Huey’s plans for Storm Bay and the Derwent tonight

by The Sail-World Team on 28 Dec 2002 Many of the 57 Sydney to Hobart races have been won or lost in the last 25 miles.

On an average summer afternoon the seabreeze funnels from the southeast through Storm Bay, so yachts that turn Tasman Light at 3pm can like Alfa Romeo and Grundig have a glamour ride.

But as the evening wears on the breeze can drop to a zephyr on the Derwent.

The Hobart weather bureau this afternoon predicted winds on the river would drop from todays exhilarating 20+ to 5 to 10. There was even some mumbling about the dreaded ‘light and variable’ which is code for a glass-out.

In 5 hours time, at the 3am sked, we will see just what Huey had planned as a an arrival greeting for its overnight guests. Right now sailors are reporting that is ‘wery wery quiet’

Australian Skandia Wild Thing and Nicorette are creeping softly towards the finish line. The favourable turn of the tide which will start running inwards around 11pm should ensure they see the lights of Hobart by then.

The two Volvo 60’s Merit-Navigator and Magnavox 2UE surfed down from the Freycinet but now they are inside Tasman Light. There was a moment of fun when both boats reported within seconds of each other at 21:09 both giving twenty past mid-night as their finishing time however Huey seems likely to scowl rather than smile.

As is the way with the Hobart race, podium places are now more likely to be lost tonight than won. They know that the smaller boats will reach up the river in strong conditions in the morning. The only hope for these luckless boats and for Ichi Ban, Hollywood Boulevard, Fitness First Sting and Quest tonight, is they have enough rum to pour into the pond in the hope of inducing even a sigh, which allow them to ghost across the line.

Sail-World will be publishing the 3am sked as soon as possible but that is not likely to be much before 4:30am

www.sail-world.com/sydneytohobart2002