ragamuffin 3 yacht

Ragamuffin 3

Ragamuffin III is a yacht with a colourful history - well known for her involvement in the Sydney to Hobart Race and as a representative in the Pan Am Clipper Cup. Naturally, she is fast, but she also boasts an impressive and spacious luxury saloon and generous deck area.

Join us on Ragamuffin III for a fun-filled day and you can enjoy the thrill of being involved in sailing this streamlined racing yacht, spend time relaxing on deck, explore the wonders of the outer reef from a snorkellers perspective and feast on a delicious Aussie barbeque - casual style - either on or below deck in the comfortable saloon.

What she has raced

• 1977 Admirals Cup
• 1977 Sydney to Hobart
• 1978 Sydney to Hobart
• 1978 Sydney to Noumea
• 1978 Clipper Cup Series Hawaii
• 1979 Sydney to Hobart
• 1981 Sydney to Mooloolaba

Your day includes

• Snorkelling gear
• Morning & Afternoon Tea
• Barbecue Lunch
• An unforgettable sailing experience

All you need to bring is a towel, sunscreen, hat & camera

$135 For a Full Days sailing & snorkelling to Low Isles Reef (plus $5.00pp Compulsory Government Environmental Management, Admin charge to help preserve the beauty of the reef)

Complimentary pickup and return in Port Douglas (excluding Wednesday night) Marina Mirage Departs Daily: 10:00am, Returns: 4:30pm Approx

Wednesday Nights - you can join the local fleet for a fun-filled sailing experience - departs 5:00pm $25 p.p Ask your Tour Desk for more details.

BOOKINGS - Phone: 0415 874 202 or book at your Tour Desk

Email: ragamuffinthree@hotmail.com

Conditions - Cancellation Fee: A minimum of 24 hours notice of cancellation is required otherwise a 100% cancellation fee will be charged.

Ragamuffin II Whitsundays History

Ragamuffin is an overnight sailing boat in the Whitsunday Islands that offers a 3 day and 2 night tour for guests to explore and sail!

Ragamuffin is an ex sailing maxi yacht, which measures 21m, or 70ft, in length. Ragamuffin was originally designed for the Admiral's Cup an international yachting regatta, which took place off the Southern Coast of England. She was designed by Australian Ben Lexcan, known for this design of a previous Admiral's cup winner, the Mercedes III.

Ragamuffin raced in the 7th Admiral's Cup in 1969, where she narrowly lost to America. While Ragamuffin dominated the beginning of the race and won the 225 nautical mile channel race, she lost momentum when the wind died down near the end of the race and the crew had to depend on their motor. In a series of unfortunate events that involved loss of power, an 'all standing' gybe, and some bad timing, Ragamuffin lost the lead allowing American to grab the title. She went on racing afterwards, but never experienced the same drama that came along with the Admiral's Cup.

Ragamuffin was skippered by Syd Fischer, who to this day is a well known racer, and had raced in a total of 8 Admiral Cup campaigns. Now in his 90s, he recently christened Ragamuffin 100, another racing yacht.

Ragamuffin now sails the Coral Sea in the Whitsundays with 13 passengers at a time. She was recently refitted in 2011 and offers guests the option to choose from open double berths or single bunks, and has two bathrooms on board. The open plan concept allows passengers to feel comfortable with space to roam around. Up top you will find her large masts, complete with billowing sails that were once used to race in the Admiral's Cup.

**Please note this tour is no longer in operation. For similar options, please refer to  Small Group Sailing ,  Backpackers (18-35's) , or ask one of our friendly consultants.

Related articles...

WE ARE READY TO HELP YOU

• Our experts are Based in Airlie Beach
• We can build packages to save you $$$
• Whitsundays biggest boat cooperative

Quick Enquiry

Whitsundays guide.

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE

LATEST REVIEWS

Whitsundays news.

Sailing Whitsundays acknowledges the Ngaro, Gia and Juru people as the Traditional Owners of the lands and seas in which we operate. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations peoples.

The 5 tragic minutes that sank a superyacht

PORTICELLO, Italy — Survivors of a storm that sank a superyacht off Sicily recounted their ordeal to one of the doctors who rushed to their aid, with some saying it took mere minutes for the 180-foot ship to go down. 

