Sydney Hobart Race – the 628nm Windward/Leeward (Pt I)

by John Curnow on 28 Nov 2015 First and foremost, it is nothing like 628 nautical miles. You’d be happy if your overall track was in the low 700s, but none the less, the windward/leeward part is true enough. Whilst the Sydney Hobart Race may look like a passage race from A to B, invariably it almost takes the guise of a laid course. If you’re having a particularly bad time of it, the kite gear may even stay clipped to the rail for the whole journey and never be used in anger! Hhhmmmmm - is that Muttley’s rueful musings one can hear right now?



The Sydney Hobart Race is completed in four parts. There is the race to the turning mark off South Head, where it begins again (just a paltry four minutes later if you’re on Comanche), then you smash your way South to Tasman Island, where the reset button gets hit once more. After enduring the relatively short ‘hop’ across Storm Bay you face yet another start and it is there that you pray it is the one and only time you will go past the Iron Pot in this race. If you got there in daylight, you are half a chance. Night-time is lap of the Gods territory.

At any of those points you could be kite up, kite down, two-sailing, scrambling for storm gear, or locating the drifter/setting the Code Zero. And let’s pray you are not looking for the drone to deploy, which is not a cute radio control aero toy, by the way...

Yes, it is a race that has the lot, often serves every piece of it up and always frustrates and delights the attendees to oscillating levels of amplitude. Going to Hobart’s Customs House Hotel is often a good way to assess the feeling. In the old days, the Foredeck Union would be inhaling jugs of Bundaberg rum and Coke 24/7 until the subscriptions ran out. 90+ jugs lined up in front of them was the norm – that’s the delight! Now if it was not such a good year, have wads of cash at the ready whilst you mingle, for you could be able to get near-new gear at like 10 cents in the dollar or less – that’s the frustration!!!

Of Counts and Pups
So there’s a big, black and imposing behemoth out there that could well be Batman’s supermaxi monohull, should he need one (“and yes Mr Wayne, it does come in black”). It is, of course, the Juan Kouyoumdjian penned, Perpetual Loyal. Now a bit like the caped crusader himself, whilst out there duking it with only the best adversaries, Perpetual Loyal is intently looking after those in need and who may not necessarily have the clout to do it for themselves.



Anthony Bell started the Loyal Foundation aspect back in 2009 and commented, “If you talk about being delighted, then we are stoked, for the frequency of our support has only grown from back when it was all new and hot. We are very appreciative of everyone’s generosity throughout the year. The boat is our shop front, our awareness tool. As we run into AU$5m worth of medical equipment that we have been able to place at facilities right throughout Australia, then the Loyal Foundation has not only been successful for all those hospitals and medical centres, it’s the donors who can take a lot of pride in their efforts, too. Cheers to them.”

“We’ve already had our lunch to launch the year, as well as our Ladies’ luncheon and the time for the gala is upon us as well. Our focus this year has been the outreach facilities in country areas, with places like Port Macquarie and Mackay coming to mind. The requests keep coming in, and happily we have been able to match a lot of it. So far in 2015 the Loyal Foundation has placed 50 pieces of equipment, ranging in value from $2,500 to $35,000 each.” So at this juncture, it is important to note that the Loyal Foundation is a 100-cents-in-the-dollar to the cause charity, which is just terrific.

As for the ‘Batboat’ itself, once again North Sails’ Michael Coxon will be looking after everyone on board as Sailing Master on his 31st ‘jaunt’ South. In the crew this year are cricket demi-God, Michael ‘Pup’ Clarke, Rugby League superstar, Anthony ‘The Count’ Minichiello, and Rugby League Footy Show star, Erin Molan. There are even some more notables to be announced soon. It is great to see that Wallabies’ (Australian Rugby Union) legend, Phil Waugh, is back again and it means he has done every race since the concept began, so cheers to him for continuously stepping up.

