2010 Sydney-Hobart Ocean Race-WOXI again?

2010 Sydney-Hobart----Weather

From Scuttlebutt Europe this morning:

Rough Start Forecast For Sydney To Hobart

Thermal underwear, wet-weather gear and sea sickness pills will be must-haves for crews competing in this year's Sydney-Hobart race.

The weather bureau has forecast strong southerly winds and big seas until the boats start heading down the sheltered Tasmanian coast.

Yesterday the regional director of the Bureau of Meteorology, Barry Hanstrum, said it appeared the 89-strong fleet would face strong southerly and west-south-west winds for the first days of the race and a combination of ocean swell and wind chop that would have them sailing in 4m to 5m seas.

The forecast puts paid to any chances of the supermaxis in the fleet bettering or equalling the race record of just over one day and 18 hours set by Wild Oats XI in 2005.

The supermaxis need the wind to be from the northeast to get the running and reaching conditions that can see them hit speeds of more than 30 knots on a "sleighride" south. Wild Oats XI averaged just over 14.5 knots when setting the race record, so yachtsmen estimate that a supermaxi getting perfect conditions could cover the distance in under 30 hours.

"It looks like it will be pretty tough going for competitors this year with little indication of downwind conditions," Hanstrum said. "It looks like the wind will be out of the south or west-south-west for the first few days of the race."

Hanstrum said predicting the conditions four days before the start was difficult but said he had confidence in forecasting the broad patterns of weather.

"The wind at the start will be pretty light but during the afternoon a southerly change will come up the NSW coast and increase in intensity. By 8pm it is likely to be a 20-30 knot southerly that will cause pretty rough conditions and unpleasant sailing conditions on the first night," he said.

"Those southerlies will continue on the second day of the race and will be reinforced late on the second day by the passage of a low pressure system to the south of Tasmania. That is expected to cause a further strengthening of the wind to 30-40 knots on the southern coast of NSW and through Bass Strait.

"That is likely to be the most testing portion of the race with gale-force winds and seas reaching 4 to 5m. They will make for tough sailing conditions."

* Dinghy sailor Jonathan Stone is not only setting sail on his first Rolex Sydney Hobart aged 68 years, but he's doing it at the helm of the smallest yacht in the fleet.

Stone and his crew of six will be taking on the famous 628 nautical mile race track in a pint-sized 34ft Davidson called Illusion.

"The boat's won before, it was the overall winner in 1988," he said.

"We need to be well prepared and we need to stay in the race, then we need our prayers answered and we might just be figuring in the finish."

At close to one third of the size of four-time Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours winner and favourite for a fifth, Wild Oats XI, Illusion is set to take more than four days to finish.

This means the Illusion crew will face physical and mental challenges unlike those encountered by their super-fast supermaxi counterparts.

Stone is confident his good ship is battle ready, and equipped to take on the forecast 40 knot winds and steep swell in Bass Strait.

After all, the yacht has conquered the famous race four times already, the last time in 2006.

"I can't quite say I'm looking forward to Bass Strait in 30 knots but it's there. It's the adventure and challenge we took on when we went for this,'' he said.
rolexsydneyhobart.com/default.asp

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart--LIVE TV Coverage

Starting @9:00PM EST

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/news.asp?key=4829


Probable TV coverage here DEC25th starting @ 8:30 EST:

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart--LIVE TV Coverage

Absolutely excellent tv coverage of the start by 7 Network Australia! Wild Oats took the start and is in the lead after making a wide rounding of the first mark as opposed to Loyals close rounding into more wind. But Loyal couldn't hold her position with the headlands so near and Wild Oats regained the lead. Forcast 30 knots out in the Bass Straight-don't envy those guys and hope everybody will be safe.


Go Wild Oats!

 

I must say, I was most impressed to see ALL yachts, even the largest and fastest, parading around before the start with their safety orange storm trysails and storm jibs...and they were all correctly set!
Let's hope we're starting to see a bit of a return to an era of ocean racing where the competitors realise that at some stage, it stops being a race.....
As for multis in the race, I say bring it on. Separate division/prize, but why the hell not?

