Most of the eight Tasmanian yachts entered for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race are now sailing north on their delivery voyages,  taking advantage of fresh to strong west to south-westerlies to give them a flying start.

Todd Leary’s modified Inglis 39, She’s the Culprit from the Bellerive Yacht Club, set sail on Friday, as did Sally Rattle’s Archambault 35 Archie from the Derwent Sailing Squadron.

David Bean’s Beneteau 44.7 Auch and Rob Fisher’s Helsal III left  the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania on Saturday and David Creece’s DK46 Dekadence is expected to sail north from Bellerive Yacht Club this week,  followed by Dr Tony Lyall’s modified Elliott 13 Valheru from the RYCT.  The northern entrant, Matangi, David Stephenson’s Farr 39 from the Tamar Yacht Club, is on its way across Bass Strait.

Sean Langman’s 100-footer Loyal, sailing under the burgee of the Huon Yacht Club,  was launched in Sydney late last week after the former Maximus was lengthened and underwent other modifications

Auch has been the most successful racing yacht in Hobart this year, including winning the IRC division of the Maria Island Race, following extensive work on the boat over the winter.  The powerful sloop is fitted with the most advanced Beneteau racing keel, rudder and mast while recent developments to the hull have dramatically improved the yacht’s underwater profile, speed and manoeuvrability.

She is also fitted with state-of-the-art Maxi class navigation electronics, advanced steering and rigging systems and the latest Doyle ‘stratis’ sails from the New Zealand sail loft.

Why ‘Auch’?   The name was chosen to reflect the yachts racing and design heritage as a Beneteau-built French classic.  Auch is the historical capital of Gascony, a region in southern France famed for its douceur de vivre (‘sweetness of life), its rugged Atlantic coastline and its love affair with the ocean.

The 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is the first leg in an extensive racing campaign for owner/skipper David Bean and his crew of Auch, including the 2010 Geelong Race Week, followed by the other races in the Audi IRC Championship – the Sydney Harbour Regatta, Sydney Gold Coast Race and Hamilton Island Race Week.

Bean has put together a strong crew, headed by Peter Lilley as tactician. Lilley, along with Frazer Read, Sam Ibbott, Warren Young and Justin Wells have all won Australian or World championships. – Peter Campbell