Quiet little sail to Gladstone on a Fire-Truck Bazza

By Steve Latty, SM Mooloolaba Fire Truck

On a bloody what!?!

Look Bazza, there is Apollo and Siska the mono heavies (lead). All these funny bounce boats, all the trip–over terriers a here.

BANG! The race has started. Ok, let’s try for main, 3/4oz spinnaker plus shooter, for the first run. Sharpie, the Mouth of the South, is on Flawless with Addo and Flowers, so I have two cases of heat seeking XXXX missiles with him.

Ok, they will push to the limit. Five minutes coming up, right got that transit? Yep, 30 seconds to go, height up, shooter up. GO!

First mark a lot of terriers around, Shotover and Flawless a little in front, Baggers just behind with Hired Hand. We reach across the bay. Bang! Thud! Crack! Just a few explosions of the cross-arms. Jon Mainwaring having his first ride, has eyes like saucers. Keep an eye out for spectator craft, ok? But what about this mess up front? Which one, Shotover or Flawless? No, the rest of the heavies and terriers. We will try and pick through them (not easy with 45ft, been roaring through the boats at speeds greater than 25 knots).

Passing Apollo, there is Jack on his back verandah complete with brown thing hanging from his mouth. Siska is making big holes in the ocean (anymore reefs she would look like a Sabot).

Lunchtime showers and dining over with – let’s settle down to some sailing. Bang! Thud! Crash! Bash! So it goes on. All afternoon sitting in a mass of foam and water.

3.30 Alexander Headlands with a few friends on it (siren going full bore).

4.10 Noosa – dusk, Double Island Point.

Bang! Thud! Crash! Bash! Hell, what is that, a flare? Glenn, get on the talk box and find out what’s wrong. Flawless is four and a half miles, back, no rudders. Baggers is going to her assistance. (What a hell of a way to lose two cases of heat seeking XXXX missiles, Sharpie). I mean, taking your rudders and going home or camping or whatever!

Anyway, 11.30 Breaksea Light, Shotover just in front. Already the shooter and 3/4oz spinnaker have gone to that big sail loft in the sky (air mail).

Storm kite up, boats speed excellent. Shotover must be just about out of sails by now. Bang! There goes the bloody spinnaker halyard. Really blowing now. Speedo has packed it in. A little bit of water down below. Can’t run square, not fast enough, so the taking downwind begins.

At Lady Elliot Island we have no idea where Shotover is. Maybe we are in front of them, anyway, push! push! Push!

Daylight – no sight of them now. We went bloody quick last night. Shotover would have to be out of sails by now! Keep pushing. Shane shunting on the push stick having a ball. Crew spirits are great.

We can smash the 24-hour record from here, navigator Glenn tells us. With that information, like a pack of mangy dogs we push harder. The halyard is re-reeved externally. The storm shute set again. At the Fairway Buoy, still no sight of Shotover. Let’s take the double. What’s that on the radio? Shotover has just finished. DAMM!!!!

Ok, keep pushing. Howzat Bazza? The boat’s fifth race and already the second fastest boat under sail in Australia. We can only go up from here to No.1. (Morning comics over). Bang! Thud! Splash! Crash! Gee we must be moving, that press boat can’t keep up with us!

Where is the finish line? Up. Bazza, up, up. Ok, we are over.

Under 22 hours, great feeling. Not to worry boys, Shotover ran second last year.

We will have two repeat history next year. First on corrected time.

Well I would say that deserves a quiet little drink. One case of rum and heaps of XXX heat seeking missiles later – the pain doesn’t exist anymore. Shotover and Fire Truck both broke the 24-hour record. Wow what a feeling!

To our crew, a job well done. To all concerned over the 14 weeks leading up to launching the boat, my sincere thanks and appreciation. Thank you all.