Gold Coast race a real family affair

by Lisa Ratcliff, CYCA on 20 Jul 2004 Sailing families have always featured strongly in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's offshore races and for this year's Ingles Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, a considerable number of family combinations are setting out on July 31 as crew aboard the fleet of 76 following two additional entries on Friday.

George Snow and his 79-foot race record holder Brindabella regularly sails with family aboard and for this year's 384 nautical mile race, three of his four children - Marisa, 24, Richard, 22, and Tamsin, 20 - will join the crew.

Brothers Gunnar and Ulli Tuisk will campaign their Farr 50 Cadenza north for the third consecutive year while the Victorian father and son team of Jock and Hamish Macadie will campaign their new Sydney 38 Alex in its inaugural offshore race.

The Troon family from Ballarat has been sailing out of Royal Geelong Yacht Club for 18 years and has just launched their brand new Reichel Pugh 46 XLR8. Father Graeme has spent 64 of his 74 years racing boats and he project managed the construction of this all-carbon fibre grand prix IRC boat.

Sons Ross, 49, Steve, 47, principal helmsman Michael, 36, and grandson James, 20, will join their father for XLR8's first ocean race. Graeme and all three sons also work for the 134-year-old family commercial construction business.

The husband and wife team of Lisa and Matt Allen have entered their champion Farr 52 Ichi Ban as have former JOG National Champions Lisa and Martin Hill who have joined the one-design ranks for this race and plan to sail together in this year's 60th anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race with their Sydney 38 Estate Master.

For identical twins Louis and Marc Ryckmans, 36, the Ingles Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race will be their first offshore race with their new Mumm 36 called Sea and they are aiming high with an IRC Overall win in their sights. The brothers caught the 'bug' at a sailing camp when they were 10 and as adults have continued to spend a lot of time together aboard boats including a nine-month passage from New York to Cuba in 2001-2002.

More than 700 crew will take part in this annual winter race that signals the start of the CYCA's offshore season, which includes its pinnacle event, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in December.

Graeme Ingles from the highly successful Queensland development company Ingles Group will fire the starting gun for the fleet of 76 on Saturday July 31 at 1.00pm from Nielsen Park in Sydney Harbour.

Official web site: http://goldcoast.cyca.com.au