ICHI BAN

Wade Joined Matt Allen's famous sailing team early in 2015 and after many regatta wins with a newly optimised boat, Ichi Ban was ready for the 2016 Rolex Sydney to Hobart.  On paper, 2016 was the perfect race for the JV52, Ichi Ban and also in practice until they turned the corner at Tasman Light. They were leading both their division and overall on handicap and on track for records. But, in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart, nothing is ever that simple and it all slipped away after being becalmed for five hours in the Derwent. For a boat that was built for racing in the Mediterranean, it certainly was a big call to enter it in the Hobart race. But one that almost paid off. 

In 2017, conditions were almost identical to 2016, and the brand new TP52, also called Ichi Ban (which means No.1 in Japanese), was on course for another tilt at the title.

The downwind conditions were hard on both the boat and the crew, blowing out two spinnakers on the way. “You can only imagine how rough and how wet these boats are to sail at that speed through the ocean.” Allen said. “We were buried by water a lot of the way – it was an incredibly wet race and pretty intense. We were buried a lot of the time.  “The guys just worked so hard. When we had to put the pedal to the metal, we had to steer the boat at high speeds without comprising the integrity of the boat.”  “Youngster (Anthony Merrington) drove like he was stealing a car. There was so much water coming over the boat that you couldn’t see. Youngster just had to feel the boat and he pushed it so hard and we bore away to the Island. “Bubsy (Wade Morgan) also did a phenomenal job of driving in tough conditions. These guys are unbelievable.” 

Their other intense moment was parking for 20 minutes at John Garrow Light. “It was a long 20 minutes,” Matt Allen admitted. In 2016, Ichi Ban had been on track to win but stalled in the Derwent. “After being becalmed for five hours last year, we came up the Derwent this year and got to the Garrow Light and parked. No wind at all,” he said. “We sat there, thinking here we go again.”

Ichi Ban claimed Handicap Honours in 2017 and also went into the record books as clocking the fastest race time by a conventionally-ballasted boat (no water ballast or canting keel).