Battle on for fifth race win

With a new racing division, a number of first-time entrants and a host of interstate competitors, there is plenty to look forward to in the 21st Hydro Tasmania Three Peaks Race.
But undoubtedly the most exciting aspect of the race will be the fierce rivalry between race record-holder Terry Travers and defending champion Phillip Marshall.
Marshall, from Squeaking Point in north-west Tasmania, has won every race since 2005.
Devonport’s Travers will attempt to end that winning streak in this year’s race, which starts on Good Friday, April 10, at Beauty Point in Northern Tasmania.
Travers is believed to have a few secret weapons on board his 11.6m catamaran to get the edge on his smaller competitor, including a change to his running team. Launceston runner Clarence Blake will pair up with Victorian Andrew Kromar, who has held the record for the fastest overall running time since 1996.
Marshall has retained one of his King of the Mountain-winning runners from last year, race veteran Mark Guy, and added Launceston triathlete Tim Piper.

For the first time in Three Peaks race history, the main racing division – which includes teams of three sailors and two runners – will be split into monohull and multihull divisions.
The move has added incentive for competitive monohull teams and seen a number of new entrants, including lone female skipper Dianne Barkas’ Sydney 38. After a win in this year’s Bruny Island offshore race and a third place in the Launceston to Hobart, Barkas should provide a good challenge to Northern Tasmanian pair Jamie Cooper and Rob McClelland in their Beneteau Premium Constructions, and Hobart helmsman Rob Gourlay’s Thompson 920.

Queensland’s big purple cat, BWR Multihulls, has returned to Tasmania to see if it can better its debut effort in the 20th anniversary race. Sunshine Coast couple Bruce and Suzanne Arms skippered the Chamberlin-designed catamaran into fourth place in the main racing division last year despite using back-up runner, Australasian Yachting editor Kevin Green, on the east coast run. New South Welshman Green will join the team again along with Victorian runner John Kent and new recruit Ian Franzke.
Victorian sailor Charles Meredith will also make his second attempt at the race but has upgraded from a Seawind 1000 to 46-foot Chris White catamaran Peccadillo.

In the fully-crewed racing division, 2008 winner Haphazard looks to be the favourite.
The most experienced crew in the race includes skipper Nick Edmunds and crew-member David Wright - the only people to have competed in every Three Peaks race held - and Edmunds’ sons Ross and Sam, who will both compete in their 13th events. Runner John Claridge will line up for the sixth time with new running partner Tristan Gourlay. Gourlay has competed in five previous races as a sailor, including in 2006 when the Adams 11.9 he was skippering was forced to retire with a loose keel.
Haphazard’s strongest competitor will be Sydney 36 Pisces, skippered by David Taylor. Pisces was the best-performed Tasmanian in 2008 Sydney to Hobart and won the Three Peaks’ fully-crewed division in 2007, finishing runner-up last year.