melbourne to hobart yacht tracker map

Blue Water Tracks

Yacht race tracking.

Yacht racing and rally organises now have a very cost effective way to provide a public race map. Families, friends and the media can follow along with the action, including replays, boat and crew bio's with hero photos. Through the Blue Water Tracks portal, race and rally organiser have a full management dashboard that enables them to quick setup and easily control every aspect of the tracked progress along with the public map showing leaderboards and race statistics.

Crew Manage crew photos and bio

Graphs Compare boat performance

Leader Boards Display the boats race position

Boat Manage boat details and photos

Trackers Use low cost trackers

Handicaps Unlimited handicaps

Replay Replay the race

Admin Simple administration and full control of the race

Race page Public race page

ADMIN INTERFACE

Public race page.

GETTING STARTED

Purchase your inReach trackers from Amazon . If using the phone app, go to step three

Activate your inReach device with Delorme

Sign up for your race organisers account account here

Add your trackers, crews and boats into your Blue Water Tracks account

Create a race and assign each boat a tracker

Publish the public race page link

Once the the race is set up, Blue Water Tracks will collect the positions and vector data from each tracker and display the boats progress through the live public race page.

List of current races

The Blue Water Tracks service is provided free of charge to yacht racing organisations. The service is funded by the philanthropy of the Dunoon Family Trust to ensure the highest level of infrastructure and service quality. Significant resource has been made available in the development of this service, ensuring that every race organiser has the tools needed for an effortless race tracking experience that enhances safety for all competitors.

Grant Dunoon

Grant Dunoon founded Blue Water Tracks to deliver a service to yacht racing organisation and at the same time make safety affordable for every competitor.

In 2012 Grant was the skipper who rescued 6 crew when their yacht sank suddenly after the loss of their liferaft just before midnight during a devastating storm that wiped out the Melbourne to Port Fairy yacht race. Read more about it here .

Grant has be honoured with the Queen's Group Bravery Award, Australian National Search and Rescue Council Award, Yachting Australia (Australian Sailing) SOLAS Trust Award, Yachting Victoria's President's Awards, Royal Bright Yacht Club's Commodore's Awards. ORCV Ocean Racer of the Year.

Raju Maisnam

Dmytro Hrytsenko

Bhargav Konkathi

Ilya Alekseev

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Margo Kerdikoshvili

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TESTIMONIALS

“We have found the service to be very reliable and the management portal simple to use. It has and is saving our club thousands of dollars each year and at the same time delivers an invaluable service to our members."

Simon Dryden

Ocean Racing Club Victoria

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2023 ORCV Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race Westcoaster – Wrap-up and Results

Main photo: Alien competing in the 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race. Photo Michael Currie

Skippers, sailors, supporters and plenty of locals finally got to soak up some Tasmanian summer sun in the Willie Smith Race Village in Hobart on Sunday afternoon for the presentation of trophies for the 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race (the Westcoaster).

This year’s fleet had a quick but intense race to Hobart, battling wind gusts of up to 50 knots, five to six metre seas, with close rivalry on the race course, but the overall winner of the event was sailing itself, with the exhaustion, smiles, relief and enormous satisfaction etched on the faces of this close-knit group.   

Cyrus Allen, Commodore of the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV), and David Schuller, Race Director, officiated proceedings and awarded the prizes.

Alex Toomey, skipper of Ryujin from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, accepted the Wrest Point Abel Tasman Trophy as line honours winner for monohulls from the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Hobart, Anna Reynolds. 

Justin Brenan, skipper of Alien and twice-crowned the ORCV Offshore Champion, graciously accepted the prestigious Heemskerk Perpetual Trophy awarded to first place overall on corrected time on AMS handicap.

Brenan, from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, and his crew of Allison Wilson, Andrew Vincent, Glen Cowan, Benjamin Tyrrell, Katrina Hartman, Michael Noy and Paul Neilson now have the enviable record of four Westcoaster titles along with a win in the Melbourne to Hobart Eastcoaster Race in 2008.   

Brenan’s experienced crew includes long-term Westcoaster sailors with over 75 races between them.

Brenan credited the race win to his ‘evergreen yacht’, a Lidgard 36 design, his loyal, skilful and seasoned ocean racing crew, and his onshore support team.

The Edward Henty Perpetual Trophy was awarded to Ginan, skippered by Cameron McKenzie and Nigel Jones from the Mornington Yacht Club, for second place overall on AMS, with the team also winning on ORC handicap.

The double-handed entry, Maverick, co-skippered by Rod Smallman and Leeton Hulley, received the Batman Perpetual Trophy for third place overall on AMS.

Maverick had more trophies than hands by the end of the presentation with the team winning the City of Melbourne Perpetual Trophy for first on corrected time on performance handicap as well as the Double-Handed Perpetual Trophy.

