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Lord Howe Island record slashed
LORD HOWE ISLAND, Australia -- The longest-standing record in Australian ocean racing has been slashed by almost seven hours. Merit, a former Volvo 60, broke the record for the 408-mile Gosford to Lord Howe Island race on Sunday. Owned and skippered by Sydney yachtsman Ian Treleaven, Merit made the crossing in 33 hours and 34 minutes, to demolish the record set in 1988 by the Adams 62 Helsal II. Another Sydney based yacht, the Farr 49 Sting, skippered by Terry Mullens and the Queensland yacht Eureka, a Sydney 60 skippered by Bob Robertson, also broke the race record. The annual race is one of the more unusual races in the offshore calendar because entries are restricted to 21 yachts. Lord Howe Island is a World Heritage listed site because of its unique environment, including a coral lagoon, which only has moorings for a limited number of yachts to minimise damage to the coral. Every year applications exceed spaces for what has become the most exclusive yacht race off the Australian coast. The strong conditions produced several retirements including the Komatsu St Malo whose wire steering cable snapped causing the Northshore 38 to gybe violently tearing the mainsheet traveller off the deck. Treleaven has his sights on a top performance in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, starting on December 26. Merit is a sistership to the current record holder, Nokia.
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