Final fleet of 76 yachts for 57th CYCA Sydney to Hobart race.

by Peter Campbell on 7 Dec 2001 The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has received 76 final entries for the 57th CYCA Sydney Hobart Race, with six yachts electing not to race after earlier lodging an application to enter the bluewater classic.

One of these, the 32.3m cruising super yacht, Eclipse, will sail south with the fleet but as the Radio Relay Vessel.

The other boats which notified the CYCA today that they now would not be racing are Kontrol (Vic), Cruise Control (Qld), Grasshopper (NSW), SeaFM (Qld) and an un-named yacht nominated by a NSW owner.

Commodore Hans Sommer said today the drop-out between applications to enter the race and final entries was quite normal and had not effected the high quality of the racing fleet which included international Volvo Ocean Race entries from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Bermuda and Italy, individual overseas entries from Poland, USA, New Zealand and Sweden, as well as boats from all Australian States except Western Australia.

'It is a fleet of exceptional quality that will provide a spectacular start from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, 26 December, and maintain intense ocean racing competition until the first and last boats finish on the River Derwent between two and six days later,' Commodore Sommer said.

Many Sydney Hobart Race entrants will contest the Southern Cross Cup/British Trophy offshore regatta starting next Wednesday, 12 December, while bigger boats in the fleet will be invited to contest the Canon Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour on Friday, 14 December.


Further information: Peter Campbell, 57th CYCA Sydney Hobart Race Media Information Centre, Ph: 02 9327 5167 or 9327 2461