Sydney Hobart – Breeze found. Finish Imminent
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 27 Dec 2022 05:35 PST
andoo Comanche about too finish the 2022 Sydney to Hobart race © Clayton Reading
All hail the River Derwent - she smiles, and lets andoo Comanche clip up to the finish
Well, we have said change is the cornerstone of weather at this time of year. Nor'Wester brings her in, and with some pace too - 11 knots type level.
Interestingly, a warm breeze, on the nose too, is rare like a good steak. Wow
Finish time was 00:56:48, so just under 36 hours elapsed, and about three hours adrift of her own record. Well done to the Winning family and company, as well as her entire crew.
LawConnect finished second at 01:23:19 on 28 Dec 2022, with an elapsed time of 36h, 23m 19s.
Of course, talk will now switch to the overall winner, and one of the newer squaws will get this, and it will be a real battle, with only a few miles separating them. Notwithstanding the wind discussion, the winner should cross at something like 0700 to 0900 local. The interesting one to watch is Bruce Taylor's Chutzpah, which has climbed back up into fifth as we speak. As more time elapses for the others, this is the boat that will benefit the most, but the downside is she has more time at sea to be at the mercy of the changing winds.