Rolex Sydney Hobart- Dunking and Plumbing as Fleet presses south

by Crosbie Lorimer on 27 Dec 2010 Ludde Ingvall and the team aboard Yuuzoo have had more than their fair share of drama in the first twelve hours of the Rolex Sydney Hobart with two crew going overboard early yesterday evening as they lowered a furled headsail on the foredeck. Fortunately, both crew were recovered within ten minutes and were apparently none the worse for their adventure.

Barely six hours later the Yuuzoo crew discovered water coming into the boat before finding that the speed log fitting had broken out. The hole has been plugged and the boat is carrying on in full race mode in what Ludde Ingvall described as uncomfortable sea conditions.

'Jazz Player' remains the only boat retired at this juncture although an injured crewman aboard 'She' was taken ashore to Ulladulla early this morning; he was later reported to be fully recovered and heading home.

As the frontrunners moved well into Bass Strait this morning the majority of the fleet was holding a tight line, hugging the NSW coast; with strong southwesterlies in Bass Strait and seas further offshore of NSW kicked up by wind against current, straying much east of the rhumb line before Gabo Island seems best avoided.

Hobart is in classic race form this morning, with bright sun and a strong southwesterly sweeping across the Derwent River, holding temperatures to a brisk 14 degrees.

The threat of snowfall on the top of Mount Wellington, mooted at yesterday's race briefing, has yet to materialise; but backlit clouds are peridocially drifting sheets of rain across the river backdrop.

With forecast overnight temperatures struggling to top 11 degrees until late in the week it seems likely that Hobart will lay on a classic race welcome for the fleet.