In This Issue:
Sydney to Hobart Race
Around Alone Report
Featured Brokerage- 1990 C&C 37+
1998 Sydney to Hobart Race
As of Wednesday morning 19 boats
have finished the Sydney to Hobart race.
27 boats remain on the course. Likely to
be the handicap winner will be AFR Midnight
Rambler a 35 foot Robert Hicks design.
AFR skipper Ed Psaltis has completed
15 Sydney to Hobarts. Although Ed has
only had AFR for 4 weeks he was prepared
enough. He said that much of his victory
can be attributed to lessons learned from
researching the 1979 Fastnet. AFR used
tactics such as: "I then remembered reading
that the only way to take on waves of that
size was to take them on at a 60-70 degree
angle rather that pulling away, risking
being swamped and rolled by them".
Unfortunately the 54th annual Sydney
to Hobart yacht race has joined the 1979
Fastnet as one of the most publicized
yacht races ever. As with the Fastnet,
storms, tragedy and death are the reason
for the notoriety.
The race was first sailed in 1945.
Intentions were to establish a challenging
offshore race like the Fastnet, for
Southern Hemisphere sailors. The race
takes boats from Sydney on Australia's
east coast to Hobart on the south coast of
Tasmania, a distance of 630 miles. Typically
the race takes 3 or so days, comparable to a
Newport to Bermuda race. Tasmania is an
island located off of Australia. Yachts sail
in the Tasman Sea and cross the Bass Strait
between Australia and Tasmania.
The 1998 edition started on Saturday
December 26th. The race start in Sydney Harbour
saw a benign 12 knot breeze. 115 boats started.
At the races start, a gale warning was posted.
Saturday afternoon saw the gale warning
upgrade to a "priority storm warning." 45 to
55 knot winds were expected by Sunday.
By Sunday morning winds were 25 to 35
knots from the southwest with short steep seas.
At this point six boats were out of the race
including: ABN AMRO Challenge a Sydney 46
which was taking on water, Sydney and
Sledgehammer a new Sydney 40 with rudder
problems, and Wild Thing a 70 Footer with
rig damage.
As the fleet leaders neared the Bass
Strait on Sunday weather forecasts called
for: "predicting that the west to south
westerly winds will reach 40 to 50 knots
this afternoon as the low deepens."
Sunday afternoon reports from around the
fleet indicated that the weather was all
that was forecast and more. The leading
maxis had 45 to 50 knots. From back in
the fleet the yacht Doctel Rager reported
50 to 60 knots steady with gusts of 60 and
70 knots.
Late Sunday afternoon saw the yacht
VC Offshore Stand Aside abandoned. The
crew was rescued via helicopter with injuries
to 3 crew reported. This meant that 22 of
the 115 boats had dropped out. Sword of Orion
reported the following that, "she was sailing
in westerlies of 50 to 65 knots with gusts
to 70 knots."
1930 Sunday night came news that the
yacht Winston Churchill was in danger and
taking on water. Also at this time authorities
received word that Sword Of Orion had been
rolled and had lost a crewmember. Conditions
in the area were winds of 50 to 60 knots and
6 meter high seas. At this point 36 vessels
had dropped out. On a positive note, American
sailor John Campbell was rescued after being
washed overboard from his boat Kingura. Campbell
was able to survive 40 minutes in the water.
0100 Monday morning saw a major ramp up
in rescue operations with 3 Australian navy
helicopters involved. At 0500 fixed wing
aircraft joined in search and rescue.
Early Monday rescuers were focused on
two boats, Sword of Orion and Winston Churchill.
At the front of the fleet Sayonara was on pace
to break the race elapsed time record by 9 hours.
The total of drop outs was now 53.
At 1030 Monday morning it was confirmed
that Sword of Orion crewmember Glyn Charles of
Britain had been lost overboard. It was also
announced that the yacht Business Post Naiad
has two crew unaccounted for.
Soon it was confirmed that Business
Post Naiad two missing crewmembers were dead.
Authorities believe that the owner/skipper
Bruce Guy suffered a heart attack when the
yacht was rolled in heavy seas, and that
crewmember Phil Skeggs drowned in his safety
harness.
Meanwhile the search for the 55 foot
cutter Winston Churchill and her crew went on.
The 9 person crew abandoned the yacht. They
took to the angry sea in 2 liferafts. Six of
the 9 crew were found in liferafts and rescued
via helicopter. Survivors say that the missing
crew were washed out of the liferaft soon
after they abandoned ship.
At this point, late Monday night,
conditions were: easing overnight, although
smaller yachts in the fleet were still
encountering rough seas and fresh winds in
Bass Strait.
Tuesday saw the Maxi Sayonara finish
and take line honors. Searches were still
underway in increasingly clear conditions.
