The Traditional Hobart
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor 1 Dec 2024 13:00 PST
AFR Midnight Rambler - the Hick 34 in Bass Strait in the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race - probably the best known image of this classic race © Richard Bennett Photography
Interesting. You hear the term a bit, but what does it really mean? One thing is for sure. It is not like we are hearing people saying they are buying up all the full-keelers to go to Hobart at six knots, no matter what direction the breeze is coming from. Comfortable? Yes, most definitely, and if you are into whiling away the hours, then it is absolutely the way to go.
However, if you are a self-confessed adrenaline junkie, and are desperate to be wedged into the windward quarter, so utterly fixated on the SOG jumbo on the base of the stick, calling out firstly, 23 dollars fifty, then 25 dollars, and ultimately 27 dollars fifty as you hurtle down the face of the big blue rollers, then tradition means something else entirely.
Invariably, what the term means is that you get out of Sydney Harbour pretty well, usually tacking and with your Christmas lunch still internal, then round the first of the 're-start' marks, pop the bag for a jaunt down the NSW coast before hunkering down ahead of the inevitable Southerly buster, which you pray you get to see before the lights go out.
Yes. Traditional, and if you did a lot of the races in the 90s you might still be pondering why you even bothered to clip the kite gear up to the rail before you left the quay... If the race is known as the 628nm Windward/Leeward, just exactly what happened to the leeward part?
So, the weather is an integral part of the equation, and there has never been a race where Huey was not the final arbiter when it comes to the matter of the overall winner (amongst other things). You still need to win your division, no matter what, and then the rest is the clock and the breeze.
One thing you can say about the weather, irrespective of where you sit on the spectrum of time immemorial, is that change remains THE cornerstone of the weather in Southeastern Australia over the Christmas period. Beautiful one day. Ferocious the next.
That leaves the boats. In 1975, the mighty and oh-so-glorious Kialoa III set a new record of 2 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, and 56 seconds. She was a 78-foot S&S penned maxi ketch, with a displacement more akin to Bill Barry-Cotter's 100-foot alloy Oyster that is competing in this year's race - roasts and red wine included.
For the record, that's 62 and half hours, with some change. Contrast that now against the Big Red Girl's current record from 2022 of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds. At 33 and a tad hours, Comanche's mark is closer to half than anything else. It was the same year that URM Group replaced Brindabella as the fastest conventionally ballasted record holder, and that previous record had stood for some time. Alas, it goes to show the passage of time, and that is the crucial point here.
It's a new tradition. The vessels literally blast through some of the traditional gate posts like a Ute on a farm helmed by an underage driver who flogged the keys off the hook. And it is not just the big end of town, either. 30-something is enthralling, and the double-handers who dominate this size bracket, and are close to a quarter of the entire fleet BTW, are literally minutes away from taking out the Tattersall Cup. Now if they do that, there is a good case for allowing them to keep it!
So, what have we got for 2024? Well, Summer arrived pretty early to Northern NSW (Spring was effectively bypassed), and the water temp certainly emphasises this. Large, near continental sized systems, and long deep troughs, big enough to take moisture from the Timor Sea all the way to Melbourne have been about as regular as flight services from Darwin to Sydney. Two days can see a marked change, or things become about as stationary as the footings of a skyscraper. Oh. Did someone say precipitation?
In short, you would think that would mean the bigger vessels will get through on the one system, or be the first to cop the change. Alas, not being in possession of working crystal ball means I'll settle for regular viewings out the companionway hatch.
Right. Weather discussed, so that means we're up to boats. Now the village of the TPs is not as well populated as it once might have been. Don't worry, there are still plenty in there that can do more than shake the tree. But. And it is a big but. There are some vessels in what was traditionally known as the pocket maxi division (see what I did there), now known as mini maxis or 60-72 feet that command a wee bit of attention.
Yes, Alive won last year (great job for #2), but the 52s have dominated for some time. Driven hard (read flogged to within an inch of their lives) they are hard to beat. Not what you'd call comfortable, and bouncing off the rev limiter always means you are worried about valve damage, pistons and rods, before catastrophic failure.
Marcus Ashley-Jones drives Anthony Johnston's R/P 72, URM Group, and they just keep getting better and better, with a trophy cabinet to support that. They were second overall last year by about 20 minutes (corrected), so I think you can say they have motivation to go one better.
Asked whether 2024 was the year of the mini maxi, Ashley Jones said, "I very much hope so. We raced Caro (Botin 52) in the Bird Island race two weekends ago, and it's a brilliant boat. They would have to be the hottest offshore IRC boat in the world. They're the benchmark, and I guess everyone bases themselves off of that. However, if we can get our own weather system and get away from them, or we have more upwind time, being a bigger boat we handle the waves better, then we know we'll be able to beat them." N.B. LWL means a lot...
"In moderate air running with a spinnaker, those 52s are dynamite. They weigh barely seven tonnes, and we're almost 12 tonnes heavier, so it takes a lot more for us to get up on the plane and do the fast speeds. Certainly, upwind conditions favour the mini maxi more. The Sydney to Hobart race is like playing poker. You just have to play the hand you've got, and then you don't really get the flop the last card on the table until you're in the Derwent, which is where it is usually decided who wins and who does not."