Charles Meredith and the crew from the multihull, Peccadillo, sailing in their first Westcoaster, won the Port Phillip Sea Pilots Trophy for the first yacht to exit Port Phillip Heads and won line honours for the first multihull home, setting a new race record for multihulls along the way.

Michael Graham, skipper of Santana from Newcastle, New South Wales, received the Alan Collins “Rookie Skipper” prize which is selected by the Race Director for the best performing ‘first-time’ skipper.

Graham and his crew sailed from Newcastle in NSW – a distance greater than the Sydney to Hobart course – to get to the start line just in time for the race. They then sailed their Swan 43 safely and steadily to Hobart in the first Westcoaster for the boat and skipper and were a popular choice for the Rookie award. 

The Zeehan Trophy was awarded to Andrew Vincent and Katrina Hartman as co-navigators on Alien, the boat first on corrected time in the premier AMS division.

ORCV Commodore Allen also presented the Robin Hewitt trophy and the coveted yellow 10+ Westcoaster cap to Chris Webster, an award for sailors who have achieved the milestone of competing in ten Westcoaster races.

Commodore Allen noted how tough this year’s race was.

“Like many of you, in the deep of the night with the wind howling through the rig and seas tumbling over the deck, I wondered about ocean sailors who keep coming back year after year to race offshore.

“The answer I came to was that we do this for the adventure and the challenge”.

“But mostly we do this because of the camaraderie that develops between people racing in an offshore race.  

“Existing friendships grow stronger, and new friendships are forged.

“Each skipper and crew who made it to Hobart this year – including those who tactically withdrew for safety reasons – displayed seamanship and determination in line with the very best of Ocean Racing Club standards,” said Allen.  

The 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race was one of intensity and diversity, and of personal and team achievements.

This year saw the return of the first multihull in 35 years and continued representation in the double-handed division, a division the ORCV has been promoting for over 20 years.

The exhausted but relaxed award-winning co-skippers of Maverick talked with ORCV Media about the tough conditions experienced on the last night of the race.

“The last night was a cracker, an absolute blinder – it was the most frightening, and the most fun at the same time, that I have ever had.

“This year we had access to the BOM [Bureau of Meteorology] access models and they were unbelievably accurate which helped us go in the right spot, because there is no use being the best sailor if you aren’t in the right wind,” said Smallman.   

And on sailing down the West Coast of Tasmania double-handed?

“One word, its just awesome. When things are running smooth then it’s a lot less hectic on a two-handed boat.

“What makes us work is that we think the same,” said Smallman.

“When you are two-handed, you are solo sailing while the other person is having a sleep.

“You have to know every job on the boat. you’ve got to be a good steerer, you’ve got to be a good main trimmer, you’ve got to be a good bowman,” said Hulley, although both agreed they needed to do some work on their diesel mechanic skills.

Dark and Stormy, skippered by Tobias Swanson of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, welcomed three Italian sailors to his crew for this year’s race bringing skill and enthusiasm to the team – and an antipasto platter to the onboard pantry.

Tommaso Mattia Pretto is a recent graduate of Monash University with a Master of Environment and Sustainability degree and works at the Climateworks Centre in Victoria. He sailed this year’s race with his father Giolio Pretto and Paolo La Face who had flown to Australia in September from their home in Ancona, Marche, on the East Coast of Italy.

“Since I came to Australia a few years ago, I did a fair bit of ocean racing with ORCV. It’s really different sailing [to the Mediterranean].

“I would say it’s not as easy at all…the swell and the way that it pushes you is a completely different experience,” said Pretto.

And on sailing with his father?

“We were looking after each other all the time. I was the youngest onboard and he [Giulio] was the oldest.

“We’ve never had an experience like this before. I grew up sailing with my Dad since I was in the womb of my Mum…going to Croatia, so more cruising then, but having him here with me was just fantastic,” said Pretto.

The Dark and Stormy crew is a close crew with affection across the team on show.

“We experienced gusts of 50 knots of wind, and as they predicted, five to six metre seas, and it was heavy. We struggled to gybe and struggled to put up all the other sails…and we tried not to have any accidental gybes.

“I’m really proud of my crew…a couple of key crew, Rob [Newman], Bart [Archbold] and Tommaso (Pretto] did an amazing job last night …with high speed downhill runs down waves, we had a great time, we really enjoyed it,” said Swanson.

This year’s race also had a focus on environmental sustainability with crews provided advice on what to take onboard, on local endangered marine life such as the spotted handfish, and on ways to recycle used or damaged sails.

Melissa Warren, ORCV Committee member and on the bow on Jaffa, sailed her first Westcoaster and was beaming from ear to ear after the race.

