Sail-World.com : Hugo Boss II finish Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

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Sail-World.com : Hugo Boss II finish Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

Hugo Boss II finish Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

British Volvo 60 Hugo Boss II crossed the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race finish line off Battery Point in Hobart at 1013 (local) this morning.

Former Australian rules football player Nathan Buckley, competing onboard in his first ever offshore yacht race, credited the tightly-knit team of professional sailors onboard, saying he had an amazing race. Starting the race wearing all-white Hugo Boss suits, the crew were glad to reach Constitution Dock in Hobart after an incredibly tight finish with fellow Volvo 60 DHL - The Daily Telegraph.

Having experienced an array of different weather conditions along the 628 mile route, Hugo Boss II completed the race in two days, 21 hours, 13 minutes and 56 seconds, just 55 seconds behind Australian yacht DHL - The Daily Telegraph. Match racing each other for the last ten miles of the race, as they made their way up the Derwent River, the two Volvo 60 yachts matched each other's every move. With only a couple of boat lengths between them, and making eight gybes in the space of 10 minutes, the close downwind finish was watched by packed crowds on the docks.

Ross Daniel, Race Skipper commented: 'After a brilliant day yesterday, when we reached top speeds of over 30 knots surfing downwind through the waves, it was great to have such a close finish with DHL - The Daily Telegraph today. Over the whole 628 miles of the race we've been in sight of the two other Volvo 60's several times, and to have just a couple of boat lengths between us at the end proved for some great racing.'

Nathan Buckley, former Australian rules football player commented: 'What a race, an amazing experience I will never forget. I was certainly out of my comfort zone at times, at one point I was on deck hooked on, with my life jacket on and there was just water going everywhere, it felt like mayhem! We had a fantastic crew onboard Hugo Boss II who I learnt so much from ,you are forced together in a cramped environment, so you get to know each other really well. I would love to do the race again, and the one thing I will take away with me is the sense of camaraderie amongst the crew. Some sail together every day, some have come here from the other side of the world to compete in an event they have dreamt about for years. I feel privileged and honoured to have had the opportunity to take part in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, it's a classic event in the Australian sporting calendar, and I really enjoyed it.

Hugo Boss II, Alex Thomson Racing's Volvo 60 was formerly Assa Abloy, who took line honours in the 2001 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The boat will now go to Melbourne for the last stop in her world tour, which has taken in visits to USA, Singapore and Hawaii. Hugo Boss and Alex Thomson Racing own Hugo Boss II in addition to round the world solo sailor Alex Thomson's Open 60 racing yacht Hugo Boss. Alex is currently racing Hugo Boss in a double-handed round the world race, the Barcelona World Race. Having broken the 24 hour distance world record for sailing 500.01 miles in a 24 hour period three weeks ago, Alex and co-skipper Australian Andrew Cape recently took a pit stop in Wellington, NZ, to fix a problem with their rudders. Having incurred a 48 hour time penalty, Hugo Boss re-start the race this afternoon.

by Kate Fairclough

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5:17 AM Sat 29 Dec 2007 GMT

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2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart

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