There was no joy in it for the crew of
Sayonara. Owner Larry Ellison said: "We were
not concerned about the race record, we
were more concerned for the smaller boats
that were following us across Bass Strait."
Skipper Chris Dickson said: "We found it
tough but a lot of others would have found
it tougher." Dickson also stated: "Being
here first is nice, but being here at all
is a big thing."
Second over the line was Brindabella
whose owner George Snow described his
experience: "In the worst conditions we
were under storm mainsail and trisail and
were doing 18 knots down some waves. "
So, the end result of this years
Sydney to Hobart is: 4 sailors dead.
They are: Bruce Guy and Phil Skeggs of
Business Post Naiad, and Jim Lawler and
Michael Banister of Winston Churchill.
Still, missing and presumed dead are:
Glyn Charles of Sword of Orion, and
John Dean of Winston Churchill. In the
previous 54 races, there were only 2
deaths. In comparison 17 died in the
1979 Fastnet. Further statistics: Of
the 115 yachts that started 70 withdrew
and six boats sank or were abandoned.
In the aftermath the Cruising Club
of Australia will conduct a review to see
if changes are needed. Inquiries will
focus on how much was known about the
conditions before the race. However,
Mr Richard Winning, the owner and skipper
of the stricken yacht Winston Churchill,
said yesterday: "I think we were given
adequate information, yes. Once the voyage
started there were weather reports that
indicated it would be difficult, that
these conditions would prevail."
Noted British yachtsman Robin Knox
Johnston said about the race, "If
occasionally tragedies occur, it is because
sport is all about pushing oneself to the
limits, and we can never discover where
these margins lie unless we strive in the
toughest competition. This always involves
risk." Further Johnston says, "If we
start to ban difficult races, or cancel
them at the whiff of a bad weather forecast,
we are not just encouraging a lowering in
standards, we are ensuring that the
quality of seamanship will fall."
Out of this tragedy one expects
that lessons can be learned and that the
practice of seamanship can be furthered
to help in prevention of future losses.
For more information please see:
http://syd-hob.telstra.com.au/news/index.cfm
Featured Brokerage- 1990 C&C
37+
This boat is an outstanding example
of a well kept and competitive true dual
purpose racer/cruiser. Deco Dance's
specifications read as follows. Deco Dance
is 39 feet long, and has a 12 foot 7 inch
beam and a 7 foot 10 inch draft. 7200
pounds of ballast in this keel provide
the ballast.
One of Deco Dance's most outstanding
features is a very strong sail inventory.
Deco Dance has 7 1996 & 1997 sails made by
UK Sailmakers of Chicago. Included in these
sails are: Main, light and heavy # 1 and
.6 and .9 ounce polyester spinnakers.
The interior is well finished including
a teak and holly cabin sole. Although not
installed an air conditioner is available
to add to the comfort level.
Contact the Torresen Marine Sales
Department to talk about this fine yacht.
To see Deco Dance and learn more see:
http://www.torresen.com/brokerage/cc37.htm
Around Alone Report December
30
Around Alone is the longest race on
earth for an individual. The 15 boat fleet
started in September in Charleston and
finished leg 1 in Cape Town South Africa. Now
they are sailing to Auckland New Zealand on Leg
2. Leg 2 started Saturday December 5.
Fila still leads, and looks as though the
leg 2 victory will be hers. ETA in Auckland
will be tomorrow. Current projections show
Fila almost 24 hours ahead of Group 4, which
will cut the Fila to Group 4 overall deficit
by 1/3rd.
According to Giovanni Soldini on Fila
this is what he has to look forward to:
"We are getting nearer to land and the
forecasts are for lighter winds and even
calms over the next few days. Then, after
Cape North, we'll make our descent to
Auckland. That is looking like it's going
to be very difficult".
Group 4 is hanging onto 2nd, 238 miles
back. Somewhere is now 3rd 382 miles back.
5th is Gartmore 914 miles out of 1st.
6th in Class I is Modern University for the
Humanities.
Cray Valley is the Class II leader,
at this point by 480 miles over Magellan.
Magellan is sailing at 5.9 knots, much less
than Cray Valley's 9.5 knots and will likely
fall back further.
Wind of Change is 4th, 1144 miles
from the lead. 5th is now Shuten Dojhi II.
7th is Paladin 2, sailing along at
6.8 knots. Neil Hunter reports: "Gale force
winds seem to be the norm down here." South
Carolina is sailing at 7.1 knots
The Tasman Sea will make the skippers
sail a patience test before they sip that
favorite beverage in Auckland.
For complete daily reports please visit:
http://www.torresen.com/aroundalone/leg2/stories.htm