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart

Something may or may not have gone wrong with Wild Thing-no data now for hours....

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/yacht_tracker.asp?key=522

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart

Wild Oats still in the lead. The lead boats are in the Bass strait.
For anyone interested in the handicap standings feel free to click on the link in the previous post.

============
Five boats have retired within one hour of the start of the serious Bass Strait conditions-40-50 knot winds: Here is an excerpt from the "Breaking News" section of the website:

This afternoon’s gale force headwinds have churned the waters, tossing the boats around like a bucking bronco trying to throw its rider.

Rolex photographer Carlo Borlenghi flew over the fleet at lunchtime today and reported seeing yachts with triple-reefed mains, some with storm headsails or racing bare-headed (no sails). He said that in a decade of covering the race he’d never seen seas like those today.

The total number of retirements is now six with Dodo heading to Eden but still classed as racing. Jazz Player retired yesterday.

The forecast for tonight is for winds west to south-westerly 25 to 35 knots and locally reaching 40 knots in the east then moderating to 20 to 25 knots overnight, with squalls and associated showers. Seas are expected to abate overnight, down from 3 to 4 metres to 2 to 3 metres later in the evening

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart

Excerpt about Yuu Zoo-go to site for more of a sad story:


27 December, 2010 3:35:00 PM AEDT | Racetime 01:02:35:00
YuuZoo’s Rolex Sydney Hobart woes

After losing two men overboard within five hours of the Rolex Sydney Hobart start yesterday afternoon, YuuZoo skipper Ludde Ingvall didn’t think things could get much worse.

But just hours later, with the two crew safe and warm onboard, his race south looked almost over.

Around 2.00am this morning more than 10,000 litres of water was fast filling his 90-footer, threatening to short-circuit the engine and cut power to the electronics.

Watch systems were thrown into chaos as a crew of four was left on deck to handle the maxi as the remaining 16 attempted to stop Bass Strait gushing though a hole left by a missing speed log.

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart----Weather

An excerpt from the site about the incredible weather:

While conditions have eased to around 20 knots in Bass Strait the south westerly breeze is stronger the further north you go, so the tail enders are still seeing winds of up to 30 knots. Indeed the yachts on Bass Strait are well to the west of the rhumbline, the shortest route to Hobart, in large part because they will want to avoid quite fluky winds off Tasmania tomorrow morning.

The strength of this afternoon's gale, though, has been a sobering experience for every sailor.

Adrienne Cahalan, the navigator aboard Wild Oats XI has described this afternoons gale as the worst crossing of Bass Strait she has experienced. She described the conditions as "violent and awful". It is a big call from a professional sailor who has competed in every major ocean race in the world.

Cahalan said that the weather had "roughed up" every member of the crew as they struggled to preserve their 100 foot supermaxi.

"We've spent the day in damage control for boat and crew," she said. "In these conditions it’s extremely difficult keeping a boat this size and this fast from not launching off one wave and crashing into the next. When you do it’s like a truck hitting a wall. That’s when the damage happens to the yacht and the crew, so preventing this from happening has been our priority."

At the half way mark all the big line honours contenders except Yuuzoo have achieved thier pre-race target for this initial stage of the race: keeping their boats in one piece for the expected tactical dual off the Tasmanian coast.

Seamanship has been the name of the game so far. Over the next few hours they will swing back into take-no-prisoners racing mode.

Let the true battle for the 2010 Rolex Sydney Hobart commence!

By Jim Gale, Rolex Sydney Hobart media team

Partial list of boats out of the race:

Brindabella - damaged mainsail - At Eden
Calm - Retired - in Eden
Nemesis - Retired - Heading to Eden
Pirelli Celestial - Sail damage - heading to Eden
Salona II - Steering Problems - Proceeding to Eden
Scarlet Runner - Sail damage - in Eden
Two True - Engine problems - heading Eden
Yuuzoo - torn headsail - heading to Eden





Go Wild Oats XI !

