BWR Multihulls' runners arrived back shortly before midnight. Skipper Bruce Arms was impressed by the blog when he was informed by a friend in Queensland that his runners needed a GPS - they had read it on the blog and it had got back to him before he even knew!
Nine boats now en route to Hobart, two in Coles Bay and two still on the way there.

Haphazard's long-awaited arrival has finally come; Tristan and Johnno posted a very respectable six hours. Well done boys!

We are now waiting on BWR Multihulls' runners, who may have run extra distance after taking a wrong turn, and Haphazards, one of which is believed to be injured. Apollonius' runners have not yet reached the summit.
There are three boats yet to arrive at Coles Bay: Premium Constructions, whose nav lights are visible here at race control, Elphinstone Weigh To Go, and Chance, which is still hours away.

Team Whistler's Jacqui Guy and Michael McIntyre finished the run just before 11.30 after six hours on the course, sending the boat away as the second-placed racing monohull.

Adrian Howse and Adrian Young, from Sullivans Cove Whisky, are back on the boat and away, posting five hours 39 minutes for the run leg.

Pisces' runners just passed race control nearly five and-a-half hours after they set out. It doesn't look like much fun, running around in shorts and singlets when the temperature must be less than 10 degrees!

Drinking two beers at once and talking about the race is a skill that Apollonius bowman AJ has down pat. He reports that the Julian Robinson designed, built and skippered monohull had an encounter with the bottom going out of the pot boil. But one advantage of being one of the last boats out of Flinders Island, as also happened last year, was that they got wind for the whole run down the coast and set a quick time, unlike the rest of the fleet.

Supporters have reported that Haphazard runners John Claridge and Tristan Gourlay have reached Hazards beach on their return leg, however, Tristan has sprained his ankle so progress is slow and painful. I am sure that seeing Stu and Pip and receiving sustenance would have cheered them up greatly though. There are also two bananas waiting for Team Whistler at the beach.

Grant Houniet and John Winsbury, from Peccadillo, spent four hours 35 minutes on the running track and picked up five positions for the catamaran. They have left in fourth position. There is still very little wind at Coles Bay. Neil Buckby has reported being north-east of Triabunna and is still leading Westbury-Mersey.

Tas Marine Construction is leaving Coles Bay after a six and-a-half hour run by Donovan Jacka and Jeremy Grey. They are nearly an hour behind Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy but made up about five hours on the last sailing leg, so may be with the leaders again by Hobart.

Westbury-Mersey made an extremely quick getaway after their runners ran four hours 24 minutes, two minutes slower than Neil Buckby Motors Subaru's runners.

Fully-crewed monohull Pisces, skippered by David Taylor, received a four-hour time penalty for its mishap with Shag Rock just after the start.
It could well have been laid up on the rocks for eight hours waiting for the tide to turn, so it may have got away with a lenient penalty.
Premium Constructions and Elphinstone Weigh To Go were delayed four and three hours respectively while grounded in Franklin Sound. The time is counted on their overall sailing time, despite the fact that their runners were taken to shore by tender to complete their runs.

It is believed that the runners from BWR Multihulls, Victorians Ian Frankze and John Kent, have taken a wrong turn on the way to the summit. They have turned back and are now on the right track to the top.
Gun runners from Peccadillo, Grant Houniet and John Winsbury, were the last team to leave race control at 6.55 but summitted ahead of the group they arrived behind, running to the top in just two hours five minutes - one minute slower than Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy's runners, who are so far the fastest and expected back to race control in 25 minutes.
Pisces'Tony Fattorini and Phil Whitten, from NSW, made the summit at 8.11, two hours 22 minutes after starting.
Tristan Gourlay and John Claridge from Haphazard reached the top just one minute after Pisces, making the journey in two hours 35 minutes.
Whistler's team arrived at the top at 8.28 and Sullivans Cove Whisky ten minutes later.

The Dunalley Canal will add an interesting aspect to the race this year. It will extend its opening hours to 4am to midnight especially for the race. Phil left Coles Bay at 6pm; given a reasonable breeze he should make Marions Bay by 10pm and then it's another couple of hours through the channel - so it might be tight but he will probably make it through. Or, the wind could change, or drop out, and he'll be stuck in there til 4am.
Terry's team will be hoping Phil is holed up at the bridge so they can sail their way in there and catch up; it will then be a "drag race to Hobart" according to Peter Fletcher. Fletch seemed to think that rounding Tasman Island would not be the go no matter what time they arrived at Marion's Bay, but surely even adding 35nm would be preferable to waiting four hours?
The other teams probably won't need to make the choice as it will be after 4am when they reach Dunalley, unless the wind suddenly picks up considerably.
The lights of fully-crewed monohull Apollonius have just appeared around the coastline, so they should be less than an hour from race control.

