Rolex Sydney to Hobart 2010 - Heavy Weather Race

by Rob Kothe & the Sail-World Team on 22 Dec 2010 As the 2010 Hobart start creeps closer the weather models have still not converged. There might be or might not be a spinnaker start for the 89 boat fleet in the 66th annual Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race. At least two models agree there will be a building southerly on Sunday afternoon. with very solid Bass Strait weather on Monday.


After some soft years, the weather is likely set to return to ‘normal’ - in the 65 years there has been an average of one and a half southerly fronts for the race fleet to deal with.

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1997 was a moderate two front race and we know about 1998.

1999 was glamour for the front of the fleet; Stefan Myralf and Michael Spies were dockside in Hobart, drinking Tassie beer aboard the Volvo 60 Nokia less than 44 hours after the start, having had a breath-taking down hill run.

That year whether it was an was an easy or tough race depends on where you were, and of course that is often the case.

Geoff Ross' Farr 49 Yendys, the eventual handicap winner was in Storm Bay when the 50 knot southerly hit and powered up the Derwent, while the light displacement 40 footers, led by Warren Wieckmann's Farr 40 Leroy Brown were flying south 30 miles from Tasman Light and what would have been two hours sailing to the corner, became four.

But pity the back of the fleet as it was was pasted with two fronts. Many of those sailors say for them it was a tougher race than 1998.

2001, the year the Volvo 60 Assa Abloy won in two days, 21 hrs was a pretty tough race and there are plenty of sailors who remember the heavy Bass Strait conditions in 2004, the year the Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing lost her keel, Konica Minolta was mortally wounded and Ludde Ingvall’s 90 footer Nicorette (this year again racing as Yuuzoo)was last man standing.

Since then relatively light conditions have greeted the southbound fleet but that does not look likely to continue.

As Grant Wharington said yesterday 'We are overdue for another flogging.'

Yesterday morning the weather model was suggesting strong to gale force 30-40 knot winds in Bass Strait on Monday, possibly with gusts to 50 knots followed by a similar blow off the Tasmanian coast on Wednesday, but last night’s run had moderated that second forecast system.

Either way it seems 2010 is shaping as a classical Hobart race and for the tailgunners who will spend more quality time on the water there could be two serious fronts with they have to deal with.

Around 200,000 sailors will be following the Sydney Hobart race via Sail-World.com. This year we are sending out a total of 20 Sail-World Rolex Sydney Hobart newsletters to 100,000 (yes 100,000) readers around the world.

With rapid advances in technology, Sail-World's coverage will be better than ever with boats delivering news and images by satellite and Next G phones, with images and text on Skype and with HF email. For us the race will not be over until the last boat makes it way into Consitution Dock and we look forward to sharing that journey with our readers around the Click here to read Sail-World Boat Notes