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The second boat to cross the finish line in the Noakes Sydney to Gold Coast Race after Comanche at Southport was URM Group, the 72 foot pocket maxi skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones, a Volvo Ocean Race competitor and seasoned 18 Foot Skiff sailor. The boat is currently on track to take out the overall IRC win on corrected time.
“It was a quick race for us and of course I’ve done this race many times on smaller boats so it’s always nice to make it in on a Monday morning,” Ashley-Jones said.
Onboard URM Group Photo: URM Group
“Because the winds were so light the models were finding it hard to predict the forecast and our planning had to change very quickly. We had a lot of on-the-fly decisions to make with wind direction so together with Alice Parker (nee Tarnawski) and Steve Jarvin, we made most of the tactical decisions. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Marcus Ashley-Jones at Southport Yacht Club Photo: Lulu Roseman
“We were happy to arrive in good shape and beat some of those boats that are no still racing in that lighter air that is coming in later tonight.
URM Group leaving Sydney Heads Photo: Andrea Francolini
“We’re missing Moneypenny as we usually have a close tussle with Sean Langman, so being in the ocean on our own was a bit more relaxing to be fair.
URM Group on the start line, Sydney Harbour Photo: Andrea Francolini 
URM Group Photo: Andrea Francolini
“Ultimately, we did not have that real boat for boat pressure that we normally have to manage. We thought Whisper, who has been heavily modified of late, would have been a lot closer. We managed to stay a step or two ahead of them and then the weather Gods were kinder to us and those boats further up the track. We were able to extend away closer to almost 50 nautical miles on Whisper.
The URM Group team is looking towards the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in December and will be competing in all the Blue Water Boat Series Races in the lead up. The goal is to take out the Series and beat Moneypenny.
Whisper Photo: Andrea Francolini
“Everything we’re doing is in preparation for Hobart and our goal is to take out the overall win in that race.”
Lulu Roseman0Add a comment
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Andoo Comanche has claimed Line Honours in the 384 nautical mile Noakes Sydney Gold Coast, for the second year in a row.
The VPLP/Verdier Maxi 100, skippered by John Winning Jr, crossed the line at 4.34am in 1 day, 15 hours, 34 minutes and 33 seconds to claim another win in the race that was created back in 1986 to promote tourism to South-East Queensland.
Photo: Andrea Francolini
The majestic maxi finished off Main Beach in around 8-12 knots of breeze, as she came in from a wider position 50 miles out.
Photo: Andrea Francolini
“Originally the models had us going much further out,” said Skipper John Winning Jnr. “But we got a right-hand shift not too long off South Head, so we took that went left on the right shift on starboard and then we took another little one back.”
Photo: Andrea Francolini
“We were, pretty lonely out there, I guess. We didn’t see another boat after about three hours into the race,” Winning said.
Boat Captain Iain Murray said they went far off-shore to capitalise on the wind.
“We did end up 60 nautical miles off the coast, which is a long way for a race that is only 384 nautical miles. It means that we actually sailed further, but we went out there to get the wind and to avoid the current.
“The thing for Andoo Comanche is that she likes wind and the thought of being inshore and having not too much wind, is something we put high on the risk factor and to try to avoid.” Murray said.
Skipper John ‘Herman’ Winning Jnr said despite being in a solo battle, as the only maxi in the fleet, it was still a gratifying journey North. With 18 on board, the team kept morale high with lots of jokes, a crew member’s birthday and some dolphins.
“There are lots of laughs and jokes. At one stage Campbell set his hair on fire, there was a pigeon who visited us for a day, and there were some dolphins.
“We were streaming the Bledisloe Cup at one stage, then we went too far offshore and a few of us voted to tack back in to get reception - but we were out-voted,” Winning said.
Winning Jr chartered the boat for a two-year period before last year’s Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race and has since campaigned it successfully in all major Australian events, including a Line Honours victory in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
The race from Sydney Harbour to a mark off Main Beach on the Gold Coast didn’t offer optimum conditions for Andoo Comanche, who generally prefers stronger wind strength and reaching conditions for which her wider beam is most suited.
She has however, exhibited more versatility of late and it has become apparent since last year’s Hamilton Island Race Week that she can triumph over her 100-foot competitors in a broader range of conditions.
