Tasmanian ocean racing rival yachts Mr Kite and The Fork in the Road tonight are locked in a duel for line honours in the 89 nautical mile Veolia Enviromental Services Bruny Island Race,  Australia’s oldest long inshore/offshore yacht race.

At the 22:35 ‘sked’ with the fleet,  less than a mile separated the two boats,  with The Fork in the Road sailing into  the northern end of Trumpeter Bay, having regained the lead from Mr Kite.

The fleet in the Veolia Environmental Services 84th Bruny Island Race has slowed down in the d’Entrecasteaux Channel after a relatively fast start from Hobart’s Castray Esplanade this morning. 

In fact, some boats are becalmed after the early morning southerly breeze in the River Derwent faded away.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania will conduct Australia’s oldest long offshore/inshore yacht race, the 84th Bruny Island Race, this weekend, with 31 yachts entered for the historic circumnavigation of the elongated island south  of Hobart.
First conducted in 1898 by the Derwent Yacht Club which became The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania just over a century ago,  and sponsored this year by Veolia Environmental Services, the 89 nautical mile race will start from Hobart’s Castray Esplanade at 9.30am on Saturday, 6 February 2010. 

A fleet of 13 boats began a cruise-in-company to the Gippsland Lakes from Hobart on Saturday 23rd January 2010. The fleet arrived at Lakes Entrance on Saturday morning 30th January. They are scheduled to leave the lakes no later than Tuesday 9th February 2010. Click here to see a blog of the cruise.

For more details on that and other cruises organised by the RYCT, go to the CRUISING section of this website.