The first of Andre Hoek’s Truly Classic 78s has come into her own Down Under following decades spent in the shadow of others in Europe. The boatbuilder, her Captain and new owners each share the secrets to her newfound success.
“We are coming in as defending champions and we have a target on our back,” Captain Phillip Neil tells the crew assembled in the woody cockpit of the 78ft Drumfire. It’s a sunny morning, right before the start of the 2024 Sydney-Hobart Race. “We’re no longer the hunters, we’re the hunted,” he continues. “So we need to stay vigilant and, no matter what happens out there, let’s just support each other.”
Having taken first place the previous year in the division governed by the Performance Handicapping System (PHS), Drumfire is the boat to beat for a non-IRC fleet that runs from a 37-footer to an Oyster 100 via an Imoca 60. After a race that swung from perfect reaching conditions to a gale on the nose, then on to a flat calm, Drumfire again produced another first place in her division. “It’s really hard to win twice,” says Captain Neil. “In fact, it’s supposed to be almost impossible – that’s the point of the system!”
His pride is obvious, and justified. The current owners bought a boat that had been idling delightfully in the western Mediterranean for most of her life and shipped her to Australia to race. Not fooled by her elegant, traditional looks, they knew that she concealed a finely tuned modern hull that is the very essence of Dutch designer Andre Hoek’s Truly Classic line.
“We were drawn to Hoek’s designs for their classic look and beauty. They have very pretty lines and we have always admired them,” says Jane Vicars – one half of the ownership team with husband Will. “I love her comfort and style, but also how beautifully she sails. She gives it her all and it’s such a joy. I never want to get off. I hate leaving her.”
Hoek is equally delighted by Drumfire’s performance, but expresses it in his usual down-to-earth fashion. “No, I’m not surprised,” he tells TIDE. “The potential of the boat has always been there, but wasn’t used by the first owner. Drumfire was the first of the Truly Classic 78s with a deep, performance keel, so she goes really well upwind. She was also the first with a carbon mast and that combination is part of why that boat does so well in the Sydney-Hobart. I’m very proud of her.”
Far from being a compromise, the boat’s classic lines actually improve performance, he says. The long overhangs at either end reduce the amount of hull dragging through the water downwind, but increase the waterline length and speed potential as she heels upwind. And as the bow or stern digs into a wave, the buoyancy pulls it right back up again, suiting her well for offshore conditions.
“In 50 knots of wind and 5m swells of water coming straight off Antarctica – the boat’s completely buried in a wave,” says Captain Neil. “Even we’re leaking then – unless you’re sailing in a Coke bottle, you do in those conditions. It’s pretty gnarly. But we can get through those conditions while other, smaller boats have gone into survival mode.”
Drumfire is, it must be said, in absolutely tip-top condition. Her owner is able to maintain several yachts and ensures that she is kept in good shape. The carbon mast and boom are in for a respray as you read this and the standing rigging is being replaced. A few racing scars are being patched up, alongside a bit of teak deck work and a touch-up for that achingly beautiful brightwork.
Under Captain Neil’s guidance, Jane and Will had some more tactical work done to the boat when she first arrived in Australia back in 2008. First up was to reinstate the long carbon spinnaker pole which was then languishing in a Fort Lauderdale pole graveyard. “After our first Hamilton Island Race Week, we realised we really needed it for those long downwind legs,” Neil says. “It changed the dynamic of the boat. As soon as the sail goes up, we’re on the pole!”
They also added a couple of manual winches at the foot of the mast to ease the amount of line jockeying they had to do back on the powered cockpit winches. And a couple of mast locks have also eased halyard congestion. All these are smart moves from experienced sailors, facilitated by the fact that the first owner had already beefed up the hydraulics and stiffened the backstay. Then there have been a bunch of sail tweaks.
“Results began coming in when we started making modifications like that – we could keep the chute up for so much longer, because it saved so much time on manoeuvres,” says Captain Neil. “We also started using a cableless Code Zero in lieu of overlapping headsails. We weren’t getting any performance out of the boat upwind with [them] – that’s why we went to a 100 per cent blade.”
Race boat she may be, but Drumfire still has a cruising interior with seven berths in three cabins, so preparing for a race starts early. “It’s a pretty extensive job,” he continues. It starts with getting rid of all the shiny floorboards, with their mirror-finish varnish, and replacing them with racing boards. “Then all the doors come off, saloon furniture and tables and chairs too, so we can build box bunks in place of the saloon table for two extra race crew. They’re the ‘coffins’ – the best berths in the boat, because they’re directly over the centreline and have a full-length lee board,” he says. “The walls get covered up so we can go below in boots and lifejackets without damaging the finish and the sail locker becomes a sail pit, though we will sometimes take a chute down the hatch and into the saloon in order to repack it.”
Intriguingly, the owners were not experienced racers before acquiring Drumfire. “The racing has come as a surprise to me,” says Jane. “I am not a competitive person, but have learnt over the years to get a lot of pleasure from it. I think it’s the camaraderie of working together with like-minded souls, and never having imagined we would be gaining some wins too. It has become slightly intoxicating.”
What began with local Wednesday night club sparring around Sydney Harbour quickly developed into longer offshore courses. There is plenty of action to choose from along the New South Wales coast, but they start off with the Hamilton Island Race Week in southern midwinter, moving onto the 172nm Cabbage Tree Island Race in early December.
Jane has become a keen helmsman and likes to get behind the wheel for the offshore passages whenever possible. And although she will do her stint battling with the helm downwind, she lives for the upwind sections. “It’s fantastic, Drumfire loves that more than anything,” she enthuses. “When you have her in the sweet spot and the sails perfectly trimmed, she absolutely hums.”
Captain Neil admits that the boat can be “intimidating” downwind in heavy airs. “A good helmsman can only go for 20 minutes before their arms are just cooked,” he says. “Upwind, Drumfire’s an absolute beast. I don’t think I’ve ever been so impressed by a boat going upwind – it’s phenomenal how high you can point and the numbers you can get. If we had strong southerlies the whole way to Hobart, you’d be a contender to win division and IRC.”
Last time out, they flew the spinnaker until the gusts reached 35 knots, then prudently struck it and put a couple of reefs in the main. They average 13-14 knots in a blow downwind, although they’ve clocked 18 knots on a surf. Upwind it’s more like 8-9 knots in offshore conditions – exhilarating stuff on a 78ft boat with modest topsides and a beautiful deep sheer that puts you close to the water.
Perhaps little wonder, then, that they managed to coax Jessica Watson, Australia’s famous teenage solo circumnavigator, on board for another Sydney-Hobart race. “There’s absolutely no way you’re not going to jump at the opportunity to do it on a boat like this,” she told one interviewer before the event.
It seems that Drumfire has really found her place in the world Down Under. “Sat over in Palma in the shadow of the cathedral, the boat got lost against the bigger ones,” says Captain Neil. “Then we got to Sydney and she was the star – everyone wanted to know about her.”
European admirers of the TC78 shouldn’t give up hope just yet, however. Jane says that her dream is to return Drumfire to the Med for a very special encore. “I would love to do the Middle Sea Race, with that spectacular start in the harbour of Valletta, Malta.”
