Wedgetail glides home

Popular blue water racing skipper Bill Wild finally added a Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race win to his impressive career yesterday. He has been close on several occasions before and to win against a very competitive fleet was a special reward for skipper and crew including world champion dinghy sailor Vanessa Dudley and specialist helmsman Mike O’Brien.

Wedgetail showed early promise of achieving a major result when she sailed fast out of Moreton Bay on Good Friday afternoon chasing the larger yachts Black Jack and Nikon Spirit of the Maid.  But they then became totally committed to keeping on the pace as the moderate to fresh 20-25 knot south east breeze propelled them on a fast roller coast type ride towards Gladstone.

“We had plenty of wind over the deck and Wedgetail was on ‘the edge’ during a wild ride in the dark along the ocean beach of Fraser Island “. “Wedgetail was in her element romping down the face of the waves at a controlled peak speed of 17 knots; it was a ride to remember”. Bill Wild said.
The turning point in the race came after the Mark Bradford skippered line honours favourite  Black Jack romped away from the fleet to record another impressive course time setting the official race clock ticking in her favour to also win on corrected handicap while Wedgetail became engaged in a private match race with Nikon Spirit of the Maid.

Nikon Spirit of The Maid was cleverly shadowed by the smaller Wedgetail who sat on her wake wave as they mastered a squally run across the top of Hervey Bay. As expected the race to decide the minor line honours places intensified when the speed sailing Wedgetail made a late challenge only to be denied second place by the narrow margin of one second at the finish. However Bill Wild and the Wedgetail crew enjoyed the benefits from sailing a tactically clever and aggressive race to claim the more important honour as the 62nd winner of the prestigious Courier Mail Cup.

They were tired but elated when they stepped ashore but the exhaustion fell away at the post race party when the Wedgetail crew claimed their deserved 9 minute 49 second win over Black Jack while the well sailed Farr 30 RBS Morgan’s Immigrant skippered by Jeff Paul raced under the Gladstone Yacht Club burgee to finish third.