Pickleforks & Catwackers make a scene on Moreton Bay

Current Trailerable Multihull National Champion Keith Glover and this racing machine “Trilogy”

Corsair Marine International Trailerable Multihull National Championships
Monday 1 – Friday 5 October 2007

By Peter Hackett

The fastest multihulls in Australia gather on Waterloo Bay from today to decide on the National Championship honours for the season. Boats from nearly every state are being assembled now on the lawns of Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Manly, the club hosting the series for Multihull Yacht Club of Queensland.

Favourites in the unlimited Division 1 include Gordon Myers’ local favourite Bare Essential recently improved by curved foils lifting the boat above the waves which slow the rest of us down. Keeping him honest will be multiple national champion Keith Glover and his glamour crew of skiff heroes on the gorgeous Trilogy, and Gary Saxby driving his needle-hulled catamaran Boss Racing tenderly through the confused Waterloo Bay seas expected on the longer passage races. Bob Hutchings from Sydney will also be thrilling spectators by getting Voodoo Spirit on one hull as he power sails to the front of this fleet.

The Division 2 boats are generally production boats which are highly optimised to get them chomping at the heels of the greyhounds out the front. Favourite in this fleet is Gary Scott from NSW in his turbocharged Corsair 24 CocoLoco . Gary has modified every part of this boat, much of it with exotic carbon fibre, so it is no surprise that he has won multiple Australian Championships already. Peter Boyd’s larger 9 m Bushranger from South Australia and George Bulka’s 8.2 m RedShift from Victoria will be out there to make a claim for their state fleets also, so this will be a series to watch.

All of the 30 plus fleet will be out there to put on a show and claim honours, and spectators unable to get to the course areas outside Green Island will be able to catch the boats powering up from about 9 am each day except the Wednesday layday as they pass the Manly Harbour rock wall. Visitors are also welcome to check the boats out before and after racing at RQYS.