Sydney Hobart – Fritz not Fried.
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 27 Dec 2021 21:27 AEDT
April 01, 11th Hour Racing Team goes offshore for some overnight training and testing through the Bay of Biscay between France and Spain © Amory Ross
As it goes dark on the Eastern Seaboard of Australia, no matter whether you’re running to AEST, or AEDT, it is dinner and dessert time. 29 vessels have retired from the 88 boat fleet, and hopefully that attrition will now cease, as the moments of horror give way to the long periods of boredom that form the two components in the definition of ocean racing.
We have talked a lot about the punishment on gear in addition to the craft and her POBs, like the piece entitled, Where is Law Connect? Seems Hobart Race Control is all too aware of the Fritz, and is asking for regular text positions from the following craft. Celestial, Supernova, Fruit Salad, Smuggler, and yes, you guessed it, Law Connect. Their trackers might not be totally fried, but definitely on the fritz, and any good shepherd must know where all their sheep are. After all we’re herding ovine here, not felines, so hopefully it is just a tad easier.
Obviously the next element of that is ensuring they have all the declarations to come tonight, as only around a dozen have gone through the gate at Green Cape at the time of writing. Included in that lot are the incredible sailors aboard Chutzpah, which is not a vessel you would have thought to have smacked into so well for so long, but is a true sign of their skill and experience. BTW, it is quite likely that every crewmember is now at or over 25 Hobarts, and yes they are counting...
The Decent of the Blancmange
Seeing as we kind of have a food bent going on here, one could not help thinking that the weather system about to dominate the State of Tasmania, and her surrounding waters, looked somewhat like a kind of meteorological blancmange. Going to have a fairly similar effect as the dessert in terms of smothering, being sweet, but not really all that good for you, and if you have too much, then a food coma awaits you.
We hinted at it in I’ll tell you who’s won, and probably laid it on some more in Dog’s Day Afternoon, but the upshot of it all is that after the beating from a terribly confused sea state, the overwhelming tranquillity was to take over. Handy if you’re at some sort of expensive retreat, but not so flash when you’re trying to cover off 628NM.
The large, and dominant high will make progress about as scintillating as Test Cricket, should you not be a fan of the red ball game. Jobs in high demand will be the navigator, the tactician, trimmers, and chef. Think about it. Someone has to put stuff in the crews’ mouths so they can’t spout forth with gems of never heard before clarity, and where possible, remember the five-minute rule on sail changes.
To all tonight, very good luck, and may you get to Tasmania swiftly, and find every zephyr and even waft to guide you into Hobart Town.
Stay safe, thanks for tuning into Sail-World.com, and all the best for 2022.