Buffalo Girls at the front of Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 26 Dec 2019 14:56 PST
Scallywag - 2019 RSHYR © Mitch Pearson / Surf Sail Kite
Before the 2019 event, the team from SHK Scallywag felt that they now had the machine in good overall condition, and were likely to be the best all round performer. On top of that, the forecast also bode well for them having them having the sorts of conditions that may suit them. The proof would be just before dawn of the second day when they took the lead, albeit with just a couple of nautical miles as a buffer.
Now, as breakfast rolls into brunch, the thinking is that the Buffalo Girls have come right around the outside and in the back. Yes, the Nor’easter has arrived early in day, and the proof would be in Wild Oats XI (in eight place presently) making over 20 knots, whilst most of the rest are doing half of that, and Comanche on their mung bean flyer are making just 10% of that SOG. All of the leaders are heading SSW.. As the morning progressed, Scallywag prevailed and Comanche suffered even more, with Black Jack climbing into second place, and InfoTrack went in behind her.
Could it be that the transition needed to be longer for Scallywag. Given they are doing 4:1 over Comanche at the moment, will they extend the 2.5nm buffer? For the moment, the choice to take the middle ground, with the skinny boats on the inside, and the aircraft carrier to sea has paid off with Scallywag able to maximise their opportunity.
Something must have occurred on board yesterday afternoon, for they had planned to be inside before setting off, but as they barrelled down the NSW coast they instead chose to heat it up and head out. It paid with them overtaking the rest and holding second as the hard hours gave way to the dog watch. There is every chance that Every chance that ‘SH’ (Seng Huang Lee) will be elated, and jumping out of his skin, for he was very excited before the race. Hope he and his crew have rested up for there is a long way to go, and the game has only really begun…
In terms of the overall position, I could not help but see the really well built and campaigned even better Enchantress from South Australia sitting in second, but then look at the Quest now in fourth (and a two-time former winner). Are the 'quicks' going to return to favour as the day rolls on and pace becomes the key? Presently, Offshore powerboat racing legend and founder of Maritimo, Bill Barry-Cotter, has Katwinchar that they restored over two years at the company's Hope Island facility, in first place. His brother Kendall is skippering, and they also have Michael Spies on board for even more experience... By midday the 'quicks' had indeed seized the day with TPs occupying the top seven positions overall, and then 60s and 70s rounded it out even further - chess anyone?