Page 20 - CYAA 2022 Winter Series Race 2 and CYCA2022 Great Veterans

Fidelis, Solveig
and Wild Oats
victorious in 2022

Great Veterans Race

14/05/2022

By David Salter (Mister
Christian)

In many ways it was like a traditional
four-day Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
squeezed into just three hours.

First, the casual jumble of yachts drifting
around the Harbour before the start. Then a
light-to-variable breeze for the opening stanzas,
plenty of gunnel-down sailing as the race
developed, and finally a few restorative ales among
friends once the fleet had finished.

Rescued from near extinction a few years ago, the annual
Great Veterans Race is again a notable fixture on the
CYCA sailing program, attracting more than 20 classic
yachts.

Up to now, entry had been restricted to any boat with a launch date
prior to 1976 that has competed in at least one Hobart race. This year
the fleet was expanded to include a new division for yachts that had
raced south under the IOR rule up to 1991.

As Commodore Noel Cornish remarked at the post-race
presentation, all the participating yachts and the heritage they
embody are “part of the club’s DNA”.