By Ian Grant.

Leo Rodriguez and Ian Bishop gained a special place in International Ocean racing history when their former Globe race Volvo 60 Telcoinabox Merit became the 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart Performance Handicap champion.

They like all other Sydney-Hobart race crews believe their career log-books are incomplete without the official recording of sailing the 628 nautical miles to enjoy the race sailor’s party at the historical Customs House hotel.

That was their objective when the delivery crew cast the mooring lines at Airlie Beach in early December but they had no idea that the 11 year old sloop and her race crew would become local celebrities and Hobart heroes when they answered a distress call in the pre-dawn hours on December 27.

The Telcoinabox Merit crew were in race mode enjoying a fast spinnaker sailing ride into the colder latitudes of the rough and rugged Tasman Sea when the crew of the Victorian yacht Georgia sent a radio message to officials that the yacht was extensively damaged and the crew were unable to stem the flow of water.

Skipper Leo Rodriguez and crew of experienced Whitsunday commercial seafarers expressed their duty of care and responded immediately to the call for help from the anxious crew aboard Georgia.

At that time their race for the Performance Handicap class trophy was placed on hold when the crew lowered the spinnaker and motored back up wind to search for the damaged Georgia.

A combination of clever seamanship and navigation allowed Telcoinabox Merit to locate the stricken yacht in the dark and they gained 14 new lifetime friends when they recovered the crew just before Georgia disappeared below the waves.

Meanwhile the Whitsunday sailors made their new mates comfortable as they set a course for Batemans Bay and a rendezvous with the New South Wales police launch Nemesis.

Both crews exchanged hugs and handshakes before the thankful Georgia crew were transferred to Nemesis while Telcoinabox Merit reset her course for Hobart.

Unfortunately the grunt in the spinnaker sailing winds had faded leaving the Telcoinabox Merit combination to spend a little over three days at sea before they had the opportunity to enjoy a warm shower and a refreshing drink in a stable and dry environment.

Their actual elapsed course time of 3 days 1 hour 58 minutes and 58 seconds was recalculated to 2 days 7 hours 58 minutes 58 seconds by the International Jury when they approved the 18 hour claim for redress.

This was a fitting reward for the crew of tropical water sailors who placed the safety of a rival competitor above the honour and glory of winning a class medal in the prestigious Hobart Race.

As expected there was unanimous approval when Telcoinabox Merit was officially named as the Performance Handicap Class winner giving the Whitsunday Sailing Club members and the Airlie Beach yachting community the chance to stage another welcome home party similar to the celebration on the yachties deck after Damien Suckling steered Another Fiasco to her class win in 2006.