Barrett supports Fremantle to Albany yacht race.

Barrett Communications are proud to support the 2015 Fremantle – Albany ANZAC commemorative Yacht race. Already a major event on the Western Australian offshore yacht racing calendar, this year’s event is of special significance.

The Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC) who host the event are celebrating their sesquicentenary (1865 – 2015) making the club the third oldest in Australia. The club can trace its origins back to 1841, just 12 years after Captain Fremantle arrived to establish the Swan River Colony, when a group of sailors staged a modest regatta to celebrate Foundation Day. Yacht racing has continued over the years as the club grew and changed locations with the great ocean racing era at RPYC beginning in 1949. Everything changed for RPYC, and indeed for Western Australia, in 1983 when the 12metre RPYC yacht “Australia II” won the America’s Cup, ending a 132 year winning streak by the USA.

As the winning club, the 1987 America’s Cup was staged in Fremantle by RPYC and is regarded as the most successful ever in terms of event management, world-wide promotion, national and international goodwill and corporate success. The race’s start location for the second leg in Albany on April 25th has special meaning this year. On the 25th of April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula. The troops became known as ANZAC and this year is the centenary of their landing at Gallipoli. Many of the Anzac soldiers departed Australian shores from King George Sound in Albany.

The Albany advertiser in 1914 reported, ‘In no other port of the Commonwealth were the ships seen together… in the full magnificence of their numerical strength. A few years later, Western Australia became the birthplace of the Dawn Service tradition when Padre White led his congregation on top of Mount Clarence in Albany to remember those who died. For this event Barrett Communications have installed an HF radio base station at the RPYC Annex at Challenger Harbour in Fremantle. This is the same harbour that housed the America’s Cup fleet and the Barrett 912 Multi wire broadband antenna which is used in the installation is connected at one end to Australia II’s mast, which is now used as the flag mast at the RPYC Annex. The Barrett 912 multiwire broadband antenna covers the frequency range of 1.6 to 30MHz without the need for an antenna tuner. The Barrett 912 is connected via coaxial cable to a Barrett 2050 HF transceiver in the radio room inside the clubhouse which is powered by a Barrett 2022 mains power supply.

The Barrett equipment will be used throughout the event to maintain voice communications with the fleet as they sail up and down the Western Australian coast, particularly as they leave the VHF maritime radio coverage zone.

Barrett Communications wish all competitors the best of luck and smooth sailing for the 2015 RYPC Fremantle – Albany ANZAC commemorative Yacht race and return and are proud to part of the event marking the sesquicentenary of the Royal Perth Yacht Club and the centenary anniversary of ANZAC Day.

Starting 25th April 2015 race progress can be tracked live here http://yb.tl/rpycfa2015

RPYC Fremantle Albany ANZAC commemorative Yacht race Start List

Associated Links:

http://www.rpyc.com.au/

http://www.rpyc.com.au/2015-fremantle-to-albany-race

http://www.destinationwa.tv/event.php?id=220

http://www.anzacalbany.com.au/

http://www.sailalbany.com.au/#!satellite-tracking/c1vj2