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Posts tagged Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

SANTA VISITS ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART

Tuesday
Dec 25
2012
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SANTA

ROLEX HOBART RACE – Santa and his special elf paid a visit to the international crew members from Japan, Lithuania, France and New Zealand to spread some Christmas cheer!  The race starts soon with over 70 boats racing this classic race.  Go to www.rolexsydneyhobart.com to follow the action!

Posted in Article - Tagged sailing



Loki is Handicap Winner in Sydney Hobart

Friday
Dec 30
2011
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With the wind fading for the smaller boats, so this morning (local time) Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki was announced the handicap winner of the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

At a presentation on board their white four year old Reichel Pugh 63 footer, Ainsworth and his crew were presented with a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece by Patrick Boutellier of Rolex Australia and the much coveted Tattersall’s Cup, for winning IRC handicap honours, by Garry Linacre, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and Graham Taplin, Commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

“We are elated, it is a fantastic feeling, a huge thrill to win this race,” said a jubilant Ainsworth. “Having done 14 races, I know how hard it is to win this race. I have been trying for a long time. So many things have to go right for you and the wind gods were with us. Our race went extremely well. The aim for the navigators was to avoid stopping and we successfully did that, although we came close a couple of times. Look at what happened to Wild Oats XI – that could easily have happened to us.”

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Battle for Tattersall’s Cup

Thursday
Dec 29
2011
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Throughout the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, two yachts names have kept appearing at the top of the overall standings – Loki and Wild Rose – and now it looks likely the two will replicate the thrilling line honours battle between Investec Loyal and Wild Oats XI, as they battle to win the Tattersall’s Cup.

Stephen Ainsworth and his Loki crew have proved themselves the offshore racers to beat over the two last seasons in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s major ocean races, breaking records along the way. The Reichel/Pugh 63 is a good boat sailed by an exceptional crew.

Wild Rose is a small 26 year-old Farr 43 that Roger Hickman and two partners won the Rolex Sydney Hobart with in 1993. This season has been a good one for ‘Hicko’, Tasmanian by birth, who lives in Sydney. The noted ocean racer won the Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle and Gosford Lord Howe Island Yacht races this year. Loki’s race finished in the early hours of this morning in the corrected time of 3 days 22hr 34min 32sec. Wild Rose has to finish the race by 8.12am tomorrow morning (Friday) to beat Loki.

Both are members of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which hosts the Rolex Sydney Hobart and as each hour ticks away, Wild Rose will find it harder to overcome Loki’s time. Ainsworth was having a late lunch at the quaint yachties haunt, the Shipwrights Arms at Battery Point this afternoon. The recently crowned Ocean Racer was getting increasingly nervous as the time ticked by.

Lunch and a few drinks combined with tiredness “has eased the pain,” he said, laughing nervously. “I quizzed my navigator (Ocean Racing Navigator of the Year, Michael Bellingham) just after 4.00pm and he said the wind was softening. It’s going to be a late night, I think…”There are three others that have a slight opportunity of beating Ainsworth’s boat, but they will have to have the right conditions. All three are Beneteau designs, and the 20-24 knot southerly that hit the fleet again at 2.00am this morning, suited them down to the ground.

Two True, a Beneteau 40 that won the 2009 race overall for South Australian owner Andrew Saies is still in the running. And two Beneteau 45’s from NSW, Balance (Paul Clitheroe) and Victoire (Darryl Hodgkinson) could also make it in time, but they will need plenty of breeze to bring them home. The trio needs to finish by 5.29am, 2.02am and 2.06am respectively if any are to win the 628 nautical mile race. And although all three have less than 88 nautical miles to make the finish, they are about to sail into lighter winds which could well kill their chances.

Jennifer Wells reported from Wild Rose this afternoon: “We’ve been up with the leaders (overall) most of the time. At approximately 2.30pm we were 75 nautical miles from Tasman Island in light and flukey winds. “It’s been fabulous sailing down the east coast of Tasmania, but we’re hoping we’ll get better breeze. We’re ecstatic to be able to do so well in such an old boat (it’s 26) that won the race 1993,” she said. “The crew are very excited to sail on what was the original Wild Oats.”

