- The Yachts
- 2017
- Merlin
Merlin
Well-sailed by Joseph Earl on behalf of Olympian owner Dave Forbes, Merlin, sporting new sails, finished 25th overall and second in Division 2 in last year’s race. The sails proved a boon from the outset in earlier races. Merlin finished 16th overall and fourth in Division 2 of the 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart and was the best overall performed boat over 50 feet. In her other three Hobarts, she finished 17th overall and eighth in Division A in 2003, retired (along with nearly half the fleet) from the difficult 2004 race, and finished 14th overall and second in Division C in 2006. Merlin placed sixth in November’s Cabbage Tree Island Race.
Competitor Details
| Yacht Name | Merlin |
| Sail Number | 93 |
| Owner | David Forbes |
| Skipper | Joseph Earl (8) |
| Sailing Master | Richard Brooks (9) |
| Navigator | Richard Brooks (9) |
| Crew | D Ryan, C Thornton (8), C Heenan (1), A Briscoe (1), P Corben (12), P Smith, C Casey, A Cameron (2), M Heenan (20) |
| State | NSW |
| Club | RSYS |
| Type | Kaiko 52 |
| Designer | Forbes/Kaiko |
| Builder | McConaughy Boats |
| Construction | HVYCORE |
| LOA | 15.6 |
| Beam | 4.0 |
| Draft | 3.1 |