There is a stunned sunfish somewhere in Bass Strait that is currently recovering from being hit in the head with Terry Travers' rudder blade.
There is also a lucky diver in Schouten Passage who almost suffered the same fate but got away with having to untangle his lines from Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy's centreboard.

Kromar and Blake getting into Coles Bay
Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy's runners summited in two hours four minutes; Neil Buckby Motors Subaru's runners summited in two hours 13 minutes, so the challengers have taken nine minutes out of them. If Andrew Kromar and Clarence Blake can hold the pace they'll set a record!

Wrighty says hi to Karen!
He is enjoying a baked spud and a short break from sailing (well short if Johnno has anything to do with it!)

Neil Buckby Motors Subaru is off on the final sailing leg to Hobart. Mark Guy and Tim Piper returned to the boat with another blistering run completed. They conquered Mt Graham in four hours 22 minutes, just 10 minutes outside the record.

The excitement of the last few minutes has more than made up for such a quiet, uneventful day.
Six boats have arrived within the last half an hour, with just a bowsprit separating one pair on the finish line.
Team Whistler arrived on its own at 5.18, with Jacqui Guy relieved to be on the run, saying ``at least this will give us a break from rowing''.
BWR Multihulls was mown down by Haphazard when it took its sails down and started rowing about 200m from the finish line. Haphazard, which made up plenty of time sailing up Coles Bay, sailed over BWR but then found it had to tack to the finish line. Because it is a fully-crewed entry Haphazard cannot use alternate propulsion but the racing multihull was able to row straight to the finish line. Its runners set off 30 seconds ahead of John Claridge and Tristan Gourlay from Haphazard. Two minutes later Sullivans Cove Whisky pulled up and dropped its runners off, and then made way for Pisces, which had sailed up from the back of the fleet on new breeze to drop of its runners at 5.44pm. Peccadillo's runners are now on course.

Andrew Kromar and Clarence Blake are on the road looking very determined to make up ground. And they have a lot of ground to make up - the first runners are three hours ahead of them, and probably three-quarters of the way round the course.
Two other boats have come into sight of Coles Bay race control, with a decent breeze now pushing them along under spinnaker.

Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy has found a few knots of breeze and is reaching in with the big purple assy up. Unfortunately closer to the wharf there is another windless hole that they will soon find... the 4pm sked is about to start, updates soon.

Tas Marine Construction rowed in at 3.32 and Jeremy Grey and Donovan Jacka checked in and set off, two hours after the runners from Neil Buckby Motors Subaru. Conditions for the run are warm and still.
Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy has just come into view but will probably take the best part of an hour to row to the jetty.
Team Whistler passed Weatherhead Point at 3.24 and will be fourth. BWR passed at 4pm.
The rest of the fleet's positions will be known after the 4.03pm sked.

Tas marine construction is almost here... it's very,very slow going. Most of the rest of the fleet is in Schouten.

Tas Marine Construction, which is in second place and expected at Coles Bay in about an hour, has decided to change runners.
Sailor-triathlete Jeremy Grey will run with Donovan Jacka to give Victorian specialist runner Chris Stevens, who became ill on the Flinders Island leg, a longer rest.
The boat's five crew will all tackle Mt Wellington, health permitting, as they are competing for the Tilman trophy.

Coles Bay race control

Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy has just radioed in with a question for the race committee:
"When does the rowing race end and the sailing race begin?"
Coles Bay head marshal Chris Holloway replied that the word had been sent "to the man upstairs" and everything would change in about two hours.

Neil Buckby Motors Subaru is officially the first boat to Coles Bay. Mark Guy and Tim Piper are off and running. I'd predict another hour until Tas Marine Construction arrive.

Just passed TMC, they'd be a good mile in front of WMP. Still moving - just. Both have slowed to a near standstill.

Big pod of dolphins in the bay, incredible sight!

BWR is in fourth struggling through Schouten in light headwind. Bruce said they'd spent five hours rowing. Also rowing was Team Whistler, in the same situation about 1000m behind BWR.
Terry's move to go into the middle of the bay didn't pay off, there is less breeze out there and Tas Marine Construction did well from tacking up the shore.
Terry seems to be in good spirits but probably very frustrated at the moment.
Wind is very variable, shifting all over and dropping in and out. Tricky conditions!