“Honestly, I feel great. This was my first Hobart race, I’m so glad that I had a really supportive team to do it with.   

“I like to get the sport of sailing out there as much as possible, to put on lots of different events, talking to kids, and making sure we start from the ground up,” said Warren.

And Warren’s final words of encouragement for sailors on the edge, contemplating sailing in a Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race.

“Don’t be on the edge. You want to be involved. It’s [the Southern Ocean] one of the hardest seas to sail and is just a privilege,” said Warren. 

Next year’s event is shaping up to be another great race with interest growing from the multihull contingent in Europe and across the double-handed fleet.

In the words of Maverick skipper, Rod Smallman, “Give it a go!”

The race was run with the cooperation of the Derwent Sailing Squadron.

Race results here

Jane Austin ORCV media

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Melbourne to Hobart Fleet Ready to Set a Cracking Pace to Hobart 

• Post author By Boating Manager
• Post date 20/12/2022

Media Release 19 December 2022

Melbourne to Hobart Fleet Ready to Set a Cracking Pace to Hobart Skippers and crews from the near 50 boat fleet are counting down the days to the start of the 50th anniversary of the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s (ORCV) Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race and as final preparations are made, several boats are in contention for line honours. One of the top performing boats to watch is Damien King’s Frers 61, Margaret Rintoul V (MRV). King, from the Sandringham Yacht Club (SYC), is certainly in form, taking line honours in the short coastal Apollo Bay Race earlier in the year, sailing the classic beauty to victory in a close race. King, a multiple world and national champion sailor, boasts one of the classiest and most experienced sailing crews in the fleet who are not only hot shot sailors but also lifetime friends of the popular skipper. Mark Byrne is the navigator on MRV and is an accomplished yachtsman in his own right. King will be sharing the helming duties with close friend Grant Allen, and will be looking to America’s Cup campaigner, Ben Morrison-Jack, to give MRV the drive and tactical advantage on the trip to Hobart. “I’ve never competed in this race before, but if it’s anything like the Sydney to Hobart, the race can be won or lost in the River Derwent. Luckily for us we have international sailor Tim Burnell on board. Tim is a local and has sailed on the Derwent for the past 35 years,” said King. Burnell will be hoping for a touch of family luck as he tries to repeat the previous success of his father, Rob Burnell, who won the race on two occasions. Sailing with close friends is important to King. “Apart from Nick [Sayer], we have all grown up sailing together from 14 years of age, and while we are lifelong competitors, we are all the best of mates, so we have plenty of laughs among the serious competition”, said King. Launched in 1996, MRV is widely regarded as one of the finest and most luxurious cruising yachts ever built in Australia. The yacht was built for then Sydney-based sailor, Stan Edward, under the experienced eye of the late international yachtsman Tasmania’s Graeme (“Frizzle”) Freeman, who was appointed to oversee the build and fit out, a task he performed for many successful campaigns. Previous winner and champion offshore sailor Paul Buchholz will push his Cookson 50, Extasea, hard and fast to Hobart with an eye on the 2022 line honours prize while fending off Gerry Cantwell’s Marten 49, Carrera S, and Antony Walton’s Reichel/Pugh 46, Hartbreaker which could also be in contention for first home if the conditions suit them. The prestigious Heemskerk Perpetual trophy will go to the handicap winner on AMS and the field for this is wide open. Rob Date’s Carkeek 43, Scarlet Runner, also from the SYC is in hot contention for the handicap win and, if the conditions are right, could also push the larger boats for line honours. Launched in 2022, she is designed to the Fast 40+ class rule and has achieved outstanding results on the competitive European circuit. Challenging Scarlet Runner will be Victorian entry, Ginan. While an unknown quantity in the Westcoaster, skippers Nigel Jones and Cam McKenzie bought the J111 specifically to campaign her for the 50th race. The skippers have engaged the expertise of a J111 expert who will be onboard for the race and driving the crew for peak performance. Jones is no stranger to success, skippering Paladin to an overall win in the 1990 race and Cadibarra 7 in 1999. Not to be underestimated is Andrew Jones’s Inglis 47, AdvantEDGE from the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club and Brent McKay’s Bakewell/White Z39, Jazz Player, which took line honours in 2009 under the guidance of skipper Andrew Lawrence. McKay has his sights set on a hard and fast sail to Hobart. “To win the race, we need to be smart about how we sail – making the right choice around King Island and making the most of the conditions when we sail up the Derwent. We will be working the boat hard, but one thing we know, when she’s off the wind, she’ll get up and boogie,” said McKay. (In the 2021 race, 80 percent of the fleet went west of King Island including eventual winner, Faster Forward, a rare feat in the race’s history books). The 435 nautical mile Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race, organised by the ORCV with the cooperation of the Derwent Sailing Squadron, starts off Portsea Pier at 12pm on 27 December.

