Smooth sailing
Maritimo Katwinchar has won the inaugural Gold Coast City Marina Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race.
Photography by Andrea Francolini
09 August 2024
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The 520 nautical mile race started on August 1 off the coast from the Gold Coast and sailed up to Mackay. The event attracted 29 boats from South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.
Among the entrants are the impressive 72-foot Antipodes, registered to the Royal Yacht Club of Hong Kong, and the largest entry, the 100-foot super maxi Wild Thing 100, which won Line Honours in the race.
The star of the race was Bill Barry-Cotter’s restored 1904 timber classic, the 33-foot Maritimo Katwinchar, who won ORC, IRC, PHS.
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In Katwinchar, Maritimo’s Bill Barry-Cotter demonstrates his passion and dedication to all forms of boating.
Barry-Cotter had his team at Maritimo lovingly restore the famous Maritimo Katwinchar, bringing it back into racing.
This small yacht, a Watney Circa 1904, is a historical vessel that combines vintage aesthetics with modern racing capabilities.
Not only does this boat stand out for its unique design, but it also has a storied past, adding a historical dimension to the recent Noakes Sydney to Gold Coast race. With 120 years of history, the yacht sailed its most recent Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2019 for the 75th edition, winning the Grand Veterans division. Katwinchar first raced in the Sydney Hobart in 1951.
Under the leadership of Sailing Master Michael Spies, Maritimo Katwinchar returns to offshore racing, sailing the race double-handed with Peter Vaiciurgis.
The Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race marked its first outing in preparation for competing in the 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart in December.
Greg Alder and his crew on Top Gun earned the Jamie Morris OMR Perpetual Trophy, crossing the 01:17:39:44, also winning second place on Line Honours.
Taking out the GCCM Perpetual Line Honours Trophy was Grant Wharington and Adrian Seiffert’s Wild Thing 100, with an impressive elapsed time of just 35 hours and 36 minutes (01:11:35:59).
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