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Read our Sail-World 2009 Sydney Hobart Fleet Notes being updated by skippers  here

Sydney Hobart – Four Hours to starting time

There are still 100 boats expected to start the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart race.

Grant Wharington's supermaxi Etihad Stadium still has not been for a sail with her new mast. GW and Graeme Taylor (GT) will announce their intentions after the morning weather briefing.

Winds around 16-18 knots are expected for the start.

With heavy overcast there is a possibility the News helicopter fleet will not get airborne. That would happen if visibility is less than 1000 feet.

Stay with Sail-World.com for all the news as it happens.

Can Rán run away with the Rolex Sydney Hobart race? Rob Kothe, When overseas horses or boats come to Australia shores their previous form needs careful discussion. One veteran Sydney to Hobart racing skipper when asked about British boat Rán's prospects responded gruffly ‘never heard of it ‘. Since then his crew have gently reminded him that if Niklas Zennström's 72 footer Rán won the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race , that would be the third Rolex watch for... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney to Hobart: PredictWind Race Day Forecast Nathan May, PredictWind's latest www.predictwind.com!wind_forecast is predicting southerly winds for the start of today's race.... [more] Onsend this story

Rolex Sydney Hobart - Cruising in the fast lane Jim Gale/Rolex Sydney Hobart media team, Among the eight maxis jostling on the start line this Saturday, look for a US 100 footer called Rapture. Face to face, media financier and philanthropist Brook Lenfest is a very pleasant, very relaxed and unassuming kind of bloke. He seems to be much happier talking sailing than business, though he concedes that Rapture is equipped with the best broadband satellite communications and he does spend... [more] Onsend this story

65 years later... Sydney Hobart dreams are still born of a ‘QLD' Wai Lee, In October 2009, a sailing instructor and his former student met for a Quiet Little Drink at Sydney's famous Slip Inn. Just two months later, Ian Mason and Jay Krehbiel are set to launch their first Rolex Sydney Hobart campaign together on the Sydney 38 yacht Next...... [more] Onsend this story

Rolex Sydney Hobart - Fifteenth time Lucky for Sailing Legend Danielle McKay, A favourable forecast and a secret weapon has Australian sailing legend David Witt certain that his elusive Rolex Sydney to Hobart win is well within reach this year. Witt, who is co-skippering the 90ft maxi YuuZoo in his 15th Sydney-Hobart, reckons the forecast favors the maxis and his handicap sweet-heart will give the fleet a red-hot run for the Tattersall's Cup.... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney Hobart: Everyone's A Winner Baby That's Unsure Crosbie Lorimer, With less than twenty four hours before this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet sails past The Heads the weather gods are still playing their cards very close to their chests.... [more] Onsend this story

Next Stop - Hobart! VOR, A phalanx of Whitbread/Volvo sailors will be scattered among the crew lists when the Rolex Sydney-Hobart starts on Boxing Day. Among them will be Guy Salter who has swapped his Media Crew Member role on Ericsson 4 in the 2008-09 race for a position on the bow of ICAP Leopard.... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney to Hobart: PredictWind Updated Forecast Nathan May, All eyes are on the weather as we draw closer to the start of this offshore racing classic. The latest forecast is now available from www.predictwind.com!PredictWind.com. At this stage there is still some variation between the two PredictWind models for the start of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.... [more] Onsend this story

ICAP Leopard prepares for Boxing Day Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race start Pitch UK, ICAP Leopard, the 100ft supermaxi racing yacht owned by Helical Bar CEO Mike Slade, has been training hard in Sydney ahead of her assault on the Rolex Sydney-Hobart race. This 628 mile 'offshore classic' will see 100 yachts from all over the world tackle the fearsome Bass Strait in a bid to be the first to cross the Hobart finish line.... [more] Onsend this story

McConaghy built- smart money! John Curnow, McConaghy built all three of the 'winningest' Supermaxis the world has ever seen and according to sportsbet.com.au, they are the smart money in the showdown for this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart.... [more] Onsend this story

Roy - this One's for You! Danielle McKay, YuuZoo skipper Ludde Ingvall says he will dedicate this year's Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race to the memory of his 'mate' Roy Disney. The 90ft maxi will carry a special message at the base of the mast saying; Roy, this one's for you.... [more] Onsend this story

Rolex Sydney Hobart: Everyone has a chance with mixed bag of weather Rolex Sydney Hobart media team, This morning the Bureau of Meteorology's Rob Webb delivered his Christmas news to those taking part in the 65th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race... [more] Onsend this story

Tasmania's Sullivans Cove gets into Sydney Hobart Race mode Peter Campbell, Sullivans Cove, the historic port precinct of Hobart, the capital city of Australia's island State of Tasmania, is in yachting mode with the expected arrival early next week of some 170 yachts competing in the annual ocean races from Sydney, Melbourne and Launceston.... [more] Onsend this story

Etihad Stadium Supermaxi mast is in – now for the tuning Etihad Stadium Events, The heavy lifting has been done, and the replacement mast for the Etihad Stadium Supermaxi is now in place. The crew and project team downed tools at 4:30am this morning and grabbed a few precious hours of sleep.... [more] Onsend this story