Over time, some of the famous names to be featured are boxer Danny Green, surfer Sally Fitzgibbons, swimmer Goeff Huegill, chef Guillaume Brahimi, TV host Larry Emdur, and Australian Rules footballer Jude Bolton. Sailors Tom Slingsby and Jessica Watson have also had their run on the ‘Batboat’.

Nip, tuck and anything else!
Last year, it was the biggest spinnaker in the race, at some 1100m2. As for this year, Bell added, “Like everyone, we are chasing boat speed and have changed keel around. It is a bit unconventional, but after the win in the Sydney Gold Coast race a lot of the crew who have been with us the whole way have said it is as fast as we’ve ever gone!”

“So dial me in some solid reaching and we’ll be even happier. Sit back and watch the smiles come out. Our plan is to very much to be up in the pointy end of it all. We’re not coming along for a delivery - we’re fully pumped and ready to race.” Remember here that Loyal, along with Alfa Romeo II, are the only ones to have knocked off Wild Oats XI since she hit the water in 2005… And yes, back in 2011, Bell did have a different maxi, but note that both Waughy and The Count were on board for that run.

“Donations over $5 are fully tax deductible and we really appreciate everyone’s help throughout the year. It is something we savour. Please see loyalfoundation.com.au to help out”, said Bell in closing.

For the sake of reference, when they won, Bell’s vessel was Investec Loyal. She was originally Maximus, and just like Wild Oats XI, she hit the water in 2005. Her rotating rig was the feature of the time. Also similar to the all-conquering and magnificently prepared silver dart, she’s had plenty of modifications along the way, with Greg Elliott doing her first round when she became Investec Loyal. After life as Investec Loyal, the boat became Ragamuffin 100 and she now has a new hull, which was just in time for last year’s Sydney Hobart Race. This year she has shown devastating pace in the recent Hong Kong Vietnam Race and set a new record in the process.

Perpetual Loyal started life in 2008 as, Speedboat, and as long as it was off the breeze, this boat flew. Juan K had well and truly learned a lot from the devastatingly quick Volvo Ocean 70s! Her stupendous 145-foot, five-spreader, Cathedral, high modulus and deck stepped rig was one of the big note items. Halyard locks that could take 20 metric tonnes were another. Southern Spars’ Steve Wilson, who was the rig designer for the project, said at the time, “The decision to go with a deck-stepped rig was based on structural reasons. It’s also easier to pass the loads through a bulkhead rather than through a mast and it means no water comes down into the cabin.”

After life as Speedboat, she became George David’s, Rambler 100 and would be best known for the 2011 Fastnet Race where she sheared and dropped her 13-tonne fin and bulb, resulting in a full capsize. She was subsequently acquired and re-built by Bell and is once again showing pace, tasting success and making a difference to so many medical centres and patients around the country. Nice work everyone…

Short, but quick.
George David’s latest, Rambler 88, hit the waters in 2015. The ‘pocket’ super maxi hands away 12 feet to the others, and being new means they are still on a learning curve with her. Despite that, she has consistently been all over the heels of the ‘full-sized’ super maxis, such as in this year’s Trans-Atlantic, so the phrase ‘Look out’ comes to mind.

After the RORC Caribbean 600, David said, “Rambler 88 was ahead of the monohull race record for some time. She is probably faster on every point of sail than the Rambler 100, is an exciting boat to race, powerful and really wet on deck. We have moved a step closer to harnessing that power.”

So there you have it. On Boxing Day only the weather patterns will know which division has been tapped on the shoulder to take out the Tattersall’s Cup this year, and even then there is likely to be a lot of consternation for a couple of days.

Sailors will have to work all of that out for themselves. Spectators have a much easier set of choices. Get out on the water and see it live, tune in here at Sail-World for all the goings on, watch the TV or listen to ABC Grandstand during the lunch break as the Aussies take on the Windies in true, red ball cricket. These days, in age of the Internet, all of those options still work, even if you’re way, way, way further afield than the pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground!