Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Everyone has a story to tell

by Olivia Price on 29 Dec 2016 The trickle of boats finishing the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has now turned into a downpour of yachts with the re-appearance of wind in the Derwent River after a 24 hour halt.

Terra Firma, M3 and Ragamuffin led the charge early this morning, followed by Triton and KLC Bengal 7 once the breeze had well and truly filled in at 10 knots for a nice spinnaker run into the finish line.

Each boat that arrives into Constitution Dock has a story to tell, but the recurring theme was how long each had to sit in no wind for. After the great wind in Storm Bay, the unavoidable parking lot in the Derwent.

Triton didn’t put up a jib at all after turning right out of Sydney Heads on Monday afternoon. An interesting fact for a race that is quite regularly dominated by southerly winds.

“At 6:30pm on Monday night, we were surfing at about 20 knots, and then the clew and tack blew out, so the kite was just out there flapping,” Scott Alle of Triton recalled. He was laughing about how he tried to retrieve what was left of the Number 3 spinnaker with a boat hook.

“It wasn’t a tough race, it was a tiring race.”

KLC Bengal 7’s Japanese crew were enjoying some fresh fruit on the dock after spending hours in the Derwent.

“It was very difficult current, we had to really manage how strong it was in the river,” commented Yutaka Takagi, navigator on KLC Bengal.

“There were three times where we sat in no wind, for at least one hour each. It was such a long time.”

But this has not dampened their enthusiasm for the race: “I always get excited for the start. There isn’t this kind of race back in Japan. Having 90 boats on the start line together, it’s so motivating! We’re always so excited for the race.”