By very early tomorrow morning the outcome will be known.  
Story by Di Pearson, Rolex Sydney Hobart media team. Photo Daniel Forster.

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Investec Loyal Accused of Shenanigans in Sydney Hobart Race

Wednesday
Dec 28
2011
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Investec Loyal’s line honours win is under threat following a protest by the Race Committee of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race this evening.

Investec Loyal crossed the finish line of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) 628 nautical mile race at 19.14.18 AEST in the time of 2 days 6hr 14min 18sec. Shortly after Anthony Bell’s super maxi crossed the finish line off Constitution Dock, a representative of the Race Committee, Howard Piggott, delivered the protest to Bell aboard his yacht.

The Race Committee is protesting Investec Loyal under Racing Rule of Sailing 41 that states: “The sail number of a boat which receives outside help will be notified to the Race Committee with details of the incident and a hearing may be held (if required) to determine any penalty. The penalty for Rule 41 shall be at the discretion of the Race Committee.”

The description of the incident on the protest form is as follows: “Audio recording of conversation between ABC helicopter and Investec Loyal seeking information from the helicopter of the sail plan in use on Wild Oats XI. In particular information as to whether Wild Oats XI was flying a trysail. This is assessed to breach 41 by soliciting help from an outside source.”

The Protest Hearing will be held by the International Jury at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania at 10.00 AEST tomorrow (Thursday). Dockside after the race finish, Garry Linacre, the commodore of the CYCA, told the assembled crowd: “Some minutes ago I received this copy of a protest form. It is a protest form for the Rolex Sydney Hobart 2011, the organizing authority of the CYCA.

“The Race Committee, which is chaired by Tim Cox, has protested that rules may have been infringed on the 27th December at 06:30 hours, 30 nautical miles south of Merimbula.  There is an ABC chopper pilot that is a nominated witness. 
 
“I am very sorry about this event, I can assure you. Unfortunately, that has stopped our celebration here, as the result comes provisional until the protest is heard tomorrow,” he said. 
 
“I would like to congratulate Investec Loyal on their magnificent sailing in this race, and also Wild Oats XI. By Di Pearson, Rolex Sydney Hobart media team. Photo By: Rolex / Daniel Forster

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One of the Closest Finish Ever in Sydney Hobart Race

Wednesday
Dec 28
2011
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The closest finish in the last 29 years of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race took place this evening when Anthony Bell’s maxi Investec Loyal fended off repeated challenges from Bob Oatley’s perennial line honours victor Wild Oats XI to win by just 3 minutes and 8 seconds, after 2 days 6 hours 14 minutes and 8 seconds of racing on this classic 628 mile course.

The competition for line honours in this race was one of the closest in its 67 year history with the two Australian maxis gunning for each other from the moment the canon was fired on Sydney Harbour on Monday afternoon. Wild Oats XI led until 20:00 local time (09:00 UTC) on Tuesday when they were becalmed.

“They [Investec Loyal’s crew] were keeping track of how we were doing and the moment we stopped under a cloud with no wind under it, they basically sailed right around the outside of this large hole we were stuck in and came back above us. It was good work on their part,” described Wild Oats XI’s co-navigator, Ian Burns.

Fortunately the wind filled in soon after for Wild Oats XI and they were able to resume the fight and, from this point on, the event became truly a gloves-off match race between the two 100 footers.

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Out at Sea in the Sydney Hobart

Wednesday
Dec 28
2011
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MOVING PICTURES – Highlights from the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race 2011.

Posted in Moving Pictures



Maxi’s Battling in Sydney Hobart

Tuesday
Dec 27
2011
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At 1640 local time (0540 UTC) the leading maxi boats in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race were just over half way across Bass Strait, having spent the day making reasonable progress in southwesterly winds that have been slowly dropping off from the 30 knots they saw last night and into this morning.

Ian ‘Fresh’ Burns, co-navigator on line honours leader Wild Oats XI reported this afternoon there being 10-15 knots of wind from the southwest and this was allowing them to point “around 20 degrees low” of the Tasman Light (marking the entrance to Storm Bay still some 250 miles away). As a result they were further east than they might otherwise be.

