Guru joins Maritimo

Doug Johnstone will join Maritimo 100 for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.


Photography by Andrea Francolini

22 December 2024

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One of America’s top navigators with a race pedigree second to none, Doug Johnstone will join founder and CEO of Maritimo, Bill Barry-Cotter, his brother Kendal and crew on board Maritimo 100 – the luxurious 100-foot Oyster yacht competing in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

A native of North Westdale, Los Angeles, and seasoned veteran of dozens of bluewater races, Johnstone was chosen as Navigator aboard the Maritimo 52 entered in the 2023 RSHYR, but had to pull out at the last minute due to other commitments.

So this edition will be Johnstone’s first taste of the epic Australian event and one that he is well prepared for, having competed in hundreds of US-Mexico coastal races such as the Santa Barbara to King Harbor, Coastal Cup, Newport to Ensenada, Marina Del Rey to Puerto Vallarta, and five Transpacific yacht races since 1997.

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Known as the “Transpac”, the iconic 2,225-nautical mile yacht race from Long Beach, California to Honolulu, Hawaii is a biennial race that vies with the Bermuda Race as one of the two most arduous long-distance sailing contests in the world.

However, at 628 nautical miles along the east coast of Australia during the tempestuous summer, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is often described as the most gruelling long ocean race in the world.

Doug Johnstone is due to land in Sydney on Monday 23 December, with just a couple of days to acclimatise ahead of the race start on Boxing Day. He’s looking forward to Christmas Day down-under and appraising the yacht, crew and the weather they will encounter.

“We know we’re in good hands with Doug in charge of Navigation,” said Bill Barry-Cotter. “He has an impressive CV when it comes to ocean racing, and has won more than his share of titles over the years.”

One of only two Oyster 100 models built to date, Maritimo 100 is one of two entries Maritimo is fielding in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The other is the 120-year-old, 32-foot Maritimo Katwinchar which will be sailed two-handed by Michael Spies, the five-time World Champion and veteran of a phenomenal 45 editions of the Rolex Sydney Yacht Race, and co-skipper Peter Vaiciurgis, who has two Sydney-Hobarts under his belt, and many years’ experience in boat building and competitive sailing.

 

maritimo.com.au

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