Representing the Gold Coast and Queensland in the iconic 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, sailing yacht Maritimo 11 will depart Southport Yacht Club with a rousing send-off from Mayor Tom Tate, joined by 100 family, friends and supporters.
Friday 16 December, Maritimo 11 will begin its voyage south to the start line of the epic blue water race, which is celebrating its 77th edition this year with a strong fleet of 115 yachts.
The 628 nautical mile course is often described as the most grueling ocean race in the world, attracting sailors from around the world and the cream of Australian entries.
Maritimo 11 will compete in the 52-foot grand prix racing yachts class, against 12 other contenders, including two champion internationals.
The 15.85-metre yacht is a meticulously refurbished, Reichel Pugh-designed TP52 – a champion racing yacht brought to Australia from Mexico.
The TP52 was originally designed for the Transpac Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu and is a lean, light-weight yacht with few creature comforts for crew. There are around 80 of these carbon fibre yachts racing in all parts of the world, and they are extremely competitive.
The TPs have dominated Australian ocean racing including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in recent times and seem to enjoy a sweet spot under the IRC Handicap Rule that determines the overall winner of the Race.
In 2015, Paul Clitheroe’s TP52 Balance was declared the overall winner of the 2015 edition, and Matt Allens’ TP52, Ichi Ban is a three-time winner of the prestigious Race, taking home the Tattersall Cup in 2021, 2019 and 2017.
Maritimo founder, Bill Barry-Cotter could see the untapped potential in the TP52 he located in Fiji which was then transported to Maritimo’s Coomera headquarters where the yacht underwent a thorough refit, including new sails and all navigation equipment to bring her up to the latest safety and racing standards.
Maritimo is a proudly-Australian manufacturer and exporter of premium, long-range motor yachts, sending 60 percent of its vessels to dealerships in New Zealand, North America, South East Asia and Europe
Maritimo is unique as the only luxury motor yacht builder in the world with a dedicated racing division and world championship race team all in-house.
The majority of Maritimos destined for NZ travel across the Tasman on their own hulls, which is testament to their superior offshore cruising capabilities.
In 2021-22, Maritimo invested in a multi-million dollar expansion program to meet production demand from increased sales volumes. Integral to keeping pace with demand is the company’s focus on recruitment, training and development of the next generation of trades people.
Tom Barry-Cotter, Managing Director at Maritimo explains, “We are committed to finding, developing and training young boat builders, cabinet makers, laminators, Engineers, and R&D craftspeople with the right attitude and ambition.
“Over the years, our apprentices who are from all walks of life and backgrounds have become valued team members at Maritimo. One of our apprentices, Matthew Warren was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award from TAFE among more than 2,000 apprentices on the Gold Coast, across all industries and trades.”
The Maritimo Momentum Program covers in-house training, leadership skills, support and well-being, and offers both a Certificate II, and a Certificate IV qualification.
“We are extremely proud to be a Gold Coast manufacturer, with more than 300+ employees and motor yachts that are prized around the world,” states Tom.
“A testament to the skills and craftsmanship of our tradespeople, Maritimo 11 will be flying the flag for the Gold Coast in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.”
Michael Spies, veteran of 44 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race is at the helm and his crew of 14 includes Bill Barry-Cotter’s brother, Kendal, several champion sailors and Navigator Murray Spence.
Maritimo 11’s crew has an impress tally of 198 Rolex Sydney Hobart Races between the crew of 14.
14-year-old aspiring Olympic sailor, Addison Newlan who is supported by Maritimo in a yacht racing programme will be on Maritimo 11 on the sail down to Sydney.
Addison raced with the crew during Hamilton Island Race week and will be part of the Maritimo 11 delivery crew, but will have to wait a few more years before she can compete due to the event’s age requirement of 18, but being part of the highly experience crew is an exceptional opportunity for the 14 year old school girl.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, VIP guests and supporters will farewell Maritimo 11 and wish her crew a safe and successful race south.
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has become an icon of Australia’s summer sport, ranking among such popular national spectator events as the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open tennis and the Boxing Day cricket test. The Race start at 1pm Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour attracts thousands of pleasure craft and many thousands of spectators around the foreshores.
Following the Boxing Day start, you can track the progress of Maritimo 11 on the official race tracker.