“It has been pretty good so far. We haven’t been becalmed or even slowed down. This is pretty much the lightest wind we have seen so far this trip.” However Burns added that they were preparing for a most difficult night ahead. “It is going to be really really tough because we have a patch of light wind to fight our way through to get to the Tasmanian coast.” This is likely to involve a hitch west, which will happen if, as forecast, the wind backs into the southeast.

Burns says they will then be aiming for a narrow band of favourable northerlies off the Tasman coast. Alas, there is one problem. “Between us and them there is a large 50-60 mile wide stretch of no wind and how we negotiate that and how that moves is really going to decide what we get.”

In addition to this since leaving Sydney Harbour yesterday Wild Oats XI has had a constant thorn in her side in the form of Anthony Bell’s Investec Loyal maxi. Over the course of today Loyal has dropped back to being 18 miles astern (in terms of distance to finish) but this is because she has been heading further east, with around 20 miles west-east split between the two yacht’s tracks this afternoon.

“It is going to be really difficult,” continued Burns. “Knowing the guys on Loyal as well as we do – Stan Honey and Michael Coxon – we know they will be throwing everything at us if it goes light, because when you are leading and the wind stops, the boat behind has a bunch of options to go around either side. I can see those guys plotting and scheming all evening to put us in a tough spot, but we will all be working our absolute hardest to keep things going. The guys are right now all concentrating on getting some rest while the boat is sailing along nicely to make sure we are in good shape tonight to throw everything at them that we need to.”

Tonight will be a lottery, or “nervous times” as Burns puts it. A couple of knots of difference in wind strength with a maxi can mean the difference of stuck at 0 knots or making 5 knots. Burns anticipates their arrival in Hobart tomorrow night before sunset, however if tonight does not go well then it could be Thursday morning, in which case Wild Oats XI’s seventh Rolex Sydney Hobart could also be her slowest ever. Photo By: Rolex / Daniel Forster

Posted in Article - Tagged Sydney Hobart Race



Forecasts Indicate No Record for Hobart Race

Thursday
Dec 22
2011
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HOTLINK – Early weather forecasts for the Rolex Sydney Hobart delivered to a panel of skippers this morning have ruled out a record run for the super maxis. More here.

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2011 Rolex Trophy Passage Series

Thursday
Dec 22
2011
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MOVING PICTURES – Here’s a sneak peek at some of the Sydney Hobart Boats in the 2011 Rolex Trophy Passage Series.

Posted in Moving Pictures



For the Record

Tuesday
Dec 20
2011
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Over its sixty-seven year history, the race record at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has only been broken ten times, an average of once every six and a half years. Given that the current fastest elapsed time of one day, eighteen hours, forty minutes and ten seconds was set in 2005, statistics suggest that the feat is due to be surpassed again.

That time was set by Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI, a 100-ft Maxi yacht that has come to dominate the Rolex Sydney Hobart, claiming five of the last six line honours titles. She is the standout favourite for this year’s title. The yacht, launched in 2005, has undergone regular and expensive enhancements throughout the past six years, yet has been unable to improve upon her record. Wild Oats XI finished within two hours of her record in 2008, the closest she has come, whilst the time set during her most recent victory saw her finish over 13 hours shy. Proof that in offshore racing, the elements dictate almost everything.

As is form in ocean sailing, the fastest time was broken frequently in the race’s infant years. The inaugural winner was Captain John Illingworth’s 35-ft Bermudan Cutter Rani, who finished, to her surprise, 17 hours ahead of second-placed Winston Churchill. The event evolved quickly, interest grew and entry numbers rose. There were four records set in the first six years alone. Claude Plowman’s Morna achieved the feat twice. Her first triumph arrived in 1946 when the William Fife-designed 65-footer led the race from start to finish, finishing the 628-nautical mile challenge bereft of her main sail. Eerily similar to Wild Oats XI’s famous finish in 2005 when the crew cruised through the last stretch of the Derwent River with only their headsail in tact. The crew reported arriving to a hospitable welcome in Hobart, having the sensation that they had been granted freedom of the city.

Two years later and with a crew of 16, Morna claimed her third consecutive line honours win, almost smashing her own record by a day, courtesy of champagne sailing conditions. She became the first boat in the race’s four-year history to complete the race before the arrival of the New Year. Plowman received a knighthood just hours after crossing the finish line. Under the guise of Kurrewa IV, and new ownership, Morna was to take four subsequent line honours titles and one further race record.