Andoo Comanche led from start to finish, progressively extending her lead over the mini maxis, Anthony Johnston’s URM Group and David Griffith’s Whisper.0Add a comment
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As entries roll in for September’s Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the pinnacle event of the maxi racing calendar, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the Yacht Club de Monaco and the International Maxi Association have joined forces to create a novel event returning the maxi fleet back to the European mainland.
Photo: Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi The race format for the Porto Cervo-Monaco IMA 24 Hour Challenge is simple, but unique. Competitors will set sail from Porto Cervo at 1100 on Sunday, 11 September, the day after the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has concluded.
Photo: Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi The course will take the maxis to Monaco, but aside from this is left open. Competitors can pass through the Strait of Bonifacio and sail up the west coast of Corsica, which is a distance of roughly 200 miles. Otherwise, if wind conditions look more favourable, they can instead leave Corsica to port and sail a route some 30 miles longer around the north of the island.
Photo: Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi If competitors finish within 24 hours, then their times will be recorded as usual. Competitors who haven’t reached Monaco by 1100 on Monday 12 September will instead have their distance to the finish calculated. IRC TCCs will then be applied to determine a winner using time on distance scoring.
The event is open to all maxi yachts (ie of 18.28+m LOA) who have completed registration for the 2022 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup (MYRC). This will be the first edition of what will become an annual fixture in the maxi racing calendar.
By the Monday evening all the competitors are expected to have arrived in Monaco where there will be a prize-giving at 1900 followed by an owners’ dinner at the Yacht Club de Monaco.
The first entry in the Porto Cervo-Monaco IMA 24 Hour Challenge is IMA President Benoît de Froidmont with his Wally 60 Wallyño, who said: “I am delighted that we have managed to launch this new event in the maxi calendar that unites two of the world’s most prestigious yacht clubs. I am also looking forward to trying out this interesting new format of yacht race.”
Michael Illbruck, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, commented: "We're very proud of this new event with two prestigious partners like the Yacht Club de Monaco and the International Maxi Association. The hope is that the owners participating in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will be as pleased and enthusiastic as we are to be announcing this new addition to the YCCS sporting calendar."
Bernard d’Alessandri, General Secretary of the Yacht Club de Monaco said: “As part of our twinning agreement with Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, it is a great honour for us to be associated with the prestigious Maxi class federated in the IMA (International Maxi Association).
This race is part of our Monaco Capital of Yachting project that aims to position the Principality as a centre of excellence and innovation in all matters relating to yachting. That’s why we were very keen to offer owners an original race format that would showcase the performance of their boat and crew on one of the most beautiful courses in the Mediterranean.”
James Boyd / International Maxi Association0Add a comment
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The Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta is scheduled to run from 31 May to 4 June 2022 in Porto Cervo
"We wish to welcome Giorgio Armani as the new title sponsor of the Superyacht Regatta. We are very happy about this new partnership with one of the most beloved global icons of Italian excellence.” commented Michael Illbruck, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
Porto Cervo, 13 December 2021. Giorgio Armani will be the new title sponsor of the 15th edition of the Superyacht Regatta, which will take place from 31 May to 4 June 2022 on the waters of the Costa Smeralda. The four days of coastal races will be set against the unique backdrop of the La Maddalena Archipelago, and accompanied by various social occasions ashore.
Organised since 2008 by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta will be open to superyachts with a minimum length of 90 feet and multihulls of at least 50 feet in length. As in previous editions, the event will also include the Southern Wind Rendezvous and Trophy.
The Notice of Race has been published online today and registrations officially opened at the same time.
For the official documents, the Notice of Race, the Entry Form and further information please visit the dedicated section on the YCCS website.
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Giorgio Armani is the new title sponsor of the 15th edition of the Superyacht Regatta, set to take place from 31 May to 4 June 2022 on the waters of the Costa Smeralda. The four days of coastal races will be set against the unique backdrop of the La Maddalena Archipelago, and accompanied by various onshore social events.
Organised since 2008 by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta will be open to superyachts with a minimum length of 90 feet and multihulls of at least 50 feet in length. As in previous editions, the event will also include the Southern Wind Rendezvous and Trophy.
"We wish to welcome Giorgio Armani as the new title sponsor of the Superyacht Regatta. We are very happy about this new partnership with one of the most beloved global icons of Italian excellence.” said Michael Illbruck, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
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