Representing the Gold Coast and Queensland in the iconic 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, sailing yacht Maritimo 11 departed Southport Yacht Club with a rousing send-off from Mayor Tom Tate, joined by 100 family, friends and supporters. The yacht race from Sydney Harbour to Hobart, Tasmansia is celebrating its 77th edition 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 years 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 Allen 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 unique as the only luxury motor yacht builder in the world with a dedicated sail racing division and world championship power race team all in-house. Celebrating the desire to win on all parts of the ocean is core to Maritimo’s DNA.
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.
“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 Barry-Cotter, Tom Barry-Cotter, Managing Director at Maritimo. “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.
Fourteen-year-old aspiring Olympic sailor, Addison Newlan who is supported by Maritimo in a yacht racing program was on Maritimo 11 on the sail down to Sydney. Ensuring we nurture the next generation of sailors and power boaters is another endeavor that Maritimo takes very seriously.
Addison raced with the crew during Australia’s Hamilton Island Race week and was 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. However, 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 bid 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 (December 26th) on Sydney Harbour and attracts thousands of pleasure craft and many thousands of spectators along the shore.
Following the Boxing Day start, you can track the progress of Maritimo 11 on the official race tracker.
Maritimo 11 specs
Length: 15.85m
Beam: 4.34m
Designer: Reichel Pugh USA (designers of Wild Oats IX )
Builder: Green Marine UK
Hull Material: Carbon Fibre/Nomex
Draft: 3.4m
Total Sail Area: 410-sqm
Total Displacement: 7800kg
Hull Weight: 1500 kg
Top Speed: 30 knots
Average Daily Run: 320 nautical miles per day
Maritimo 11 Crew
Michael Spies Gold Coast – 44 Sydney Hobart Races
Kendal Barry-Cotter Gold Coast – 11 Sydney Hobart Races
Neil Sherring – Gold Coast – 3 Sydney Hobart Races
Stewart Graham – Gold Coast – 3 Sydney Hobart Races
Steve Jackson – Gold Coast – 3 Sydney Hobart Races – sailmaker for Maritimo
Matt Levings – Gold Coast – 0 Sydney Hobart Races (former 1500m Commonwealth Games swimmer).
Ben Lockyer – Brisbane – 0 Sydney Hobart Races
Peter Jones – Brisbane – 25 – Sydney Hobart Races
Rick Robert’s – Brisbane – 11 – Sydney Hobart Races
Peter Sheldrick – Sydney – 30 – Sydney Hobart Races
Peter Britt – Foster NSW – 15 – Sydney Hobart Races
Scott Kaufman New York expat Australian – 16 – Sydney Hobart Races Former Olympian.
Murray Spence – Whitsundays – Navigator – 21 – Sydney Hobart Races
Mike Hughes – Perth – 16 Sydney Hobart Races (more than any other West Australian)