America’s Cup winning skipper Russell Coutts won his class in yesterday’s UBS Jubilee Round The Island Race
With Alinghi’s pharmaceutical billionaire boss Ernesto Bertarelli as navigator, Russell Coutts helmed the 1987-vintage 12-metre South Australia to victory in yesterday’s UBS Jubilee Round The Island Race, beating a fleet of thirty-two 12s.
South Australia first opened up a lead while beating east towards No-Man’s Land fort but there was one boat that they couldn’t drop – the Daddy of them all, Australia II. Despite the fact that Coutts’ boat is stuffed with super-fit Alinghi crew members, the aged and original crew of Australia II, including Bondy, pushed their museum exhibit hard and, but for a snagged lobster pot, the ‘Olds’ may have prevailed.
“Half-way down the back side of the island we got within about two boat lengths,” said Australia II’s skipper John Bertrand. “They pulled away from us but we got within half a boat length at The Needles, only to hook the cray pot or something! We were anchored. But that’s part of yacht racing. The bottom line is that we had a fantastic time.”
The Solent conditions will tend to favour the 1987 boats because the conditions off Fremantle and those in the Solent are more comparable than the light conditions off Newport, for which Australia II was designed.
In the 1987 Cup, Syd Fischer’s South Australia didn’t make it too far and gained a reputation as something of a submarine, shipping waves regularly. Her performance here is a tribute to the Alinghi crew, almost as great as the one due to Australia II.
“Half-way down the back side of the island we got within about two boat lengths,” said Bertrand. They pulled away from us but we got within half a boat length at The Needles, only to hook the cray pot or something! We were anchored. But that’s part of yacht racing. The bottom line is that we had a fantastic time.”
“They were overlapped with us,” Coutts recalled, “and then we just took off. They hooked a lobster pot? You’re kidding! We thought it was good sailing on our part!”
Bertrand finished second after a gybing battle with Hissar, formerly KZ-5, and Ecosse, formerly Tom Blackaller’s USA. The three finished within two minutes of Australia II.
John Curtin’s Intrepid won the Modern Class. Nyala won the Classic and Classic Vintage Classes. Sovereign won the Classic Traditional Class.