Sydney to Hobart - Last yachts to finish before New Year's Eve

by Julius Ross/Rolex Sydney Hobart Media Team on 31 Dec 2008 The final two yachts sailing in the 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart are expected to enjoy the rarity of a New Year celebration on dry land.

In previous years, many yachts were still at sea negotiating the 628 nautical mile course when the New Year rings in, but 2008 has witnessed a particularly fast race time for the majority of entrants.

Chris Dawe’s Polaris of Belmont, from NSW and Murray Wilkes’ Nest Property, from Tasmania, are expected to finish before the clock ticks over into 2009 and both crews will be eager to reach Hobart to join in the festivities on the waterfront.

Polaris of Belmont is predicted to reach the finishing line by around midday today, while Nest Property is likely to receive a substantial applause from the Hobart faithful to conclude the 2009 race around 4pm this afternoon.

This will be Nest Property’s first Hobart, while veteran Polaris of Belmont will have completed 24 Hobarts.

90 yachts have now completed the race, with six yachts finishing between the hours of 6pm yesterday and 5am this morning, including Sean Langman’s Maluka of Kermandie – the smallest boat in the fleet – and Peter Goldsworthy’s Getaway Sailing 2, which had five Russian crew members from Trading Network Alye Parusa on board, after their yachts was forced to withdraw prior to the start due to keel damage.

Today, the divisional winners of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will receive their battle flags at a public ceremony at 11am on Hobart’s Constitution Dock. CYCA Commodore Matt Allen and RYCT Commodore Clive Simpson will remember those lives lost at sea in the 1998 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and others who have been lost during the course of a Sydney Hobart, with a one minute silence and casting a wreath into the water.