Rolex Sydney Hobart Race – Hard and fast charging down the coast
by John Curnow on 26 Dec 2016
Wild Oats XI - Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2016 Andrea Francolini
Anthony Bell’s 100-footer, Perpetual Loyal, is stacked this year not with celebrities, but with half the crew from last year’s winner, Comanche. The ‘Bat Boat’ (All black) was comfortably first out of the Heads, and was still clinging to the race lead, as the fleet race past Gerroa in the 72nd Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
However, the inside boat Wild Oats XI skippered by Mark Richards, was recovering well from what was probably her worst start in the last dozen years was often going 0.2 of a knot faster than the race leader, and may be able to take over the race leadership.
In third place was Seng Huang Lee’s, Scallywag, which is skippered by David Witt. As Ragamuffin 100, she was the second boat into Hobart last year (behind Comanche) and was accelerating. At the time of writing, Scallywag was about 1.5nm astern of Perpetual Loyal. All in all it is very much a case of ‘fat’ and ‘skinny’ had a race, that thus far is so line ball and utterly captivating
Leader Perpetual Loyal is a few miles more to sea WOXI, with Scallywag in between them and as mention, just behind. Peter Harburg’s Black Jack has now jumped into fifth place, just after Kiama, when the Volvo 70 overtook Karl Kwok’s 80-footer Beau Geste. Black Jack is but 1 to 1.5 knots slower than the supermaxis and also drawing away from Beau Geste. The other VO70s, Jim Delegat’s, Giacomo, and Jim Cooney’s, Maserati, are not quite able to offer the same wicked speed as Black Jack, but are looking like overtaking Beau Geste in these hard running conditions.
Then came Ludde Ingvall’s radical new CQS, who appeared to suffer a canting keel mechanism near Sow and Pigs inside the Harbour. She is only now hitting her strides, but is still two knots slower than her rivals up front, doing about the same pace as the Volvo pair just in front of her, and is around six miles in arrears of Perpetual Loyal.
There is a distinct gap then back to Varuna VI, which is Jens Kellinghusen’s Ker 56. She is was going like a rocket and punching out just over 20 knots of boat speed. She is effectively abeam of Phil Turner’s Reichel-Pugh 66, Alive, that is just inshore of her and half a nautical mile astern. To sea and two miles back is Rupert Henry’s JV62, Chinese Whisper.
Almost two miles behind her and leading the big TP52 pack was Matt Allen’s, Ichi Ban. She and last year’s handicap winner, Paul Clitheroe’s Balance, are still doing over 20 knots, so Paul may dare to dream of back to back, but there is a long way to go. The canting keel Cookson 50, Victoire, with her new owner is next. She is doing just under 20 knots, and then there is UBOX and Hollywood Boulevard.
A mistake here could be deadly to your chances, so whilst the boat is fairly flat get your water and food into you. Stay alert, trim hard and drive it like you stole it.
With the Northerly breeze building, the race leaders could break Wild Oats XI's 2012 record of one day, 18 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds. However that may be decided in the next 12 hours, depending on the strength of the forecast Southerly front. One cannot help but wonder too what Comanche would be doing in the sorts of conditions they are now enjoying. Seeing them go out the Heads at like double the time it to time it took the red race car last year was quite surreal.
Time will tell, so keep your head out the companionway hatch, for it has been many, many years since this set of conditions has been the overarching scenario for the race. Increasing cloud over the racetrack area is also now a factor to review. Warm temperatures on the South-East corner of Australia’s landmass mean one thing at this time of year. Change! And hopefully not bushfires!!!
Ultimately then if you are looking for smiles yourself, then do keep a weather eye here on Sail-World.com for all the latest intel on the great, inspiring, captivating and very historic, blue water classic… The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
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