Launceston to Hobart race leader on course for record-breaking time

by Peter Campbell on 28 Dec 2014 2014 Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race - The leading yacht in the National Pies Launceston to Hobart ocean race, The Fork in the Road, could finish the 285 nautical mile course before midnight tonight, smashing the race record.

The fast Bakewell-White 45, skippered by Gary Smith from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in Hobart, has opened up a commanding lead of 20 sea miles from Peter Cretan’s Marten 49, Tilt, from the same club.

To break the race record, The Fork in the Road must cross the finish line off Hobart’s historic Battery Point before 01.31am on Monday morning and the Derwent Sailing Squadron’s Ocean Tracker has given an ETA of 11.26pm tonight.

At 5.30am this morning The Fork in the Road was on a close spinnaker reach, heading inshore towards Maria Island, with the sailing instructions requiring all yachts to sail through The Mercury Passage between the elongated island and Orford on the Tasmanian East Coast.

Tilt, which was south-east of Bicheno, headed a tight group of yachts close inshore, with the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club entrant Lawless, skippered by Stephen McElwee, bringing up the tailend of the 24 boat fleet, abeam of St Patrick’s Head.

Although the winds have eased overnight, the fleet continues to maintain good boat speed as the yachts run south under spinnaker towards Maria Island.

The breeze is expected to again freshen to more than 20 knots during the day as the yachts continue south towards Tasman Island and Storm Bay, where the smaller boats may encounter headwinds and lumpy seas.