RICHARD HEWSON AND TEAM GOLD COAST START RACE 8

Posted byRichard HewsonPosted inUncategorized

Richard Hewson and Team Gold Coast Australia had an interesting start to race 8 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race today.

At a fantastic farewell by friends, family, officials and the people at Kepple Bay Marina the fleet was blessed by the
traditional tossing of the Noodle. They say that the higher the noodles are tossed the more fortune you have, and so all the Race Skippers made a good effort to ensure our fortune.

The crews then marched down to their boats to traditional drum and dancing and then for the final time departed Kepple Bay
Marina and sailed to the race start which was positioned on the southern side of the Singapore straights in the vicinity of Batam.

With 5 minutes to go the 10 yachts were all jostling for position and flinging the 68 foot yachts around like laser dinghys.
Unfortunately due to a stronger tide than expected Gold Coast mistimed their run to the start and was pushed over the line
by New York. As a result Gold Coast was required by the sailing instructions to sail around the end of the line and re-start.

Thankfully the re-start was a quick manoeuvre and less than 5 minutes was lost when we crossed the line for the second time and started to chase down the fleet.

Thanks to some good tactics, navigation, sail trim and helming Richard Hewson and Team Gold Coast have managed to gradually
to over take the other yachts one by one and at the 1800 sked were leading the fleet again with the Geraldton Western Australia our other Australian entry in a close second place.

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Published by Richard Hewson

Richard Hewson is a Tasmania-based ships captain, marine surveyor, and experienced sailor with a lifelong connection to the sea. With experience in project management and vessel commissioning, he has operated and raced a wide range of vessels—from dinghies and Maxi yachts to tankers, icebreakers and research vessels. Richard has competed in major offshore events including the Sydney to Hobart, Fastnet, Middle Sea, and Transatlantic races including the Mini Transat. In 2012, he skippered the winning yacht in the Clipper Round the World Race. He has sailed to every continent and explored all corners of the world from Antarctica to south pacific atols and recently completed a three-year family voyage from the Netherlands to Tasmania. Richard holds a Master Class 1 (unrestricted), RYA Yachtmaster Ocean, Engineering (1200kw) and commercial diving certifications, and is an AMSA-accredited marine surveyor. He is also affiliated with the Australasian Institutes of Marine Surveyors and is passionate about all things that float.

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