WA Crew Knee Deep in Yachting Adventure

News article from Perth Now (http://www.perthnow.com.au/) covering the lead-up to the 2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yach Race and our entrant, Knee Deep. Article by Adrian Warren. (view the complete article here)

A FORMER Sydney-to-Hobart overall winner has been rescued from an inglorious state and will return to the great yacht race this year.

Knee Deep, which took handicap honours in 1999 as Yendys, fell into a state of disrepair and ended up at a truck company auction. Purchased by Perth surgeon Philip Childs, who re-named the boat after his Margaret River vineyard and winery, the Farr 49 boat will take to the water with an all-WA crew.

Childs said the boat was in a pretty poor state when he purchased it. ``It was thick with dust, there were weeds growing on the edge under the ropes and soil had built up over the previous year or so,'' Childs said. ``I think it had been on the mooring for over a year and there was a carpet about five inches thick hanging off the bottom of the boat.''

The original owner of the boat, Geoff Ross, who will enter this race in a newer Yendys, said he wasn't surprised his old boat was returning to the race, though he had previously lost track of its movements. ``It had a bit of a chequered history with the ownership, so I didn't actually know what happened to it,'' Ross said. ``It's an incredibly well-built boat, it was designed and built for a Hobart, so structurally it will be one of the best boats heading south.''

Childs was grateful for some tips Ross had passed on about the boat, which was also well known to many members of the Sydney yachting community. ``The interesting thing is that most of the sailors around here know this boat a hell of a lot better than we do and have sailed on it before,'' Childs said. ``When we bump into people we try and grill them for as much information as we can. Geoff Ross was on the boat a few weeks ago and gave up a few tips which was very good of him.''

Childs said he had raced the boat just once since purchasing it and had modest expectations of its Sydney to Hobart prospects. ``We're going to try hard and sail our pants off,'' Childs said.

The latest Yendys finished fourth across the line in last year's race and Ross was hopeful of another good performance this year following some good performances including overall IRC victory at the 2007 Hamilton Island Race Week.