33 ORCi entries for Rolex Sydney Hobart Race ORC Tech, First-ever use of ORCi ratings in the 628-mile Rolex Sydney Hobart offshore racing classic. Results for the ORCi Division will be decided by the application of the Time-on-Time Simplified Scoring Option, using the ToT Offshore rating as printed on each boat's ORCi Certificate, as a multiplier of elapsed time.... [more] Onsend this story

No Sleeps to the Sydney Hobart race? Rob Kothe & the Sail-World Team, Its early morning on Christmas Eve ‘down under' in Sydney Australia and as dawn breaks the latest news is that Grant Wharington's Etihad Stadium actually has her new four spreader mast standing vertical.... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney Hobart - Etihad Stadium has a mast again Jody O'Brien, Thirteen days after dismasting in Bass Strait on the delivery sail from Melbourne to Sydney, the Etihad Stadium Supermaxi is now looking like a 98 foot ocean racing machine again. The 44 metre mast was successfully installed just after 3am this Christmas eve morning with a very large crane and all hands on deck at Sydney City Marine.... [more] Onsend this story

Battle of the Supermaxi - Is this a Swansong for Britain's Leopard? Rob Kothe, As the Rolex Sydney Hobart weather models keep throwing up different scenarios, British property developer Mike Slade, owner of the 100 footer ICAP Leopard, the 2009 Rolex Fastnet line honours winner has mixed feelings about what could be the last Sydney Hobart for his supermaxi.... [more] Onsend this story

PredictWind Long Range Forecast for Sydney to Hobart Nathan May, PredictWind is forecasting Southerly winds for the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. With stronger winds of 18Knts at start time decreasing to around 10Knts as the race progresses. The images displayed are using PredictWind's High Resolution GRIB files displayed using Expedition Software.... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney Hobart - Tactical Challenges at the back of the fleet Penny Haire, Race strategy become much harder when early decisions have to be made based on what you think is going to happen in three days time. It's harder still when you've been out there for two days and only have scanty weather info to go on.... [more] Onsend this story

Rolex Sydney Hobart - Follow the action with Bass & Flinders Cruises Sail-World, On Boxing Day Bass & Flinders vessels Ocean Dreaming I, Ocean Dreaming 2 and Sun Cat will follow the Sydney to Hobart fleet right from the start. ‘We take our boat out with 200 passengers and we are able to follow them down the leading boats because our vessels do travel at about 28 knots, so we can keep up with them out on the ocean.... [more] Onsend this story

Midnight manoeuvres for Wild Oats XI to repair keel damage Rob Mundle, There was plenty of unscheduled activity at Woolwich Dock, on Sydney Harbour, around midnight last night when Bob Oatley's Rolex Sydney-Hobart race record holder, Wild Oats XI, was lifted from the water so repairs could be made to the yacht's keel.... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney Hobart - Supermaxi Etihad Stadium to have mast fitted tonight Jody O'Brien, For the rest of the country not involved in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, there's probably some cooking to do done to get ready for Christmas, but for the Etihad Stadium Supermaxi crew, there's no plum pudding and turkey – just the vital ingredients to put their mast back together.... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney Hobart: Will it be Supermaxi or Sunfish? Rob Kothe, Over the years sailors have stood and looked at the half model board of the handicap winners of the Sydney Hobart race, going back some 64 years. The very noticeable thing is that rudders and keels continue to shrink in width and depth while getting longer and thinner.... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney Hobart - In Raptures about Rapture Sail-World.com, She's 100 foot long and one of super super maxis heading south to Hobart, but she is not one of those stripped down racing machines. She is a cruiser-racer cruiser... [more] Onsend this story

Rolex Sydney Hobart 2009 - Eyes on the Prize Sail-World.com, Rolex Sydney Hobart - the strongest ever fleet of super maxis wll be drag racing south looking for Line Honours victory. Here are the guys with their Eyes on the Prize... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney Hobart - Leopard could strike if solid southerlies Sail-World.com, Rolex Sydney Hobart 2009 ICAP Leopard, another brilliant McConaghy built supermaxi. Fresh from taking his second line honours win in a row of the Rolex Fastnet Race, Mike Slade and his international crew, including a number of Australians, are one of five 100ft maxis competing in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart.... [more] Onsend this story

Sydney Hobart Line Honour battle drives new sail developments Media Services, North Sails CEO Michael Coxon (Cocko) has been campaigning with Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo's for some years but his Sydney team have built the sails for both Alfa and its strong rival, Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI, the four times Hobart winner. Just a few days before the 2009 Rolex Sydney to Hobart, 'Cocko' provides this insight into the Supermaxi scene.... [more] Onsend this story

Rolex Sydney Hobart - from 1945 to 2008 Event Media, Facts from the Sydney Hobart blue water classic- Fastest Race The fastest race was in 2005 Wild Oats XI (AUS) 01:18:40:10, Kialoa (USA) held the record for 21 years, Morning Glory (GER) for three and Nokia (AUS/DEN) for five. Brindabella (AUS) 01:20:46:33 holds the race record for a conventionally ballasted yacht set in 1999 Slowest Race The slowest race was in 1945 Wayfarer – Peter Luke, NSW.... [more] Onsend this story

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