Dr. Fabio Genco, head of the Palermo Emergency Medical Services, told NBC News on the phone Thursday that he arrived in the seaside village of Porticello before dawn Monday, about an hour after the $40 million Bayesian sank in the violent and sudden storm.   

Of the 22 people onboard, 15 survived despite storm conditions and darkness, climbing onto a lifeboat before being rescued by a nearby sailboat. The crew members have made no public statements so far, though some have been interviewed by investigators.

“They told me that it was all dark, that the yacht hoisted itself up and then went down,” Genco said, recounting what the survivors told him. “All the objects were falling on them. That’s why I immediately made sure, by asking them questions, if they had any internal injuries,” he said. 

It appears they had just minutes to abandon the sinking ship, Genco said. 

“They told me that suddenly they found themselves catapulted into the water without even understanding how they had got there,” he said, “And that the whole thing seems to have lasted from 3 to 5 minutes.”

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Navi, the Bayesian's shipbuilder, told Sky News that there were no flaws with the design or construction of the yacht. He said their structure and keel made boats like that “unsinkable bodies.”

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he disavowed responsibility, blaming instead the actions of the crew. “Mistakes were made,” he said. 

Genco said one of his colleagues who arrived at the scene before him initially thought that only three people survived, but the coast guard reported there were other survivors and more emergency services were called in. 

When Genco arrived, he found scenes of panic and despair. 

“Unfortunately, we are used to such panic scenes because we are used to the shipwrecks that happen on Lampedusa ,” Genco said, referring to the island southwest of Sicily, where the wreckage of boats carrying migrants on the sea journey from North Africa to Italy are often found . 

Six of the passengers were declared missing Monday, and by Thursday, the bodies of five had been recovered from the wreck , some 160 feet underwater.

Among those who survived is Angela Bacares, wife of the British tech mogul Mike Lynch , whose body was recovered Thursday. 

Another survivor has been identified as Charlotte Emsley, 35. She told the Italian news agency ANSA that she had momentarily lost hold of her year-old daughter, Sofia, in the water but managed to retrieve her and hold her over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were pulled into safety.

Dr. Domenico Cipolla at the Di Cristina Children’s Hospital in Palermo is also part of a team of medical professionals treating the shipwreck survivors. He told the BBC on Wednesday that Emsley and her daughter, as well as the father of the child, who Cipolla said also survived, are continuing to receive psychological help. 

“Psychological support was constant and is constant even today, because basically it is the wounds of the soul that are the most in need of healing in these cases,” Cipolla said.

Genco also told NBC News that he was especially concerned about the child. “She did not understand anything. She was soaking wet and cold,” he said. 

Karsten Borner, the Dutch captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, a yacht that was anchored near the Bayesian, said by phone Wednesday that he saw a thunderstorm come in at around 4 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET) Monday, followed by what looked like a waterspout, a type of tornado that forms over water. 

The International Centre for Waterspout Research noted on X that there was a “waterspout outbreak” off Italy on Monday, the day the Bayesian sank. 

“I turned on the engine and made maneuvers so that we wouldn’t collide with the Bayesian, which was anchored about 100 meters from us,” Borner said. “Then all of a sudden it disappeared. Then the wind calmed down, we looked around and saw a red flare.”

Borner said he got into his boat’s tender and saw a life raft with 15 people on it. Members of the crew were administering first aid. 

“I don’t know why it sank so quickly, but it may have something to do with the mast which was incredibly long,” he said. Questions have been raised about whether the mast was to blame for the accident as tall masts, even with the sails down, have more surface area exposed to the wind, which can contribute to tipping a vessel in a storm.

The CCTV footage that emerged Tuesday showed the yacht’s 250-foot mast, believed to be one of the tallest aluminum sailing masts in the world, lashed by the storm as it appears to tilt to one side before disappearing.

Claudia Rizzo is an Italy based journalist.

Claudio Lavanga is Rome-based foreign correspondent for NBC News.

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

Inside the shocking Sicily yacht tragedy that left 7 people dead

There was a violent storm, but even then, luxury yachts are built to weather such events. so why did this boat sink off the coast of sicily, leaving seven people dead, by natalie finn | e news • published august 24, 2024 • updated on august 24, 2024 at 10:34 am.

