High-n-Fibre Wins Simrad 100

High-n-Fibre Racing Representing RNZYS Wins 2011 Challenge for The SIMRAD 100

High-n-Fibre Racing, the North Shore challenger, representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, won the 2011 SIMRAD 100 on Saturday in the Hauraki Gulf, sweeping past the defender, Bays Flyer, to a 1-0 victory.

This was an historic race for the oldest trophy in intranational short-handed sailing, featuring two of the most, well, floaty, boats on the planet.

High-n-Fibre Racing’s monohull, High-n-Fibre, powered by the most medium sail ever built, proved to be the faster of the two monohulls, overpowering Bays Flyer’s sloop in the race.

Today marks the culmination of the Devonport team’s 2 month quest for the SIMRAD Cup, Auckland winter short handed short course sailing’s pinnacle event. Founded about half way through a rum bottle, the team is led by CEO Adrian Fibre (NZL), now a one time Cup winner, and Ben Hubbard (DEV), the skipper and helmsman of High-n-Fibre.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Hubbard. “The amount of work the whole team has put into this boat and now to go a race without any issues – you just have to hand it to the shore guys, the boatbuilders and all of the support team and the bakery. They gave us some awesome filled rolls and some sweet custard twists. When we decided (after a few beers) to have a go, we never would have guessed how cold it was actually going to be.”

“It’s absolutely an awesome feeling,” added Adrian. “I’m really proud to be part of this team. I couldn’t be more proud.”

After a short postponement on Saturday morning, racing started at 0915 in 7-8 knots of wind. There was an unusual start to the race, with quite a few hungover skippers. In fact, they were on the wrong side of someone blowing chunks at the 5-minute gun, sending Ben down below for the bucket to wash off a bit of the residue.

High-n-Fibre Racing started with more speed, but Bays Flyer held held the right hand side of the race course and prospered early when the wind shifted to the right.

At one point, the advantage line was as big as 600-meters to the Flyer. But before the top mark, the High-n-Fibre Racing crew made a perfect layline call.

After tacking on the line to the mark, High-n-Fibre Racing saw Bays Flyer cross ahead, but cede the inside position at the mark to High-n-Fibre, and that was all the advantage the challenger would need to lead around the mark by 28 seconds.

From then onwards, the powerful sport boat extended its lead, to cross the finishing line ahead by 5.26. “It was an awesome race. It was touch and go, but we knew, in the end, we were racing 727s and that we would have looked like tools had we not finished on the podium (out of 4 boats)” Hubbard said.