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GP Watercraft

Facts for the Brisbane to Gladstone Race

by Ian Grant on 11 Apr 2000
INAUGURAL RACE: 1949 Fleet of seven yachts, six finished. Line Honours: Hoana (George Pickers). Course Time. 47 hours 8 minutes 25 seconds.
Overall Race Winner: Sea Prince a 28ft 3 inch Gaff rigged sloop
skippered by John Bourne won the race with a corrected time of 34 hours 22 minutes 18 seconds from Sea Tang (Doug Drouyn) and Hoana despite being the last yacht to finish over 9 hours behind Hoana.

MULTIPLE WINNERS: Norseman (A. Lex Wilson) 5. 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956. (Handicap) Fastest corrected time: 1955. 29hrs 5mins 06 secs.

Wistari (Noel Patrick) 4. 1971, 1976, 1977, 1982.
Fastest corrected time: 1976 .26hrs 01mins 24secs.

Saltash 11 (Ian and Bill Wright) 4. 1986, 1992, 1993, 1999.
Fastest corrected time: 1993. 21 hrs 15mins 54secs (Race Record).
Average handicap rated speed: 14.48knots.

Solo (Vic Meyer) 2. Line Honours and Handicap winner 1958,
1959.
Fastest corrected time: 1958. 27hrs 48mins 37secs.

Leroy Brown (Warren Wieckmann) 2. 1989, 1991.
Fastest corrected time: 1991. 40hrs 07mins 24secs.

Scampi A (Ross Perrins, Colin Loel) 2. 1984, 1988.
Fastest corrected time: 1988. 28hrs. 42mins 07secs.

Mouse Of Malham (Bill Dayan-Smith, Norman R Wright Jnr) 1960, 1963.
Fastest corrected time: 1963. 29hrs. 31mins 24secs.

MULTIPLE WINNING Jack Rooklyn. 8 (Apollo) 1973,1974,1978,1979.
SKIPPERS (Ballyhoo) 1975.
(Line Honours) (Maxi Apollo) 1982, 1983, 1984.
Fastest Elapsed time: Maxi Apollo 1982. 29hrs.46mins.56secs.

Fred Markwell. 5 (Alvis) 1952,1953,1954,1956,1957.
Fastest Elapsed time: 1956. 48hrs.29mins.29secs.

Vic Meyer. 5 (Solo) 1958,1959, 1960,1962,1963.
Fastest Elapsed time: 1958. 34hrs.52mins.50secs.

Arthur Bloore. 5 ( The Office) 1985.
(Hammer Of Queensland) 1988,1991,1996,1998.
Fastest Elapsed time: 1988. 29hrs.53mins.47secs.

Kerry Spencer. 3 (Bobsled) 1992,1993,1995.
Fastest Elapsed time: 1993. 21hrs.59mins.43seconds.

Rupert Murdoch. 2 (Ilina) 1964,1965.
Fastest Elapsed time: 1964. 33hrs.23mins 54secs.

Robert Bird. 2 (Bobsled) co-skipper 1993,1995.
Fastest Elapsed time: 1993. 21hrs.59mins.43secs.

FASTEST YACHT 1993 Bobsled (Kerry Spencer, Robert Bird) 21hrs59mins43secs. (Line Honours). Average speed: 14.04 knots.

FASTEST YACHT 1993 Saltash 11 (Ian and Bill Wright) 21hrs 15mins 54secs.
(Corrected Handicap) Average speed: 14.48knots.

SLOWEST
(Line Honours) 1957 Alvis (Fred Markwell) 95hrs.09mins.01sec.
(Winner) Average speed: 3.24knots.

(Corrected Handicap) 1950 Kyeema (Colin Galbraith) 70hrs.20mins.38secs.
(Winner) Average speed: 4.38knots.

(Elapsed time/Handicap)
(Winner) 1957 Bluenose (Sir Ellis Murphy) 98hrs.59mins.32secs.
Average Speed: 3.11knots.

(Individual Elapsed time) 1957 Christina (W Bill MacQueen) 6days 1hr 30min 18sec.
Average Speed: 2.12knots.
(Note: Christina left Sandgate Brisbane at 1100 hrs on Good Friday arrived at Auckland Point shortly after 1230hrs the following Thursday).

CLOSEST FINISH 1967 Laurabada (Ivan Holm) beat Syonara (Peter Docker) by 41 (Line Honours) seconds after both yachts sailed the final 10 nautical miles in a nip’n’tuck duel after over 41 hours of intense racing.

CLOSEST FINISH 1984 Scampi A (Ross Perrins/Colin Loel) 38hrs. 29mins. 04secs
(corrected time) beat the Peter Cavill skippered Silver Shamrock 38-29-30 by 26 seconds with the Phil White skippered Beach Inspector another 15 minutes 41 seconds away third.

RECORD FLEET. 1998 Golden Anniversary Race. A combined fleet of 226 keel and multihull yachts created a spectacular sight attracting the largest crowd to ever witness a yacht race start in Queensland.
The Gold Coast catamaran Simply The Best skippered by Jamie Morris took overall line honours narrowly ahead Hammer Of Queensland (Arthur Bloore). Four sailors from the inaugural race including winning skipper John Bourne was among the 1356 men women and children who set sail in the race.

MOST RACES. Laurabada 48 consecutive races sailing 43 with her builder Ivan Holm Snr at the helm and the last 5 races with Ivan Holm Jnr as skipper. Entered for her 49th race this year.

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