Originally appeared on E! Online

Nobody was trying to reach the lowest depths of the ocean or otherwise test the boundaries of human endurance .

Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are

But what was supposed to be a routine pleasure cruise aboard a superyacht turned deadly all the same on the morning of Aug. 19 when the 184-foot Bayesian got caught in a storm and sank off the coast of Sicily .

"I can't remember the last time I read about a vessel going down quickly like that," Stephen Richter of SAR Marine Consulting told NBC News . "You know, completely capsizing and going down that quickly, a vessel of that nature, a yacht of that size."

Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.

Of the 22 people onboard, including crew, seven people died. The last of the bodies was recovered Aug. 23, an expectedly sad coda to what had already been a tragic week as the search for answers as to how this happened got underway.

And to be sure, every minute of the Bayesian's ill-fated outing is being fiercely scrutinized, starting with the general seaworthiness of the vessel itself.

Because, frankly, this was a freak occurrence.

U.S. & World

Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.

What is the West Nile virus? What to know about disease that hospitalized Dr. Fauci

Tennessee man charged with making threats against Biden, Harris and Obama

"Boats of this size, they’re taking passengers on an excursion or a holiday," Richter explained. "They are not going to put them in situations where it may be dangerous or it may be uncomfortable, so this storm that popped up was obviously an anomaly. These vessels that carry passengers, they’re typically very well-maintained, very well-appointed."

But in this case, a $40 million yacht sank, seven people are dead—including a billionaire tech mogul and his 18-year-old daughter—and morbid fascination doesn't need a second wind.

Here is how the story of the Sicily yacht tragedy has unfolded so far:

What happened to the yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily?

The Bayesian had set off from the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Aug. 14 at capacity with 12 guests and 10 crewmembers aboard.

The aluminum-hulled vessel was built in 2008 by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi and registered in the U.K. Cruise sites listed it as available for charter at $215,000 per week, per the Associated Press.

On the morning of Aug. 19, the superyacht was anchored off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village in the Sicilian province of Palermo (also the name of Sicily's capital city), when a violent storm hit.

The vessel "suddenly sank" at around 5 a.m. local time, seemingly due to "the terrible weather conditions," the City Council of Bagheria announced shortly afterward, per NBC News .

At the time, only one person was confirmed dead—the ship's chef—but six others were said to be missing. The 15 survivors—who managed to make it onto an inflatable life boat, according to emergency officials—were rescued that morning by the crew of another yacht that had been nearby when the storm hit.

"Fifteen people inside," Karsten Borner, the Dutch captain of the ship that was able to help (the Sir Robert Baden Powell), told reporters afterward, per Reuters. "Four people were injured, three heavily injured, and we brought them to our ship. Then we communicated with the coast guard, and after some time, the coast guard came and later picked up injured people."

When the storm hit, his boat ran into "a strong hurricane gust," Borner said, "and we had to start the engine to keep the ship in an angled position."

They "managed to keep the ship in position," he continued, but once the storm died down, they realized the other boat that had been behind them—the Bayesian—was gone.

The wreck ended up settling 165 feet below the surface, according to Italy's national fire department.

Fire officials said that divers, a motorboat and a helicopter were deployed to search for the missing.

Meanwhile, footage was captured of the ship capsizing on closed-circuit TV about a half-mile away from where it was anchored.

In the video obtained by NBC News, the illuminated 250-foot aluminum mast of the ship appears to list severely to one side before disappearing completely. Survivors recalled having just a few minutes to literally abandon ship.

Who were the seven people who died when the yacht Bayesian sank?

The tragedy initially became headline news because billionaire tech mogul Mike Lynch—"Britain's Bill Gates," some U.K. media called him—was among the missing. His body was ultimately recovered Aug. 22 .

"They told me that suddenly they found themselves catapulted into the water without even understanding how they had got there," Dr. Fabio Genco, head of the Palermo Emergency Medical Services, told NBC News Aug. 22. "And that the whole thing seems to have lasted from 3 to 5 minutes."

Genco said he got to Porticello about an hour after the Bayesian capsized.

