Matt Allen’s modified Volvo Globe sailing sloop Ichi Ban was power sailing towards a comfortable line honours win in the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race this morning.

Skipper Matt Allen and crew enjoyed a fast spinnaker ride past Lady Elliot Island before dawn this morning and continued to log impressive speed as they tracked a course towards Bustard Head.

Unfortunately the freshening South East breeze arrived too late for the Ichi Ban crew to attack the race record of 20 hours 24 minutes 50 seconds set by the larger super maxi Skandia in 2004.

Ichi Ban’s position plotted by the Tracer Trak satellite tracking system placed the speed sailing sloop 70 nautical miles from the finish at 5-30 this morning.
Navigator Will Oxley confirmed they were on track to cross the finish line before 11 am today.

Meanwhile the smaller Sydney sloops Quantum Racing (Ray Roberts) and Wot Yot (Graeme Wood) continued with their nip-n-tuck drag race for the minor line honours places while the building breeze allowed the smaller lower handicapped yachts to improve their fleet positions to win on overall corrected time.

Ichi Ban will set the race times for the fleet to beat however at the official fleet report this morning it seems that her chances of beating the smaller yachts on handicap seems remote.
However the freshening wind also improved the chances for Argus , Mondo, Its Natural, Dancing Lady, Full Bore and Spirit of Koomooloo, Wedgetail, to win the historical 60 year old trophy The Courier Mail Cup.

Brisbane to Gladstone website >>

Great race however the official website needs some work. Yacht tracker not good and I just saw that Spirit of Queensland won IRC div 1. Didn't she retire?

Yep!

Race has been run and won! Any follow up?

Saltash only missed out by a couple of minutes from getting a podium spot. First Quantum Racing the canting 50 footer, then RQ boat Wedgetail then the TP 52.

Is the rummer i hear true that "Spirit of Qld" retired after playing chicken with a container ship. and wasn't monitering VHF 12 ???
Some of the guys i spoke to in Gladstone told me they could hear the ship calling them with no reply.

i heard it was rig damage, a sheave box blew up or something and started working its way down the rig! there is another one to add to the rumour mill!!

yes the first rumor is true that a container ship was calling them on VHF 12, and they failed to respond, that container ship then preceded to warn the following car carrier of the danger presented by a blue boat with a mermaid painted on the bow. subsequently at the next sked it was announced that 2 complaints had been lodged to MSQ over behavior in the shipping channel

[quote="BEN"]yes the first rumor is true that a container ship was calling them on VHF 12, and they failed to respond, that container ship then preceded to warn the following car carrier of the danger presented by a blue boat with a mermaid painted on the bow. subsequently at the next sked it was announced that 2 complaints had been lodged to MSQ over behavior in the shipping channel[/quote]

that may have been true or not, but the rig damage part is true, the rig has been out of it for a while over at rivergate, with it only just recently going back in and the boat going back in the water too. the real main reason they would of pulled out was due to them setting the masthead chute off the man aloft halyard and the halyard just blew the sheave apart and started tearing down the mast.........

is that why they didn't turn up for the IRC States?

I saw it on Saturday and it did not have a rig in it.