Tas Marine Construction has overtaken Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy for second place and is also leading the monohull division. Both boats are fighting it out within sight of each other on the Coles Bay side of Schouten. Gourlay is tacking up the eastern side of the bay, hugging the Freycinet Peninsula, while Terry sails further west before tacking toward Coles Bay.

"It's good to be half an hour in front rather than half an hour behind," Phil said when we came across the team rowing up Coles Bay in an extremely light north-easterly. Steve Walker said their winning move had been, as Terry earlier suspected, gybing earlier and heading inshore. They experienced mostly seven to nine knots and never more than 15 on their way down the coast, but did 11 knots for five hours during the night. Although it probably wasn't enough for Phil, runner Mark Guy said it had been a great night for him and running partner Tim Piper. He said they were recovering well from yesterday's run, which they finished in a blistering five hours 47 minutes. "We wanted to make a statement to the other teams," Guy said. "Tim just ran fantastically."

Haphazard is 4nm from Schouten Passage, doing about a knot in two knots of breeze.

If you have never flown down Tasmania's east coast I suggest you try it sometime - absolutely spectacular morning!

Phil and Terry are through the passage and making their way to Coles Bay - extremely slowly due to the fact that there is literally no wind. The water is glassy. The only action to be found is at the jetty, where merchandise selling and food and drink is getting under way. Committee and media are heading to sea in a luxury motor boat to check on the fleet's progress.
Terry is about two nautical miles behind Phil, and Tas Marine Constructions in third is yet to enter Schouten Passage. BWR Multihulls is close behind them and the remainder of the fleet is strung out off the coast of the Freycinet Peninsula.

phil just in2 schouten passage. our plane pilot said i sounded like i just woke up on abc radio this morning. what a surprise! this post sent thru mobile thanx telstra nxt g

Tas Marine Constructions


Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy is in second place after a frustrating night of slow windward work...
Terry reports that Phil is five or six miles ahead of his team, heading for Schouten Island, while he is just outside the entrance to Wineglass Bay.
Tas Marine Constructions is just a couple of miles behind W-M P after an excellent sail overnight. The Thompson 920 revelled in the light conditions and has made up a lot of ground, considering it left Flinders in 9th position. It had a strong sailing leg to the island to be fourth in but one of its runners struggled with sickness and dehydration and walked quite a bit of the running leg. The runners were the slowest overall, taking over 9 1/2 hours. The team further delayed the start of its second sailing leg to check on the runner's recovery. So Rob Gourlay and the team, which includes weather forecaster and former north-west Tasmanian Jeremy Grey, has sailed extremely well to now be in third place.
Terry also reported that BWR Multihulls was five to six miles behind him. They are all sailing in a light southerly.
"It was the first year we've really gone out to sea at all and... the inshore route really paid off this time," he said.
"It's pretty frustrating.
"But it's not all bad - we just had egg, bacon and sandwiches courtesy of the boys.''

A report from the cockpit of Haphazard:
-Experiencing 8 to 10 knots from the south
-On port tack headed toward Wineglass Bay
-24nm from Schouten Passage
-Making six knots
-If wind holds in, should make Coles Bay in six to seven hours
-Went further to sea than most of the fleet and can see two boats to its west, most likely Sullivans Cove Whisky and Pisces
-Was passed by Tas Marine Construction during the night (their tracker showing them abeam of Coles Bay)
-Struggled in a light north-easterly during the night, had to shy reach toward New Zealand to get any boat speed!
-Cold


A report from Raoul at Cape Tourville (near Coles Bay)
-Leading boats about 7 miles ahead of the fleet
-Probably within five miles of Schouten
-No wind in the Bay
-Can see one boat, possibly Haphazard

Although the weather observations from Bicheno and Friendly Beaches show that it is still very light on the east coast, the boats must have found some wind from somewhere during the night. A private tracker aboard Tas Marine Construction has the boat positioned almost east of Coles Bay, so the leaders must be well down off the Freycinet Peninsula. It will still take them a few hours to round the peninsula, pass through Schouten Passage and possibly beat back up to Coles Bay.
Friendly Beaches and St Helens weather reports show the wind has clocked around in a full circle since the leaders set off from Lady Barron yesterday morning, which must make sailing quite frustrating, requiring constant adjustments of boat trim, course and tactics.
Alastair and I will fly over the fleet on our way to Coles Bay at about 10.30 and I hope to post with a better description of the boats' positions then.