Survivors "told me that it was all dark, that the yacht hoisted itself up and then went down," he said. "All the objects were falling on them. That’s why I immediately made sure, by asking them questions, if they had any internal injuries."

Why did the yacht sink?

Italian prosecutors are investigating to determine what transpired before the boat went down, according to NBC News.

Meanwhile, the CEO of shipbuilder Perini's parent company The Italian Sea Group defended the vessel itself as "unsinkable."

Perini boats "are the safest in the most absolute sense," Giovanni Costantino told Sky News Aug. 22 . What happened to the Bayesian "put me in a state of sadness on one side and of disbelief on the other," he continued. "This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact."

Costantino said it had to have been human error that led to the boat sinking, declaring, "Mistakes were made."

"Everything that was done reveals a very long summation of errors," he told newspaper Corriere della Sera Aug. 21, in an interview translated from Italian. "The people should not have been in the cabins, the boat should not have been at anchor."

The weather was "all predictable," he continued, adding that the storm "was fully legible in all the weather charts. It couldn't have been ignored."

The yacht's captain, identified as James Cutfield of New Zealand, was taken to Termini Imerese hospital for treatment. From there, he told La Repubblica, per Sky News , that he didn't see the storm coming.

Borner, the captain of the ship that rescued the 15 Bayesian survivors, told NBC News that he noticed the storm come in at 4 a.m. local time, and saw what looked to him like a waterspout, a type of tornado that forms above water.

The International Centre for Waterspout Research posted on X Aug. 19 that it had "confirmed 18 waterspouts today off the coasts of Italy. Some were powerful waterspouts, one of which may have been responsible for the sinking of a large yacht off of Sicily."

Borner said he didn't know why the Bayesian sank so quickly, guessing "it may have something to do with the mast, which was incredibly long." (A tall mast, even with its sails down, means there's more surface area exposed to wind, which can result in tipping.)

Confirming that one person was dead and six unaccounted for immediately following the wreck on Aug. 19, Salvo Cocina of Sicily's civil protection agency told reporters that a waterspout had struck the area overnight.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

The 59-year-old founder of software firm Autonomy had been on the trip with his wife Angela Bacares and their 18-year-old, Oxford-bound daughter Hannah to celebrate his recent acquittal in the U.S. on fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from the $11.7 billion purchase of his company by Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

In a bizarre turn of events, Lynch's co-defendant at trial, Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice president of finance at Autonomy, died after being taken off life support following a road accident on Aug. 17. Chamberlain's attorney told Reuters Aug. 20 that his friend and client had been out for a run when he was "fatally struck" by a car.

Meanwhile, multiple people who contributed to Lynch's defense were on the cruise with him and his family.

The bodies of Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer—who testified on Lynch's behalf—and his wife Judy Bloomer, as well as lawyer Chris Morvillo, a partner at the U.S. firm Clifford Chance, and his wife Neda Morvillo, a jewelry designer, were recovered on Aug. 21 .

In a LinkedIn post thanking the team that successfully defended Lynch, Morvillo wrote, per Sky News , "And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo. None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after…"

The first casualty confirmed Aug. 19 was the ship's Canadian-Antiguan chef, later identified as Recaldo Thomas.

"He was a one-of-a-kind special human being," a friend of Thomas told The Independent . "Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job."

Hannah's body was the last of the missing six to be found , with divers bringing her remains ashore on Aug. 23.

Lynch and Bacares, who was rescued, also shared a 21-year-old daughter, according to The Times.

While awaiting trial, Lynch—who maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings—had spent 13 months under house arrest in San Francisco. Back home in London afterward, he admitted to The Times in July that he'd been afraid of dying in prison if he'd been found guilty. (He faced a possible 25-year sentence.)

"It's bizarre, but now you have a second life," he reflected. "The question is, what do you want to do with it?"

(E!, NBC News and Sky News are all members of the Comcast family.)

