Australian Multihull Nationals 2025 Preview
by Peter Hackett 26 Mar 10:25 UTC
2-6 April 2025
Ritalin © Peter Hackett
Well, here we are again. The diverse band known loosely as the Australian Multihulls is getting back together next week. Like so many other sailing groups, finding quality and quantity after that dirty big flu has been difficult.
The Aussie fleet of boats, from extreme rockets, to folding trailable semi-rockets, to bridge-deck cats looking like cruisers but going like rockets, meet on the start line at RQYS Manly on April 2 to 6 for another superb Moreton Bay Multihull Regatta.
While numbers are still coming in, I would like to dissect for you some of the entries and some of the improvements that these sailors spend a lot of time and money on to sail for the honours in OMR (Offshore Multihull Rating) which does a damn good job of fairly handicapping the wide range of boats here using sail and hull measurements, as well as crew weights.
In Div1 Mike Peberdy's newly converted Carbon12 Irens 12 now named Rare Groove will be the one to watch. Built in Denmark and brought here from Hong Kong, the massive canting rig is probably going to get this baby over the line first, although we have so far seen no speed data.
Gary Saxby's Excess, with recent foil innovations on this America's Cup Morelli and Melvin SL33 research catamaran brought out from New Zealand, has been doing sustained 27 knot legs so should be nearby. But then home built El Toro under Ben Kelly, Craig Humphries appropriately named ADHD 28 Ritalin, and the multiple championship Farrier F32SRX Crosshair of Gerald Valk doing 55 knots as I write this, will be snapping at the heels of the leaders. (Yes, on the highway from Adelaide). And don't forget Purple Haze that Danny and Alex MacMillan just got up to 30 knots GPS speed on the water in the Surf to City race.
My more civilised mates in Div2 will hopefully make my life hell on my F28R Intrigue this year, and I expect a big challenge from the three F22R's that are punching well above their weight. Andrew McLeod is bringing his ultra-lightweight carbon boat 2XS from Port Macquarie, to prey on SEQ boats, John Dowling's Endorfin and Julian Griffith's Midnight Rain which he recently purchased after originally building her 13 years ago.
Fresh off a recent win at Victoria's famous Marlay Point Race, Terry O'Brien will be bringing his RX The Stig up from Lake Macquarie to settle a few scores with his long carbon mast and recently changed sail wardrobe. Gordon Myers just made an untried loooong carbon mast out of the same mould for his Grainger 075 Harmony, and his new sails are going to make this little boat fly. And Adrian Relf reckons he will just be happy to get his just possessed F85SR Supersonic (ex Evil Gnome) on the race course, but we are sure he will be pushing the crew hard. A lot of this division, in fact one third of the fleet are folding Farrier trimarans, a strong testament to the class.
The Div 3 Bridge-deck cat fleet has a few boats with ratings that could place them in Div 1, but the ratings should ensure good racing probably dominated by Drew Carruthers' Rushour fresh from a number of course record wins including the Surf to City race and the arduous Melbourne to Devonport Westcoaster. A Shadow of Stealths (go on look up THAT collective noun) will be pushing each other, including Stuart Cox's Cut Snake, Pierre Gal's Fez, Stuart Malouf's recently purchased Coconuts, and Nick Lyons' Vela. Wayne Bloomer's Chill Pill and Matt Goulter's Duality will be keen to show what modern Schionning cats can do on the longer choppy courses. Richard Jenkins' home designed and rebuilt Kestrel and Andrew Stevenson's Seawind Double Black Diamond will be relying on good ratings and crew work to get them on the podium.
The fantastic thing about this fleet is that they are again pushing the rules, and developing the aerial and hydraulic foils in the interest of better speeds and finish times. It is certainly worth dropping in at Manly to see how many of these boats have followed, and in some cases are leading, worldwide trends of C-foils, T-foils, and J-foils to get those extra few knots of boat speed.
Bring it on.