Sydney Hobart – Has Hicko won or is result knocked into a Cocked Hat?

by Rob Kothe on 30 Dec 2014

Roger Hickman's Wild Rose (AUS) sailing towards Hobart - Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2014. Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net

Rolex Sydney Hobart 2014 - Right now however the Tattersalls Cup Overall IRC handicap stakes, the Club House leader is Roger Hickman, who has sailed Wild Rose, the Farr 43 the very first Wild Oats to what seems like an impressive result.

On corrected time Hicko, sailing in his 37T Hobart, beat Bruce Taylors’ Chutzpah and Ron Forster and Phil Damp’s Ariel.

The conditions suited the Prince of Darkness, the Tasmanian Devil to a T, a boat breaking upwind and then a terrifying downwind. As always Hicko showed no fear.

Roger Hickman © Crosbie Lorimer http://www.crosbielorimer.com

This writer well remembers the 40 foot battle in the 1999 Hobart when we on Sword of Orion II, the Sydney 40, followed Hicko on Atari, the Lyons 43, (who we had nicely on time), down past Maria Island, neither of us willing to take down our spinnakers when it was gusting to 40 knots. We battled long and hard with Hicko season after season being careful never to look into his eyes and we loved his spirit, his competitive drive, his seamanship and his humour.

So we hope Hicko is crowned the Sydney Hobart 2014 Tattersall’s winner, but it’s not all over yet, Sean Longman and his stoic Maluka crew, the smallest boat in the fleet , are still in with a chance, but even then then we may still not now who won.

With almost of the fleet now in Constitution Dock in a rollicking Hobart town, in any normal year the winner of the Tattersall’s Cup, the handicap winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart would be pretty much done and dusted.

But not in 2014, last night at 1815, the crew of Mistraal saw a single engine Cessna 172, a chartered photo plane east of Cape Raoul, doing what they always do, photographing the fleet.

At the time wind conditions were extremely gusty with winds between 25 and 50 knots aloft.

To their horror the Mistraal crew saw the Cessna ditch and they immediately called a MAYDAY and give positions to race control who were quick to alert Police.

Some nine racing yachts were in the area, including Love and War one of the leading handicap contenders, as well as Mistraal, searched fruitless for the pilot and photographer from the plane, which its seems sank quickly, leaving just an oil slick. The identity of the pilot and photographer are being withheld until family are notified.

Which boats stood by and for how long, could be a matter for an International Jury re-dress hearing, until that august body has made a determination, the results for the IRC, ORCi and PHS classes will be unclear.

We will publish a full interview with Hicko later this morning.