Sparkman & Stephens “Ragamuffin”

Sail Number: 70

Current Name: Spirit of Koomooloo – ex, (1988) Margaret Rintoul II, ex (1968) Ragamuffin

Type: S&S 48

LOA: 48’8″ / 14.83m – LOA: 48’8″ / 14.83m – LWL: 36’0″ / 10.97m – Beam: 12’6″ / 3.81m – Draft: 7’9″ / 2.36m – Design Number: 1949 – Rig: Sloop – Displacement: 30,654 lbs – Ballast: – Sail Area: 1,050 sq ft – Sail Number: 70 – Designer: Sparkman & Stephens – Built By: Quilkey Brothers, Sydney, Australia – Original Owner: Syd Fischer – Current Owner: Mike Freebairn – Launched: 1968  

Historical:

Ragamuffin has raced in 21 Rolex Sydney Hobarts, three Admiral’s Cups – 1969, 1971 and 1973

Legendary owner Syd Fischer has represented Australia internationally in 5 America’s Cup campaigns; self-funding all (a record shared with Sir Thomas Lipton). Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Yachting Awards 2013, Award for services to Yachting 2003, mentor to many of today’s sailors including Ian Murray, James Spithill.

In 1968 the first of Syd’s yachts named Ragamuffin hit the water. Syd built her in time for the Admiral’s Cup trials. She was the top point scorer at the ’68 Cup for Australia, with the team finishing 2nd overall.

The boat went on to win every major race it contested in Australia, with the exception of the Hobart race. As of 2010, she has sailed 25 Hobart races under the names of Ragamuffin, Margaret Rintoul II and Spirit of Koomooloo.

Known Racing History:

1971 – Fastnet Race Winner

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

Owner/Guardian: (1968) Syd Fischer Owner/Guardian: Mike Freebairn

Related posts:

• SSL Finals – Photo finish
• Tropical Storm Florence Rescue Efforts
• Palm Beach Boat Show – It’s a wrap
• Boats Removed from Honolulu, Falls of Clyde Remains

Leave a Comment Cancel

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Address:

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Graham 'Scooter' Eaton and Keith Batt next to Maxi Ragamuffin. Photo credit Jim Gale.

There are three Ragamuffins racing to Hobart, not just two

Ragamuffin 100, with 88-year-old owner Syd Fischer on board, and the TP52 Ragamuffin, helmed by his grandson Brenton Fischer, have receievd a lot of pre-race publicity. But there is a third Ragamuffin the race as this story from the Rolex Sydney Hobart media team's Jim Gale explains:

She was one of the greatest maxi yachts of her day; winning line honours three times, first as Bumblebee IV in 1979, and then as Ragamuffin in 1988 and 1990 and she last raced to Hobart in 1993.

For the last 20 years she has been thrilling charterers in Queensland, but in 2015, Maxi Ragamuffin has been painstakingly brought back to full racing trim. On Boxing Day spectators can marvel again as the 36 year-old German Frers design punches her way out through the Heads, bringing back so many memories of one of the great eras of this remarkable race.

The big boats fighting it out for line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart have always held an irresistible glamour. These days it’s the mesmerizing speed of a Wild Oats XI , the jaw-dropping acceleration of Comanche .  Lithe, athletic, not an ounce of fat to be found anywhere in their exotic carbon-fibre hulls, these giant blue-water skiffs epitomize the modern, professional aura of elite sport in 21 st century Australia.

In the 80’s and 90’s, the age of the great aluminium hulled maxis, it was all about resilience and power. The stately American Nirvana may have wrapped that power in Newport Rhode Island elegance; the pretty Siska in brash West Australian bravado, but it was still raw power.

When John Kahlbetzer‘s Bumblebee IV burst onto Sydney Harbour in 1979, she oozed brute force.  A prize fighter, uninterested in a points decision when a knockout would do.

These big, heavy maxis roamed the world, from one big race to the next. They were little ships. Be it Valetta, Monaco or the CYCA marina in Rushcutters Bay, we plebs would gaze in wonder at the wealth, and yes, a different kind of power, that these giants represented.

“She is a very powerful boat, and she bites if you let her get away from you,” muses Graham ‘Scooter’ Eaton , Maxi Ragamuffin’s tireless boat manager come skipper. “She is a tank, state of the art in her day, no compromises.  But a cruising boat compared with today’s V70s.”

Kahlebetzer won line honours in 1979, then took her overseas to beat the best in the world. In 1984 Syd Fischer bought her, called her Ragamuffin , and campaigned her in six Hobarts, winning line honours twice; in 1988 and 1990. However, soon the first carbon-fibre maxi, Windward Passage II, would bring the curtain down on the aluminium age.