"Elsewhere, David Griffith and Whisper are very well optimised for IRC, and they sail it oh-so-well. So too for that matter with, Alive, which is more of a downwind craft, and we are more upwind optimised, with great righting moment, in spite of not having water ballast. It would be great to have the conditions go our way."
"Traditionally the Sydney Hobart was an upwind race, but the trouble is these days that you only need 24 hours of Nor'easter and you're almost at Tasman Light after a day. So, the race has changed as well, because the boats are going so much faster. If it starts with a Northerly and turns into a real Southerly, then you know you're probably going to get 20% of the fleet pull out, as a lot of boats these days are all built so lightly, and you get a lot of breakages."
"Equally, the 100-footers cannot go super-fast upwind, for they can smash the boat to pieces. You can't launch off waves at 13 or 14 knots on a supermaxi. You've really got to nurse them through a Southerly, whereas the mini maxis are the right size that you can still push them almost to their maximum speed upwind in a bit of breeze. Plus, it's comfortable and handles it well due to the displacement." (15-20 metric tonnes).
"We'd be happy to feed out of the Harbour on a beautiful summer's day, set the spinnaker and get down the coast with a freshening Nor'easter that swings around to the Nor'west as the front comes through. It's always fun punching through a Southerly buster with the green clouds, the hail and even a cigar cloud rolling straight at you."
"As long as it's got an 'S' in it for the direction, we are certainly happy and well-optimised for it. We would love nothing more than to get out there and put on the heavy air jib, put a reef in and plug away for a day or so. That would be a really nice race for us. So, not too much running, unless it's really heavy air running, then we've got a boat we can push hard, with some extremely talented sailors on board. We'll be strong in those conditions, too."
As for the change arriving not too long after they have turned the first corner, "Exactly, that'd be ideal. Maybe about 1600hrs, before it gets dark. Let everybody know what's coming." As he gets set for his 20th Hobart, Ashley-Jones added, "Back in the nineties and early 2000s, the lead boats' polars were slower than what ours are today. We know our race is anywhere from about sort of 45 hours to maybe 55, depending on the conditions. That was a really fast time going back 20 years. You're just not out there for as long."
The Volvo 70 was, and still is, a true offshore weapon. Sam Haynes has chartered Willow (nee Maserati) for the race as his Hobart winning TP, Celestial, has moved on. The Volvo will be known as Celestial V70, and you'll be able to spot her by virtue of the Willow livery remaining, and also the Assistance Dogs Australia branding on the sails. The latter is a marvellous charity that the tireless Haynes is a Director of.
"We're on the boat training this week and then competing in the Cabbage Tree race with essentially the typical Celestial crew. Some are Volvo 70 specialists, like our Sailing Master and Tactician, Rob Greenhalgh, who has amassed five RTW races. He was also on board Giacomo when it won the Hobart in 2016. Celestial Manager and Team Leader, as well as Watch Captain, Jack Macartney's on board, so too Luke Parkinson, Luke Payne, Harry West, Frank O'Leary, Lewis Brake, Pete Cumming, David Chapman, Liam Wolf on the bow, and Alex Nolan as Navigator (of Black Jack fame)," said Haynes.
"We're hoping for some breeze, and the right angles to help us make the most of the water ballast. It will all come down to the conditions, as it always does. I'd be happy if it was a sort of a downhill run all the way there with a change on the nose at the Tasman Light. So we'll see what happens at the time. Given the calibre of the crew, I am sure they'll make Celestial sing for Assistance Dogs Australia!"
Clearly the crew know what it takes to win, as they have been a tight bunch for years now. As for the boat, well Haynes' stated, "It's in really good shape, all set up for the race, with a good sail plan too. David Burt the Boat Captain is coming with us, as too Ted Hackney the Engineer."
"As for the boat, well it's a bit different to what I'm used to, as it is more user friendly than a TP52 down below. It's got a proper head, nice little galley, and the nav area is designed for long ocean racing, better cots and ample headroom." Always of good spirits, Haynes added, "They say you shouldn't go to Hobart on a boat shorter than your age. So put it this way, I'm over the 52."
Celestial the VO70 will also have Sydney Bulldog Clinic markings to highlight the veterinary clinics that Haynes is also associated with. "Assistance Dogs Australia provide support dogs for people with physical and mental disabilities, that include PTSD, and ADHD," said Haynes. As for next year being the 80th edition, and Haynes could well reprise his role as a sailing Commodore of the race, "Love to, but we'll just have to see how it pans out. I guess I am a bit addicted, and I would hate to experience the fear of missing out."
As for not being in the Village of the TPs, "A TP has to be on the limit to do well. You've got Caro, Centennial 7, and Smuggler, then back in 2022 we also had Gweilo, Patrice, and Warrior Won, with that latter group not going in 2024. You have to push each other the whole way. There's a lot on in that fleet."
"I am really excited to be sailing with our crew once more. For sure it is manual power, which we are used to, but we are just hoping to be able to use the boat's strong suit in vengeance. Jack Macartney is an epic driver. It will be great to witness that in the right conditions."
OK. There it is. There is so much more on the group's websites for you. Simply use the search field, or 'edition' pull-down menu up the top on the right of the masthead to find it all. Please enjoy your yachting, stay safe, and thanks for tuning into Sail-World.com
John Curnow
Sail-World.com AUS Editor