Picture on left: look closely and you can see her forward foil-CBTF boats use two foils as both "rudders" and lateral resistance to reduce keel and hull drag-

 

Eden looks like the place to have a boat repair facility.

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart Investec Loyal

Excerpt from the site about Investec Loyal-now in second place:
(read the whole story here: http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/news.asp?key=5106 )


Investec Loyal’s star powered charge at race leader

Serious star power, both sailing and celebrity wise, aboard Investec Loyal is driving the 100-footer toward a drag race down Tasmania’s East Coast as they attempt to haul in Bob Oatley’s Rolex Sydney Hobart race leader Wild Oats XI.

Sean Langman and Anthony Bell’s revamped maxi is punching south at 10-12 knots in a moderating sou’wester just east of St Helens Point, trying to close the 16 nautical mile gap with Wild Oats XI while Grant Wharington’s Victorian 98 footer Wild Thing is hot on Investec Loyal’s heels.

Wild Oats XI’s skipper Mark Richards has just suggested that if all goes to plan they are looking at a 3am finish tomorrow morning off Battery Point, Hobart.

Investec Loyal’s navigator David Dixon said crew had shaken three reefs out of their mainsail and were now in top gear.

“We upped sails so we are driving the boat harder…in the height of the storm we had three reefs and a number 6 headsail,’’ he said.

Dixon said the celebs, including Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden and Australian world surfing champion Layne Beachely, were earning their keep, proving they’re made of the tough stuff.

Investec LOYAL coping a pounding with an almost fully canted keel
ROLEX/ Carlo Borlenghi

 

------------
Yeah-16 boats out so far and many there.....

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart-- Wild Oats XI

More about the boat from the SH website:




Wild Oats XI

Returning for the sixth year in a row, with skipper Mark Richards at the helm, Wild Oats XI is hungry for her fifth line honours win, after finishing second to Neville Crichton’s Alfa Romeo in last year’s race. Wild Oats XI currently holds the record for the most consecutive line honours wins – four - she surpassed Morna’s record of three in a row achieved in the 1946-1948 races when she won in 2008.

In her Rolex Sydney Hobart debut in 2005 this maxi with canting ballast twin foil (CBTF) took line honours in record time and won the Tattersall’s Cup – the only boat to take the trifecta since Rani in the first race in 1945.

In 2009, Wild Oats XI underwent extensive modifications to increase her overall length to 100ft, in accordance with the rule changes to extend the maximum length overall of yachts from 98ft to 100ft. Earlier this year, Wild Oats XI made the rapid turn-around from Hobart to make the start line for the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race, where she took line honours. She then went on to take line honours in a tough Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race and the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race – missing the race record by only a couple of hours.


Go Wild Oats!

 

Updated list of boats that have retired:

Bacardi* Retired - at Port
Martin Power (8) VIC

Brindabella* Retired - at Port
Jim Cooney NSW

Calm* Retired - at Port
Jason Van der Slot (5) VIC


Exile* Retired - at Sea
Rob Reynolds (1) NSW

Jazz Player* Retired - at Port
Andrew Lawrence (1) VIC

Nemesis* Retired - at Sea
Jeffery Taylor USA


Pirelli Celestial* Retired - at Port
Sam Haynes NSW

Salona II* Retired - at Port
Phillip King (13) NSW

Scarlet Runner* Retired - at Port
Robert Date (2) VIC


Shamrock* Retired - at Sea
Tony Donnellan (1) VIC

Southern Excellence* Retired - at Sea
Andrew Wenham (4) NSW

Swish* Retired - at Sea
Steven Proud (3) NSW


Two True* Retired - at Sea
Andrew Saies (5) SA

Wot Eva* Retired - at Sea
David Pescud (19) NSW

Yuuzoo* Retired - at Port
Ludde Ingvall (7) NSW
------------------------------------