It has been a mammoth job getting Maxi Ragamuffin back to racing trim. “She’s been fully stripped and rebuilt from stem to stern,” Eaton says “We took 95 percent of the deck gear off.  All the winches were stripped and we found that 50 to 90 percent of each winch had to be rebuilt and there were no spare parts available anymore. Everything had to be custom made in Sydney.

It hasn’t come cheap.  Keith Batt, the CEO of  Nant (Whisky) Distilling Company and Maxi Ragamuffin’s owner, thinks there hasn’t been much change out of a million dollars. Buying the boat was the cheap part. But he has no regrets.

“It’s been just incredible, the enthusiasm and passion that everyone involved has brought to this project, which started as a marketing idea.  I do some sailing and I asked if we could sponsor a boat in the race.  When they came back with the cost, I thought we might just as well buy a whole boat.  I googled boats for sale and there was Maxi Ragamuffin .  I flew up to Queensland straight away. “

For Batt, his attitude to the boat is similar with his approach to whiskey making.  “We make our whiskey in traditional ways, in restored stone buildings, built by convicts in the 1820s.  We like tradition.

“This boat represents something about Australia.  Everywhere she goes people come to see her because they remember her and tell their kids about her.”

And in keeping with the whiskey tradition, Maxi Ragamuffin will carry a very unusual cargo: two barrels of whiskey will mature on the way to Hobart. 

“In the past they used to mature whiskey by putting it in barrels as ships’ ballast,” Batt explains.  “They discovered that this gives the whiskey lovely colour.”

Of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, Batt says: “We’re going to be trying hard, she is stunning to sail. To see our helmsman, Roger Snell, put her through her paces is amazing. He throws her around like 20 footer.  She loves going upwind.”

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race starts on Boxing Day, December 26, at 1pm AEDT and will be broadcast live on the Seven Network throughout Australia, webcast live to a global audience on Yahoo!7 and live streamed via mobile.

By Jim Gale, RSHYR media 

ALSO ON MYSAILING

39th Edition of Hamilton Island Race Week Comes to a Close

Double bullet day for Aleph Racing at 44Cup Worlds

Changing fortunes on day 3 of Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta

The comeback king takes the win

Team Nika ahead at halfway stage of 44Cup World Championship Brunnen

Kiwis on top after day 2 of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta

Women at the top at Hamilton Island Race Week

Edencraft Creative expands with Composites

Paris 2024 Olympians elected to World Sailing Athletes’ Committee

The Yacht Sales Co. Announces Special Dufour Yachts Showcase Event

Concord Ryde Sailing Club season start

AIMEX and Superyacht Australia announces dates for the ASMEX 2025 Conference

Join Our Newsletter

• Name First Last
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Read all of the latest sailing news

Dinghy and Yacht Racing News

News from the offshore world

Cruising Stories from around the world

Boats & Gear

The latest boats and yachting gear

Watch everything sailing and boating

Latest Sailing News, Racing, Cruising, Boats, Gear and more

New record set by McConaghy-built 90ft sailing yacht Ragamuffin in Audi Hong Kong Vietnam Race

• Inspiration

Related News

Popular news this week, popular news this month, latest news.

• Yacht Charter & Superyacht News >

Written by Zuzana Bednarova

This weekend saw the McConaghy -built 90-foot sailing yacht Ragamuffin (ex Genuine Risk) set the new record for Asia ‘s longest Category 1 Offshore Race in the Audi Hong Kong Vietnam Race.

Syd Fischer's Yacht Ragamuffin (ex Genuine Risk) - McConaghy Boats © RHKYC/Guy Nowell

Syd Fischer’s 90ft Super Maxi yacht Ragamuffin, designed by Dubois , sailed the 656nm race in 42h 41m 20s, averaging around 16 knots with top speeds of 22 knots. Syd Fischer was delighted by not only taking Line Honours but also breaking the record: “It was a good race” said Syd crediting the win to “a good crew and a good boat….we did it by 4 minutes.”

