TP52's raced for ultimate Sydney Hobart prize

by Ian Grant on 31 Dec 2008 Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest capitalised on a 49 hour match race against class rivals Wot Now (Graeme Wood) and Cougar 11 (Alan Whiteley) to win the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.

The modest blue water sailor and founder of Travel Scene added the expensive Rolex watch and Tattersall’s Cup to an already impressive personal mantelpiece which includes the 50th anniversary Brisbane Gladstone Race Courier Mail Cup and Hamilton Island Race Week titles.

He naturally enjoyed the chance to step onto Hobart’s historical Constitution Dock free of pressure after his crew of experienced Tasman Sea sailors including Mike Green, Peter Messenger, Hugh Brodie and Adam Brown triumphed to claim a narrow win for the fastest TP52 title.

Mike Green a veteran of 29 Hobart classics shared space on a spray drenched deck with Peter Messenger (23), Hugh Brodie (22) and Adam Brown (19).

All four sailors have experienced the best and the worst weather on the storm tormented Tasman Sea but they will remember the 2008 classic as their toughest for the unrelenting tactical challenges to claim the title as Australia’s fastest TP52.

They, like skipper Bob Steel limited their time in the bunk to ensure Quest logged the fast miles in the ideal wave surfing spinnaker sailing conditions to stay ahead of their almost identical blue water drag racing rivals Wot Now and Cougar 11.

All three crews staged a history making 628 nautical mile match race from start to finish before Quest sailed through rig tormenting 50 knot winds on the River Derwent to hold out Wot Now and Cougar 11.

The intense duel was basically decided in the final nautical miles when Quest completed the course with a super fast 12.8knot average speed and a .94 second per mile speed advantage over Wot Now while the 2008 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week champion Cougar 11 hovered off the stern of Wot Now to record the slightly slower .12 second per mile course time.

There is no doubt that this tactically absorbing ‘dog-fight’ between the equally determined ocean racing combinations paved the way for the power sailing maxi-chasers to dominate the major awards with Quest rating 1.341 outpacing her time correction factor by 2.65 seconds per mile to beat Cougar 11 (1.345) by 27 minutes 43 seconds while Wot Now (1.358) filled third another 35 minutes 36 seconds astern.

Another significant factor was their speed sailing performance to dominate with the fastest elapsed time/waterline length aggregate.

Quest (15.84m) completed the course with a 12.8 knot average and a .808 knot per metre time factor which was .338 per knot/metre faster than Bob Oatley’s 30m super maxi Wild Oats Xl and .350 quicker than Grant Wharington’s Brisbane Gladstone race record holder Skandia.

The top eight were Quest, Wot Now, Cougar 11, then came Bill Wild’s 9.9 m Wedgetail .770 followed by Stephen Ainsworth’s 19.2m Loki .690, Limit .680, Peter Harburg’s Brisbane sloop Black Jack .660 and Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban .640.