Team Australia sets new Sydney Hobart passage record

by Sail-world.com on 23 Feb 2013 Sean Langman´s Team Australia has broken the Sydney to Hobart passage. She just crossed the finishing line at 16:51:20 with an elapsed time of 29 hours 53 minutes 23 seconds.

She has taken 12 hours 31 minutes and 49 seconds off Wild Oats XI's 2012 record time.

Earlier we reported

Team Australia has been in 25kts North north easter steaming across Storm Bay with an ETA of 5pm at the finish in Hobart, 'boat is good, boys tired and very wet' says Josh Alexander , who also had this to say 'new top speed for this run 39.6 kts, we are coming home HOT!! At this stage the boat is set to go under 30 hours for the 630 nautical mile passage.

The boat is now approaching the Iron Pot, which is just 11 nautical miles from the finish line in Hobart, conditions are easing ahead with 15 knots from the north east, while up river its blowing just 10-12 knots from the north, but thats plenty for the 60 foot trimaran.

She passed Iron Pot doing more than 21 knots and Kingston at 19 knots, she is now at 1640 just a few minutes from the finish line. At 1645 she was passed John Garrow Shoal doing 17 knots.

Bob Oatley´s 100 foot canting keel monohull Wild Oats XI set the Sydney Hobart race record time in December 2012 of 42 hours 23 mins 12 seconds. That time standards as the Passage record, which is what Langman´s Team Australia is about to smash.