S2H, VOR salvage report, Cupnews—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 23 Dec 2014 As sailors, the holidays take on a special meaning. Sure, we love spending time with our family and friends around a warm hearth, exchanging gifts and merriment, but for us, one of the real gifts of the yuletide season begins in Sydney, Australia, when the starting guns for the annual Sydney to Hobart Race (S2H) sound, signaling the start of one of the world’s greatest bluewater racing contests. Then, of course, the real trick involves scoring regular updates and quietly cheering for your favorite teams, without tipping off your family that you’re no longer focused on (or even remotely interested in) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or (another) Bing Crosby Christmas song.

Provided that you can master these subterfuge skills, this year’s S2H promises some of the most intense spectator sailing that we’ve seen since the 34th America’s Cup, with multiple boats capable of line honors, if not a new course record. And while Bob Oatley’s 'Wild Oats XI' will be attempting to defend her impressive record, newcomers such as Jim Clark’s brand-new, 100-foot 'Comanche', which is being skippered by Ken Read and crewed by a team of Volvo Ocean Race veterns, and Manouch Moshayedi’s newly rebuilt, fix-keeled 'Rio 100', not to mention a cadre of Australian- and Kiwi-flagged canting-keel contenders, stand ready to try and lift the trophy.

According to the latest forecasts, the fleet could see a big breeze for their first night or so at sea, a prospect that is being absorbed by the sailors, many of whom well-remember the disastrous 1998 S2H race, where six lives were tragically lost and five yachts were sunk.

'It’s never fun smashing your way upwind in this race, particularly in a big yacht,' said Mark Richards, the skipper of 'Wild Oats XI', about the forecast for the 628 nautical mile race. 'It’s going to be really challenging for the first 12 hours or so; the result could well be decided by who keeps their boat in one piece and doesn’t make mistakes. It’s going to be about going fast, but not so fast that you damage your boat.'

As for the rest of the course, Richards is looking forward to a proper challenge. 'I don’t expect this year’s race to be easy for anyone,' said Richards. 'Once we get through the first twelve to 18 hours we will then have to contend with very tricky light winds on approach to Bass Strait, and possibly off the coast of Tasmania. There will also be some good reaching conditions, and that will certainly suit 'Comanche' and '[Perpetual] Loyal'. It’s safe to say we are going to have to be right on our game all the way this year.'

Get the full S2H pre-race report, inside this issue, and stay tuned to the website for the world’s best coverage of this classic race (just don’t get busted by your significant other, as it’s never fun to hear the 'Grinch' word batted in your general direction…even if you were just caught red-handed getting position reports at 0200 hours), once the adventure begins in Sydney Harbor on Boxing Day (December 26).

Speaking of offshore adventures, word has hit the dock that Team Vestas Wind has managed to pull their stricken Volvo Ocean 65 from the Cargados Carajos Shoals, which are situated some 200 nautical miles northeast of Mauritius. While the team has publicly stated that the boat will not sail again, the plan is to try to re-use as many pieces of equipment as possible, and to of course remove the composite structure from the ecologically fragile reef ecosystem. As of this writing, the remains of the VO65 have been loaded onto a MAERSK cargo ship.

'We were able to get the boat across the lagoon this morning on the high tides, and it went well enough that we could pull it straight out of the lagoon,' said Neil Cox, Team Vestas Wind’s shore manager. 'Then, we were able to bring a Maersk ship in, not even a mile away from where we were – it showed up at about 2pm this afternoon.'

Get the full report, including the stunning images of the carcass of Team Vestas Wind’s once speedy VO65, inside this issue, and stay tuned for the latest news from the Danish-flagged team as they attempt to rejoin the race.

Also inside, get the latest news from the America’s Cup, the upcoming Moth Worlds and the RORC’s Transatlantic Race.

And finally, be sure to spend some time scrolling through Team Vestas Wind’s image galley of the amazing removal job that Cox and the boys pulled off in order to free their VO65 from the bricks, while also ensuring that they left nothing behind, aside footprints in the sand.

May the four winds blow you safely home,