up near Batemans Bay along with Whisper, Smuggler and other competitors earlier this morning had set them back. Smuggler is looking to arrive before 2300hrs.
For PHS, Wild Oats would need to be in by 1230hrs or Toucan (DH) by 1022hrs on Sunday.
Mathematically, it’s still an open affair for many of the boats still racing, but forecasts suggest that it less likely that other challengers will emerge. The makeup of the final podiums are another matter though and there’s a lot to compete for.
The fleet is stretched along the coastline with the final boat Millenium Falcon currently 4nm E of Ulladulla Harbour.
Sailor Moon retired from the race at 1600hrs due to time constraints, all crew are okay.
RACE UPDATE SATURDAY 1200 HOURS (17 hours after start)
Matt Allen and James Mayo’s 100-foot Comanche has absolutely dominated this year’s Tollgate Islands Race and at midday has only 23.9nm to go to the finish line at Watsons Bay. They are expected to finish in the next hour to hour and a half.
They are over 85nm clear of URM Group, currently doing 19.4kts on a heading of 331. They have averaged 14kts for the journey. By comparison, second-placed URM Group has averaged 7.9kts.
Not surprisingly, they have regained leadership on both IRC and PHS standings – the only Division 1 ahead of all Division 2 boats at present.
On IRC, Ian Smith’s J/99 Jupiter sits 2nd, ahead of Rum Rebellion (DH), Supernova and Borderline (DH).
PHS standings sees Le Tiroflan in 2nd and Rum Rebellion (DH) 3rd.
Ian Smith’s J/99 Jupiter
RACE UPDATE SATURDAY 0900 HOURS (14 hours after start)
No change to the order of the first four boats but Comanche has extended her lead now to almost 60nm. She is doing 20.8kts on a bearing of 41 degrees and is on the way home to Sydney. Her average speed for the journey has been 13.6kts, 4.7kts faster than URM Group. Anthony Johnston’s Maxi 72 and Whisper are in a tight tussle with only 0.7nm between them off Batemans Bay; Smuggler a further 10 miles astern.
The next 12 boats are all within 10 miles of each other, over 33 miles behind: Calibre 12, XS Moment, Borderline (DH), Wots Next, Georgia Express, Andrew Butler’s J/122e Rumchaser, Chris Taylor’s Pogo 40 Le Tiroflan, Supervova, Rum Rebellion (DH), Jupiter (DH), Kim Jaggar’s Sydney 38 Cinquante, Blue Planet (DH), Verite (DH), Gordon Smith’s Farrr 43 Wild Oats, Edward Curry-Hyde’s Sunfast 3300 Toucan (DH), Robert Griffit’s S&S 39 Millenium Falcon and Sailor Moon (DH) – 9nm E of Kiama.
The smaller boats are coming back into contention for Overall Honours. The double-handed entry Borderline currently leads IRC ahead of Comanche (the only Division 1 in the top five), Millenium Falcon, Jupiter (DH) and Rum Rebellion (DH). Will it be another repeat for the double-handers following Kraken II‘s victory in 2023?
In PHS standings, Le Tiroflan leads Millenium Falcon and Rumchaser
Batemans Bay shows 5-9kt SSE breeze with an easterly sell of 0.9m. It is shifting through the southerly quadrant, remaining soft and tending south as the day progresses.
Further north, it looks like breeze will build into the teens this afternoon so should offer good sailing conditions home. Comanche should arrive this afternoon with most boats getting back overnight and Sunday morning.
RACE UPDATE SATURDAY 0600 HOURS (11 hours after start)
After eleven hours of racing, positions at the front of the fleet have not changed much and it has been a bit of a progression by the larger boats in accordance with their length.
As they rapidly close in on the rounding mark, the Tollgate Islands off Batemans Bay, Comanche is 9 nautical miles NE of Batemans Bay doing 14.8 knots with 119 miles to the finish. URM Group is 24 nautical miles back, Whisper and Smuggler chasing with gaps of 4 and 10 miles between them.
There’s then a gap back to a tight group of boats who are within sight of each other as the sun rises and have been exchanging positions. As it now stands, Calibre 12 shaves Charles Cupit’s Sydney 47 Wot’s Next, Lisa Callaghan’s Sydney 38 Mondo, Georgia Express andRay Hudson’s XP44 XS Moment. The fleet stretches back to Kiama. with the double-handed entry Sailor Moon still with 245 miles to race.
Smuggler leads Whisper, URM Group and Comanche on IRC Overall. Borderline (DH), Mondo and Georgia Express top Division 2.
In PHS, the standings currently have Smuggler, Whisper and Borderline (DH) leading.
For Double-Handed IRC, Borderline remains ahead of Jupiter and Rum Rebellion.
There has been one further retirement in the race – Jiang Lin’s JPK 10.30 Min River. They too are all well.
Lisa Callaghan’s Sydney 38 Mondo Image: Ashley Dart
RACE UPDATE SATURDAY 0100 HOURS (6 hours after start)
Six hours in and the fleet is progressing down the coast at a good clip.
The VPLP Verdier 100 Comanche, chartered by James Mayo and Matt Allen, looks strong in its 2024 Blue Water hit out and leads the 24 entries still racing. She is doing over 20 knots and is currently 14 nm SE of Kiama with a 14 mile lead over Anthony Johnston’s 72-foot URM Group and David Griffith’s JV62 Whisper half a mile further back. Seb Bohm’s TP52 Smuggler skippered by Steve McConaghy is only a short distance astern. The leaders have put a gap on the next bunch of boats led by Calibre 12 and Georgia Express.
On handicap, the four Division 1 boats have been able to stretch their legs and take advantage of waterline length downwind to lead the IRC Overall standings, Smuggler has the advantage over Whisper, Comanche and URM Group at this stage. Alex Seja and Felicity Nelson’s Sydney 36 Supanova sits atop Division 2 with the best placed Double-Handed boat, Chris O’Neill’s J/99 Blue Planet, in 2nd and Sebastian Hultin’s Mumm 36 Georgia Express 3rd.
For PHS, the standings are Smuggler, Comanche, Whisper and Georgia Express.
RACE UPDATE FRIDAY 2200 HOURS (3 hours after start)
At 1900 hours, the fleet got underway in the third race of the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore Series – the Tollgate Islands Race. The winds, lighter than forecast, were from the N/NE at around 10-12 knots, enabling the larger yachts to swiftly stretch their legs.
The first boats out of the heads were Comanche, URM Group, Whisper and Smuggler. The first yacht under 50 feet to follow was XS Moment, with the remaining pack of competitors trailing not far behind.
As predicted, the storm cell expected to hit the fleet soon after the start showed its first signs just over 30 minutes into the race, bringing rain and the possibility of thunder and lightning offshore. The wind, forecast to shift west and later south, suggests a long and wet night ahead as the fleet braces for the incoming southerly. The storm cell had a clear impact offshore, with URM Group navigator Alice Parker reporting: “Around 2000hrs we were hit by a solid squall, with moments of 30-knot winds. Things have calmed down on the back side of the storm clouds, and we’re now back in a light northerly gradient of 8-10 knots.”
Approaching three hours of racing, Philosopher has retired due to gear failure, along with Navy One due to rig damage. All crew are safe.
Meanwhile, Comanche and URM Group remain at the front of the fleet, tracking parallel to the Royal National Park, south of Cronulla, with speeds of 10 and 9 knots respectively. At the rear of the fleet, Millennium Falcon has just passed Bondi’s Ben Buckler.