After Margaret Rintoul set a benchmark of four days, two hours and twenty-nine minutes in 1951, the four-day barrier was broken in 1957 by the aforementioned Kurrewa IV, now owned by the Livingstone brothers. Ever since the end of the 1950s, surpassing the fastest time has become a much more irregular feat. In 1962, New Yorker Sumner A. ‘Huey‘ Long steered one of two American record-breakers helming his lovingly-maintained 57-ft Ondine home in just under three days and four hours. This was the first of Long’s three line honours triumphs at the event, the record attempt achieved following a tight battle with Astor in the Derwent River.

Ondine’s record stood for an imperious nine years, when the 73-ft Helsal, owned by Dr Tony Fisher, the only purely Australian crewed and built race record holder, shaved barely two hours off the target.  She marked a trend: at the top end of the fleet, the faster boats were getting bigger. A ferro-cement yacht, Helsal was nicknamed the Flying Footpath. Her victory is seen as something of a miracle given the problems encountered in rendering her race-ready and that her array of sails was relatively sparse and out-dated compared to her rivals.

The second United States success was achieved by Kialoa III in 1975. She shattered Helsal’s 1973 time by just under eleven hours, the Sparkman & Stephens 79–footer taking advantage of ideal conditions and a fantastically consistent race, sailing at 15-20 knots throughout the second day. Overall, she averaged a speed of over 10 knots, not outstanding when compared to today’s Maxis, but significant at the time. Californian Jim Kilroy had already helmed his Kialoa II to line honours four years earlier. When the crew arrived in Hobart at 03:36, the sky was so dark that the shoreline was barely visible. Kialoa III dominated Maxi racing during the mid-1970s – she was also the fastest on the water in the Transatlantic and Fastnet Races in 1975. Quite a year.

Where others had tried and failed, Hasso Plattner’s 80-ft Reichel-Pugh Morning Glory succeeded, breaking Kialoa III’s record by a meagre 29 minutes in 1996. It is almost startling that in an era of outstanding developments in the design and construction of yachts, and the onboard apparatus, that the record remained unsurpassed for so long. Indeed: almost a minute for every year that had passed. The 1996 race was renowned for a particularly harsh start with winds hitting 40 knots and steep sea state building up. Morning Glory enjoyed a stretch of cruising at 30 knots before the gusts abated near Tasman Island. But for the softening of conditions, she would have beaten the record by a much greater margin.

Following the tragic events of 1998, when six sailors lost their lives in harrowing conditions, 1999’s race was characterised by the arrival of the forecast strong gusts and record-breaking conditions once more. The Volvo 60 Nokia sliced a massive 18 hours off the short-lived1996 figure, cruising down the South Wales Coast and into the Bass Strait, in winds of 30-40 knots. The race was a spinnaker extravaganza. The water-ballasted Nokia, led by Stefan Myralf and Michael Spies, one of an incredible seventeen yachts to break the record that year!

In 2005, the most recent race record went to Oatley’s Wild Oats XI, another Reichel-Pugh design. Led by skipper Mark Richards, Wild Oats’ commanding lead over the pack, set with an average speed of 15 knots, gave her an overall handicap win ensuring she was the first boat since the inaugural year to claim all three of the race’s main prizes: line honours, race record and Tattersall’s Cup. Wild Oats XI starts as favourite this year to beat her own record. Only one yacht has ever achieved that. Has the time come?

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Watson’s Next Challenge

Wednesday
Nov 23
2011
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MOVING PICTURES
Young Australian of the Year Jessica Watson is set to tackle the Sydney to Hobart race on Boxing Day.

Posted in Moving Pictures - Tagged Jessica Watson



Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Filling Up

Wednesday
Oct 19
2011
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HOTLINK
There is less than one month until Applications for Entry close for the 67th edition of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and already there is an interesting mix of yachts and people preparing to head south to Tasmania. More here.

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The Hobart Fleet

Wednesday
Oct 12
2011
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HOTLINK
There is less than one month until Applications for Entry close for the 67th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and already there is an interesting mix of yachts and people preparing to head south to Tasmania. Photo ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi. More here.

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