Celebrity sailors join crews for tough race to Hobart

by Peter Campbell on 26 Dec 2000 The 2000 Telstra Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race will start on Sydney Harbour at 1pm today when the Chief of the Australian Army, Lieutenant General Peter Cosgrove AC MC, fires a cannon to send the 82-boat fleet on its way in the 630 nautical mile ocean classic down the East Coast of Australia, across Bass Strait to the island State of Tasmania.

It's a perfect summers day in Sydney for the spectacular start, hot and sunny, with every chance of a spinnaker running down from the Starting Line north of Shark Island to the Heads.

This afternoon, a freshening north easterly seabreeze is forecast, giving the fleet a fast spinnaker run, aided by a three knot current, down the East Coast of New South Wales.

Ahead of them, however, is some tough sailing to windward, with a series of south-westerly to southerly fronts sweeping across Bass Strait and up the East Coast of Tasmania over the next few days.

It's been a colourful scene at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia this morning as the 850 crew members packed food and gear aboard the yachts, with the marina packed with families and friends to see them set sail.

Among the celebrity sailors competing this year is Lachlan Murdoch, sailing aboard the Volvo 60, News Corporation, one of five VO 60s racing to Hobart.

In the crew of the 83-footer Wild Thing is Gerard Healy, the well known Melbourne TV and radio sports commentator and former AFL football star.

Prominent Sydney businessmen skippering their own maxi yachts include Neville Crichton with Shockwave and George Snow with Brindabella, along with CYCA Rear Commodore Roger Hickman on SAP Ausmaid, former Royal Yacht Club of Victoria Commodore and wellknown Melbourne orthodonist Bruce Taylor skippering his 35-footer Chutzpah, and current Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Commodore Jim Dunstan skippering his former race winner Zeus II, one of the smallest boats in the fleet.

All yachts in the fleet have fully complied with the strict safety regulations for the race and as they left the dock, skippers expressed their confidence they and their crews could cope with tough headwinds and rough seas.

Each yacht must make a compulsory radio check-in with Telstra Radio on channel 6227 kHz when abeam of Green Cape, just south Eden, advising that the boat and crew are in a satisfactory condition to continue across Bass Strait.

Further information:

Peter Campbell
Media Director - 2000 Telstra Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
0419 385 028
02 9327 1139
sydhobmedia@bigpond.com
sydneytohobart.telstra.com