Pleasant surprise for Midnight ramblers

Sydney Morning Herald

December 19, 2007

AUSTRALIAN Financial Review Midnight Rambler co-owners Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas were last night named ocean racers of the year 2006-07 for achieving the rare double of dominating the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's blue water pointscore and its short ocean pointscore.

Psaltis and Thomas attended last night's (Tuesday December 18th, 2007) awards at the CYCA at Rushcutters Bay to support their bowman and helmsman on AFR Midnight Rambler, Tom Barker, whom they knew had won the ocean racing crewperson of the year award. But they were unaware they were to be the stars of the night. Usually the award is given to a single sailor.

Psaltis and Thomas began their friendship in 1990, when the former was looking for a navigator for the Sydney-Hobart race that year and pulled a telephone number off the CYCA noticeboard. The duo won the Sydney to Hobart in 1998.

Rookie of the year went to West Australian businessman Alan Brierty, who re-injected himself into the sport after buying a yacht called Flirt and renaming it Limit.

Eighty-year-old Syd Fischer, now in his 45th season of ocean racing, was named veteran of the year.

Jacquelin Magnay