Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race 2013 - Overall winner to be decided soon

by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team on 30 Dec 2013 Of the 83 boats still in the Sydney to Hobart 25 have now finished. There are another six more in the Derwent or inside Storm Bay and there is another 28 boats likely to finish overnight.

The position in the handicap leaderboard is certainly becoming clearer. Darryl Hodgkinson’s Cookson 50 Victoire has a clear Customs House advantage.

She is certainly the winner of division 0. Second at this stage also in Constitution Dock is Phil Simpfenorfer’s Elliott 44 Veloce who looks like he has division two wrapped up and Sam Hayne’s Rogers 46 Celestial. Jens Kellinghusen Kerr 51 Varuna is also ashore in Hobart and leads division one.

With conditions now easing it will require some extraordinary passages across Storm Bay for Chris Brand’s Brannew or Chris Manton’s Senna to climb onto the podium. Roger Hickman’s Wild Rose is only averaging 6.7 knots instead of the needed 8 knots to take the Tattenstall’s Trophy. At this point Hicko may need a helicopter tow, but he does look like he will win division four.

On ORCi it’s Victoire ahead of Celestial and Varuna with Senna and Wild Rose the only possible threats. Bruce Taylor’s Chutzpah looks to have taken division two.

On PHS Corinne Feldmann and Rob Francis’s MDB 41 The Banshee, from division two are leading 11 nautical miles north of Tasman Light. With more time to win or lose Stephen Carey’s Dufour 38 DeJa Vu, 48 nautical miles east of St Helens. Leading division one is Art Equity, Murray Owen’s and Jenny King’s Sydney 46, six miles north east of Tasman Island.

A tight battle in the Clipper 70 fleet with Derry-Londonderry-Doire, the big mover in the last 24 hours, she is now just south of Cape Raoul 32 nautical miles from the finish and she has opened up an almost 13 nautical mile gap on OneDLL. Old Pulteney and GREAT Britain are both within a mile of OneDLL so it is going to be close for podium positions. Henri Lloyd retired at sea and is motoring towards Hobart.

In the Sydney 38 class Gordon Ketelbey’s Zen continues to lead, eight nautical miles south east to South Maria Island with 70 nautical miles to sail. She has now opened up 17 nautical mile gap just as Stefanie Howarth’s Mille Sabords, closely followed by Ray Sweeney’s Mondo.

The tail gunner in the 2013 fleet is Paul Jone’s skippered Elen impression 444 Namandgi, from Canberra.

There have now been 10 retirements from the race:

Audi Sunshine Coast - Retired - Rig Damage
Black Adder - Arrived Eden
Canute - Retired - Rudder Bearing - Heading Eden
Dodo - Retired - Mainsail Damage
Henri Lloyd - Retired - Rudder Damage - Heading Hobart
Luna Sea - Retired - Rudder Damage - Under tow to St Helens
Patrice - Retired - Minor Hull Damage - Arrived Orford
Rush - Retired at sea
Wedgetail - Retired- Dismasted - arrived Hobart
Wilparina – Retired at Port

Conditions are now easing and the wind has swung back to the north of Tasman Light with gusts to 19 knots but the sea state will remain confused for some time but at least for the incoming fleet Storm Bay and the Derwent will still be partying tonight.