Spies returns from the cold

But returns for the Gladstone race, reports Ian Grant from Australia

The past 12 months have not been a very happy time for experienced Sydney Ocean racing skipper Michael Spies.

Spies better known around the International yacht racing circuit as the co skipper of the Sydney to Hobart race record breaker Nokia has proved to be as tough as teak physically.

But the death of his long term friend Ashley Reed while contesting the 2002 Sydney to Mooloolaba race took toll of the weathered ocean sailor.

Skipper Spies and the late Ashley Reed had set their racing program on contesting the 2002 Brisbane Gladstone race with their sloop P&O Nedlloyd.

Unfortunately the untimely death of Reed forced Spies to withdrawn from the Gladstone Race last Easter but he is back this year and is looking forward to achieving a top result which will be dedicated to his late sailing mate.

P&O Nedlloyd has raced in all of the major East Coast classics including the Sydney to Hobart in late December and last weeks Sydney to Mooloolaba race and Spies believes the sloop has a strong chance if there is a mix of weather conditions to provide some sailing into head winds.

He is taking his chance but the odds of racing in his most favoured conditions appear remote with a possible strong wind warning spinnaker sailing South East breeze spiced with gusts above 25 knots forecast for the race start off the historical Sandgate Pier at 11 am on Good Friday.

Spies and the P&O Nedlloyd crew have slipped a few places on the ‘betting board’ and will fight an uphill battle to match the surfing speeds of the ‘Golden Oldies’ Saltash 11 raced by third generation Gladstone race sailors Ian and Bill Wright of Brisbane and the Gladstone sloop Wistari skippered by Scott Patrick

Both Saltash 11 and Wistari are smaller and lower handicap rated sloops and have the runs on the board winning a total of nine races between them in hard spinnaker sailing winds.

“They will have the edge on us in P&O Nedlloyd but anything can happen in a yacht race, hopefully some luck will smile on us to achieve a result that Ashley (Reed) would be proud of”. Spies said.