For more about the race and list of entries, please visit: www.melbournehobart.com

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Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race

Thick sea fog hits the 2023 melbourne to hobart yacht race.

The 2023 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race started in sunny conditions on Port Philip Bay today with competitors set for a quick race to Hobart.

The fleet started the 51st race in a steady 13 knot southerly breeze under blue skies but an eerie sea fog rolling over Point Nepean enveloped the boats soon after the start, reducing visibility for competitors and crews alike, as they made their way to the first turning mark near Shortland Bluff.

Double-handed entrant Joker x2, co-skippered by Peter Dowdney and Grant Chipperfield, representing the Mornington and Sandringham Yacht Clubs (MYC/SYC), had a fantastic start choosing the committee boat end of the start line and relished the benefits of the clear air.

The multihull Peccadillo, skippered by experienced campaigner Charles Meredith from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, opted for the middle of the line but despite being way back on the start gun, soon found the front of the fleet.

Alien, skippered by Justin Brenan from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria (RYCV), was the first boat to hoist a kite, with the yellow spinnaker adding some colour to the fleet, but they struggled to carry it at times on the shy reach while other crews opted for code zeros and were able to make a higher course.

As the boats approached Quarantine Station at Point Nepean, Peccadillo maintained her lead and was revelling in the reaching conditions, but an intense battle was under way behind her between last year’s runner-up and handicap favourite for this year’s event, Ginan, co-skippered by Cam McKenzie and Nigel Jones from MYC, Alex Toomey’s Sayer 12, Ryujin and Joker x2, with Ryujin in front at the end of Point Nepean.

Peccadillo was the first boat out of Port Philip Bay Heads followed by the monohulls, Ryujin, Ginan, Joker x2 and Andrew Neeson’s Runnalls 39, Jaffa, from the Royal Brighton Yacht Club.

ORCV Race Director David Schuller was happy with the clear race start and anticipates an exciting race ahead.

“The weather is going to throw a little bit of everything at our competitors in this race which promises to be very exciting with possibilities for a fast race,” said Schuller.

Assistant Race Director, Ray Shaw, also predicts solid sailing conditions across Bass Strait to King Island and a quick trip south to Hobart.

“All weather models indicate that east of King Island is the preferred path for the fleet.

“The fleet can expect a 15 to 20 knot southerly breeze as they cross Bass Strait.

“The winds will pick up on Friday evening as a strong low compresses below Tasmania which will provide more challenging conditions for the crews with strong west to south westerly winds of 30 knots, gusting to 40 knots,” said Shaw.

Cyrus Allen, skipper of White Spirit and Commodore of the ORCV, broadcasting from onboard his boat in amongst the thick pea soup that descended over the fleet, expects the wind to build overnight.

“Tonight, as we go down towards King Island, we expect the conditions to freshen a little bit before we face some pretty decently lumpy winds on the South West Coast [of Tasmania],” said Allen.

Several boats are in contention for line honours with monohulls Ginan, Ryujin, Joker x2 and Lord Jiminy, skippered by Jimmy Oosterweghel from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, the boats to watch.

The prestigious Heemskerk Perpetual trophy will go to the handicap winner on AMS.

Handicap predictions for the 2023 race include Ginan, Jaffa, Alien and Vertigo, skippered by father and daughter combination Tim and Clare Olding from the RYCV.

Other prizes on offer include the Zeehan Trophy for the Navigator of the Heemskirk Trophy winner, the Wrest Point Abel Tasman Trophy for the winner on line honours, and the City of Melbourne Perpetual Trophy for first on corrected time on the performance handicap.

The Westcoaster, as the race is affectionately known, is one of the world’s great ocean races, covering 435 nautical miles from the start in Port Philip Bay to the finish line in the River Derwent in Hobart.

The race starts with a 125 nm passage across Bass Strait before the fleet sails 200 nm south down the West Coast of Tasmania, past Maatsuyker Island, east to South East Cape then turning northeast towards the more sheltered, but equally challenging waters of Storm Bay and the River Derwent.

Line honours contenders are expected to arrive in Hobart in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The fleet is carrying trackers enabling race followers to track the action from start to finish. To follow the fleet, go to  race.bluewatertracks.com/2023-melbourne-to-hobart-westcoaster

The monohull race record of 1 day 17 hours 28 minutes 59 seconds was set by Shortwave in 2008, winning the race with an average speed over the course of 10.49 knots.

The race is run with the cooperation of the Derwent Sailing Squadron.

For Entry, Notice of Race and List of Entries, please visit:  www.orcv.org.au/hobart

by Jane Austin/ORCV media

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