The Whitsundays, the home of the old Hobart boats

by Ian Grant on 24 Dec 2002 Memories of past Sydney Hobart races will almost certainly be discussed in the relaxed atmosphere around Airlie Beach today.

Names like Ragamuffin, Freight Train, Hammer Of Queensland, Apollo, Condor, and The Card now household names with day sailing tourists in the Whitsunday Islands have featured in Hobart Race history.

The graceful maxi’s and the smaller pocket maxi chasers share the limelight from their log books with the smaller Hobart race yachts of yesteryear like Struen Marie and Deception that now call the warm sailing port of Airlie Beach home.

A lot of sailing miles has flowed under the keel of Struen Marie over the past 51 years since her win in the 1951 Sydney Hobart.

Remarkably Struen Marie completed her win in the seventh Hobart race with a sensationally fast elapsed time of 4 days 3 hours 38 minutes 35 seconds while her corrected handicap course time of 2 days 19 hours 48 minutes 26 seconds ranks among the best in race history.

Only four yachts Solo 2-12-45-14 in 1962, Ceil 111 2-17-28-28 1973, Rampage 2-13-16-56 1975, and Scallywag 2-19-19-16 in 1982 recorded faster wins in the first 38 races.

Hobart race history will sail into a new time zone this year with Neville Crichton’s Hahn
Premium Hamilton Island Race Week champion Shockwave now racing as Team Alfa making a big to have her name posted with the great line honours champions like Ragamuffin (the former Bumblebee IV), Apollo and Condor.

There is always a history of uncertainty in the Hobart race contested over perhaps the most demanding yacht racecourse in the World of ocean racing.

It’s noted for presenting the crews with a number of tests including a high load of sail changes required to manage winds that can vary between zephyrs to rig and sail destroying 60 knot ‘Southerly Busters’.

These weather fronts are never pleasant and while the Team Alfa aboard Shockwave are the pre race line honours favourites they too like all other line honours champions in the previous 57 races to Hobart will have to respect the combination of wind and wave on the notorious stretch of water between Sydney Heads and The Iron Pot in the River Derwent to win the 2002 Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race.