Second across the line was the Banuls designed MC²60 Mach 2, launched earlier this year by McConaghy Boats. The 60ft Catamaran, helmed by Raphael Blot, exceeded speeds of 30 knots, beating 2004 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Line Honours winner Ludde Ingvalls’s 90 footer to the finish.

Congratulations to David Ross, KukuKERchu and Patrick Pender, Signal 8. The two Ker 40s came second and third in IRC Division 1. This adds another fantastic result to the list of accolades for global fleet of Ker Design and McConaghy built Ker 40s.

McConaghy Boats’ Jamie Thompson sailed on KukuKERchu: “It was a great race, we had good guys onboard including our trimmer from the Volvo Ocean Racing Team Camper and crew from the Kiwi teams Black Match and Waka Racing. The first night was survival conditions, reaching speeds of over 20 knots, the boat handled really well and we enjoyed some drag racing with the other Ker 40 Signal 8 and with Fling. If it wasn’t for damage to our kites we could have won, the boat just flies.”

Well done to Ragamuffin, Mach 2, KukuKERchu, Signal 8 and their crews.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "New record set by McConaghy-built 90ft sailing yacht Ragamuffin in Audi Hong Kong Vietnam Race".

• Charity & Fund Raising
• CharterWorld News
• Classic Yachts
• Coronavirus
• Cruise Ship
• Ecological Yachts
• Expedition Yachts
• Expert Broker Advice
• Feature Superyachts
• Interior Design
• Legal & VAT Yacht Issues
• Luxury Catamarans
• Luxury Gulet
• Luxury Phinisi
• Luxury Trimarans
• Luxury Yacht Design
• Luxury Yachts
• Marinas & Harbours
• Marine Ecology
• Marine Electronics
• Marine Equipment
• Mega Yachts
• Modern Yachts
• Motor Yachts
• New Launch Yachts
• New To Charter
• Open Style Sports Yachts
• Private Jets
• Sailing Yachts
• Social Media
• Sports Yachts
• Superyacht Crew
• Superyacht Photographers
• Superyacht Products & Supplies
• Superyacht Refits
• Superyacht Reviews
• Superyachts
• Uncategorized
• Yacht Builders
• Yacht Charter
• Yacht Charter Destinations
• Yacht Charter Picks
• Yacht Charter Specials
• Yacht Delivered to Owner
• Yacht Designers
• Yacht Events & Boat Shows
• Yacht Fashion
• Yacht Industry News
• Yacht Photos
• Yacht Racing
• Yacht Racing & Regattas
• Yacht Safety Equipment
• Yacht Support Vessels
• Yacht Tenders
• Yacht Videos
• Yachting Associations
• Yachting Awards
• Yachting Business
• Yachts For Charter
• Yachts For Sale

Quick Enquiry

Superyacht news:.

Email Your Yachting News to: news @ charterworld.com

McConaghy Boats

Hobart & Tasmania

Southern Spars powered superyachts competing in the NZ Millennium Cup 2013

Dubois-designed Superyachts attending Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta 2014

Rolex China Sea Race 2014 to kick off tomorrow

Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2014: Day 2 – Embraer Race Day

39m sailing yacht LINNEA AURORA launched by SES Yachts

MYBA Charter Show 2025 venue announcement

44m charter yacht JEMS offers 9 days for the price of 7 in August in Italy

Mengi Yay announce the launch of 48m superyacht SERENISSIMA I – the first hull in their S1 range

A first look at 55m superyacht PROJECT AGNETHA from Heesen Yachts

Brand-new 34m luxury yacht ON TIME joins yacht charter market in the Mediterranean

Contemporary motor sailing yacht REPOSADO has been delivered and is now available for charter throughout Croatia

53m motor yacht MAIA launched by Radez in Croatia

A dream yacht charter in the Mediterranean awaits on 65m luxury superyacht ZAZOU

Luxury mega yacht ROCINANTE seen on sea trials after refit at Lurssen shipyard

76m superyacht CORAL OCEAN offering charter special in the West Mediterranean

The Monaco Yacht Show 2024: a dazzling display of the best superyachts in the world and much more …

Explore the Western Mediterranean aboard 27m luxury yacht DANIDA

VIDEO: Syd Fischer’s new Ragamuffin 100

Published on October 1st, 2014 by Editor -->

(October 1, 2014) – The brand new hull of Syd Fischer’s new Ragamuffin 100 arrived at Sydney City Marine in Sydney, Australia under the cover of darkness in the early hours of this morning, her sheer size causing one bystander to comment, “The eagle has landed.”

