Secret Men’s Business has excelled to win the overall standings on handicap in the 2010 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.  Secret Men’s Business 3.5, skippered by owner Geoff Boettcher, took 22 attempts to finally claim the honors. The 64 year old Australian, Geoff Boettcher received the overall race prize today and has already sent the trophy to Adelaide for the second time in a row. In 2009, Andrew Saies’ Two True got the opportunity to cherish the honor. This is the fifth instance of a South Australian win in the 65 year old history of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The 51 foot long Secret Men’s Business 3.5 crossed the finish line at Hobart on Wednesday night. The time taken by them was noted to be four days, one hour, twenty nine minutes and forty seconds. However, they had to wait before they could get their hands on the Tattersalls Cup. Geoff Boettcher’s Secret Men’s Business 3.5 faced stiff competition from Sydney’s Local Hero. The local entrant asked for a time allowance for halting to stand by when the mast of the boat was broken in Bass Strait on Monday, 27th of December. At the end, the lead of Secret Men’s Business 3.5 was too much to cover for the Local Hero. Local Hero, owned by Peter Mosely was always seen as a good competitor for both offshore and inshore races.

Geoff Boettcher is the proud owner of three boats with the name Secret Men’s Business. While addressing the media, Geoff Boettcher said that the current Reichel/Pugh underwent a massive rework to get it ready and fit for the race, as it was sure to witness some extreme weather conditions. Talking about the preparations, Geoff Boettcher stated that the team had to cut the hull of the boat and was forced to put a new hull, which was a metre longer. This is why the boat was not number four, but became 3.5.

Geoff Boettcher has most of his crew members hailing from South Australia. He was happy with the efforts of his team and was proud for being some serious competition to other entrants from Victoria and NSW. He, in his excitement said that the Secret Men’s Business 3.5 played with the big boys of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and has learnt a lot.  Geoff Boettcher was sure that the experience of the Rolex Sydney Hobart will help them stay ahead in other regattas as well.

Owner of Secret Men’s Business 3.5, Geoff Boettcher said that the win of Two True from Andrew Saies’ stable pumped the team to perform even better this year. He accepted that he was a good competitor and that they have a love-hate relationship. This year, Two True could not continue its winning streak and was forced to withdraw. This year, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race saw the retirement of 18 boats because of the extreme wind conditions at the southern NSW coast. The last boat that sailed from Sydney is expected to arrive at Hobart on January 1, 2011.

Tags: Geoff Boettcher, Rolex, Rolex Sydney Hobart, Secret Men’s Business 3.5

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