As the Sundance Marine Melbourne Osaka Cup start draws closer, some of the finer details about the race are coming together. Only a few days ago, the official handicap list was issued by the race organising committee, which means that the crew of each competing vessel can now firm up some of their plans.
Since 2013 a staggered start to the race has been in place, with the slower group of boats starting two weeks earlier than the faster vessels. The reason for this is to help our Osaka hosts by limiting the finish window to a shorter period than in the past. As the race progresses the first group of boats are gradually caught by the faster boats, resulting in some interesting competition over the last few days. All going well, the majority of the fleet should arrive in Osaka within a window of just over a week, making it easier for celebrations and award ceremonies to be organised.
So as you’ll see from the official list, in 2018 the three start dates are March 18, March 25 and April 1st, with the majority of the fleet, some 19 boats, starting on the middle date of March 25.
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More exciting news is that the grand sailing vessel STS Young Endeavour has been secured as the start vessel for the main start on March 25. The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme provides young Australians with a unique, challenging and inspirational experience at sea. STS Young Endeavour was given to the people of Australia by the United Kingdom as a Bicentennial gift back in 1988. Since then, the Scheme, in partnership with the Australian Government and the Royal Australian Navy, has provided challenging training voyages for over 12,000 young Australians. Young Australians between the ages of 16 and 23 can apply for youth development voyages through May 2018.
Anchored off Portsea Pier, the grand sailing ship will host the official starter for the event and will join a number of other distinguished starting vessels that have taken on this task over the event’s 30 year history. Great news for sure as the 2018 Sundance Marine Melbourne Osaka Cup gears up.