By PAUL MILLAR
A GEELONG race crew has secured a place in a global yachting showdown after securing a financial backer, following a story in the Independent.
Sydney to Hobart veteran Jake Newman, 30, told the Independent last week that he had a team ready to contest the World Melges Championship on Corio Bay but needed a backer to secure a racing yacht.
Mr Newman said the story sparked the interest of local enthusiast Ian Murray who decided to support the effort with funding for the locals to charter one of the 24-foot racers and bring it down from Sydney.
Mr Newman, a local builder, made a mad dash to Sydney to pick up the trailable yacht for the championship, which attracts the best Melges sailors in the world.
“It was a super last-minute effort. He read about it in the newspaper and came on board,” Mr Newman said.
The Geelong crew, which also includes Jordan Smith, Brendan Garner, Tony McRae and Tony Bull, will have limited time on the water, with the competition running from 27 January to 2 February.
“It’s going to be exceptionally tough against the best the world has to offer but we’ll be giving it a real go. If we get a couple of results we’ll be rapt,” Mr Newman said.
The hometown crew will at least have the advantage of local knowledge as it contests a number of events on Corio Bay prior to the world series.
The races are part of Festival of Sails, which has attracted a field of more than 300 entries.
Organisers expect up to 100,000 visitors to flock to the shorefront for the festival, which also brings more than 4000 sailors to the bay.
International teams started arriving over the past week for the championship.
Estimates put the festival’s economic benefit to the city at $10 million.
