The famous New York naval architects Sparkman & Stephens designed Stormy Petrel, to win the One Ton Cup level rating world championship and Syd Fischer and his crew sailed her to victory in the 1971 Cup in New Zealand.   Since becoming owner of this classic yacht from that era, Kevin O’Shea has steadily brought her back to her best, in both hull and rig condition and performance, and today she is still a wonderful boat to see under sail.  Heavy weather in last year’s race wisely prompted O’Shea to seek shelter but he (and many others) are hoping for more moderate winds this year. 

In the lead-up to this year's race Stormy Petrel won the Flinders Islet 92nm offshore race, beating Ragamuffin on corrected time.