16 finishers in Sunlovers Holidays Sydney - Mooloolaba race

by Lisa Ratcliffe on 18 Apr 2000 Sixteen yachts in the Sunlover Holidays Sydney - Mooloolaba Yacht Race have now crossed the finish line and crews are celebrating at Mooloolaba Yacht Club
and swapping stories as they speculate on the handicap places, the true prize amongst yachties.

After this evening's position report, provisional placings indicate that Buon Giorno, the Farr 40 owned/skippered by Stephen Ellis is the IRC overall winner while
Galatea, a Swarbrick 36 skippered by Bill Shields has managed to hold provisionally onto first place in the PHS Division.

IMS placings will be announced tomorrow.

Line honours in the 469 nautical mile race went to Melbourne maxi Wild Thing at 6.10am this morning, followed just seven minutes later by Sydney maxi
Brindabella (George Snow).

Race organisers, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia with the cooperation of Mooloolaba Yacht Race, are ecstatic at the high level of commitment to safety
displayed during this race.

'For the first time we implemented similar safety requirements to the Telstra Sydney to Hobart Race which included upgrading to the use of a 6-Meg radio
frequency, compulsory attendance for crews at training seminars and increased safety equipment, including personal strobes and dye markers,' said Race
Director Phil Thompson.

'Competitors have fully embraced the recommendations from the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race Review for this race and for all of the CYCA's long offshore races,'
Phil added.

Only one of the 42 starters, RSLCOM, skippered by John Biddlecombe, retired from the race, largely as a precautionary measure as they could foresee some rig
problems if they continued to bash into the stiff nor'easter which blew in on Sunday.