Fischer’s team will work quickly now to ready the 100 foot boat for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the 70th edition of the race. The first big job is to attach the heavily modified deck of the previous Ragamuffin 100 (which took line honours in the 2011 race as Investec Loyal) and add the new keel.

Water ballasted, the virtually new super maxi boasts twin rudders, a 6 metre beam, 6m draft and will be refitted with the rig from the previous Ragamuffin. Fischer, who took line honours in the 1988 and 1990 Hobart races, with an overall win in 1992, aboard previous Ragamuffins, is hoping this is the yacht to secure him the trifecta of line honours wins.

Being 87 years has not slowed the yachtsman down. He has eagerly anticipated the arrival of the new hull, designed by Andy Dovell and himself and built at Innovation Composites in South Nowra on the NSW south coast.

“The whole team has put a massive amount of work into the design and build of Ragamuffin 100, including a completely new hull,” Fischer said today.

Due to launch the yacht in early December, Fischer, who will clock up his 47th Hobart race this year, will have little time to get the yacht up to speed. He and the crew have not been idle though, sailing the slightly smaller Ragamuffin 90 to successive line honours victories this year in the Rolex South China Sea Race and the Okinawa Tokai Race, in which they also broke the race record.

But Fischer, who has been under the pump time wise many times with new boats in his long yachting career, is taking it in his stride. “We are all on track to for the 70th Rolex Sydney Hobart and line honours is our goal,” he stated.

However, the new Ragamuffin 100 can expect a battle with at least four other super maxis in what is sure to be the most gripping line honours stoush in years.

On the Australian side, competition will come from Bob Oatley’s record equalling seven-time line honours winner, Wild Oats XI, the only yacht to take the treble of line honours, record and overall win twice. Built in 2005, the Mark Richards skippered yacht has been extensively modified throughout the years to stay with the times, and is the reigning champion.

Anthony Bell, one of only two yachtsmen to snatch line honours victory from Wild Oats XI (Investec Loyal in 2011), purchased the former Speedboat/Rambler 100 last year. Purportedly the fastest yacht in the world, Bell practically rebuilt the yacht after the keel fell off and it capsized in 2011, but he ultimately finished second to Oats last year. Recent modifications could make a difference to the six year old yacht.

On the international front, the most exciting expected entry is American Jim Clark’s new Comanche. The latest in technology has not been spared to create the colourful newly launched 100 foot yacht. Clark had in mind breaking all the world’s major race records when he commissioned the yacht by renowned French designers Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost (VPLP) and rising name, Guillaume Verdier.

The yacht is said to be a development of Macif, the speed record breaking Vendée Globe winner. Adding to the allure is skipper Ken Read of America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race fame. Clearly, the message to adversaries is, “Be Afraid”.

A second USA entry is RIO 100. Manouch Moshayedi purchased the former Zana/Konica Minolta/Lahana and lengthened it from 98 feet to 100 feet. Looking sharp with a longer bowsprit and new silver/gray paint job, her Californian owner says unless the wind is from behind, their chances in the 628 nautical mile race are minimal against the canting keelers.

Entries in the Rolex Sydney Hobart 2014 close on Friday 31 October 2014 at 1700hrs AEDT. As at this morning, the CYCA had received 74 entries and is expecting a fleet of up to 130 will make the start on Boxing Day, December 26.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2014 Notice of Race is now online at: http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/competitors/online-race-entry Report and photos of Ragamuffin 100 by race media. Video by boatson.tv .

Tags: Ragamuffin , Syd Fischer , Sydney Hobart

Related Posts

Double win for two-handed team in Sydney Hobart →

VIDEO: Sydney Hobart Race 2023 →

Alive claims overall Sydney Hobart title →

Victory to LawConnect in Sydney Hobart →

© 2024 Scuttlebutt Sailing News. Inbox Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. made by VSSL Agency .

• Privacy Statement
• Advertise With Us

Get Your Sailing News Fix!

Your download by email.

• Your Name...
• Your Email... *
• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.