*Notes---


Scarlet Ribbon - cruising division boat
Onelife - cruising division boat
Alchemy III - boom damage - proceeding Sydney
Bacardi - broken mast - proceeding to Ulladulla ETA 2225
Brindabella - damaged mainsail - At Eden
Calm - Retired - in Eden
Exile - steering damage
Jazz Player - damaged mainsail - returned to Sydney
Nemesis - Retired - Heading to Eden
Pirelli Celestial - Sail damage - heading to Eden
Salona II - Steering Problems - Proceeding to Eden
Scarlet Runner - Sail damage - in Eden
Shamrock - damage to rudder bearing - eta sydney 8am 28th December
Southern Excellence - returning to Sydney ETA Midnight 28th Dec.
Swish - radio damage - heading to Sydney
Two True - Engine problems - heading Eden
Wot Eva - engine problem - ETA Sydney Midnight Tues 28th Dec
Yuuzoo - torn headsail - heading to Eden

 

Why not? Because every sporting event has restrictions - the big question may actually be, why in the world do people keep wanting to bring multis into the Hobart when they seem to accept other events having restrictions on equipment?

You don't see multis in the Hobart for the same reason you don't see F1 cars racing in the Le Mans sportscar event or the Bathurst 1000; for the same reason you don't see F1 cars racing in motorbike events; for the same reason you don't see streamlined recumbent tricycles in the Tour de France; for the same reason you don't see laser sights being used in the Olympic archery; for the same reason you don't see heavy machine guns being used in the Olympic shooting events.

Just about every significant sporting event in the world - actually probably every single sporting event - has restrictions on the equipment that can be used, or the way it can be used. Catamaran clubs run events just for cats, just like kiters run events for kitesurfers, just like windsurfers run events for windsurfers. Why the Hobart is supposed to be an exception to a rule that is damn near universal is a baffling question.

The multihull club of NZ, for example, bans many multis; those that they consider too small and proas. The "offshore" multihull movement in Australia runs events just for multis with some "accommodation", and bans windsurfers, skiffs, dinghies, leadmines, kites, small cats and small proas and small dinghy foilers.

There's very, very, very few Cat 1 offshore multis in Australia anyway, nor is there any massive growth in offshore racer type multis as a group.

In many ways the major issue for me is the speed disparity, which could make a major current issue (in my humble opinion) for the race into a much bigger problem. Historically, the biggest modern boat in the Hobart has been close to 1.33 times as fast as the smallest modern boats. In 1945, for example, the smallest boats rated .736 as high as the biggest one; in 1955 it was .728; in '65 it was .69; from '75 to about 2000 it was around .67, with the older little boats rating a few % slower still.

That meant that you could buy a 30 foot boat and finish close enough to the line honours boats to feel that you were really part of the event. However, from around 2000 onwards, the gap has increased immensely as the upper limit was changed. Nowadays, if you want to finish as close to the line-honours boats as the 30 footers used to, you need something rating around 1.3 on IRC, like a Cookson 50. A Swan 68 like Titania, a Farr 40 OD or a slick Marten 49 are now finishing as far behind the line honours boat as an old half tonner used to.

The result is that very few small boats are still racing. It's turning very, very much into a rich man's race. I did three Hobarts on boats owned by schoolteachers and the like - try affording a Cookson 50 or Swan 68 on a schoolteacher's salary, as you'd have to do to finish in the same relationship to the big boats as you could years ago in an East Coast 31. And we are therefore effectively seeing the end of a wonderful tradition of small yachts, owned by normal people in the street, sailing in one of the sport's greatest events.

Now, what happens if we include 130' multis (and if we are to ban restrictions, we have to allow 130 footers in...)? The performance gap will get even larger, and there's not many small and affordable multis that could get down safely within reach of the big boats. So we'd disenfranchise more of the people who actually created the race, to satisfy those who have not been a part of its success, who are not willing to respect the rights of a sporting club to run its own events, and who refuse entry to other types in their own events.

The greater the disparity in craft, the fewer the shared experiences among competitors and the less competitors have in common. Of course it's fun to mix with people who sail other craft (I have competed in more different types of sailcraft than anyone I know) but surely we should also allow people to sometimes mix with others who use the same sort of gear (within whatever variation they choose) so that they can emphasise the common experience.

Almost every game or sports event has restrictions, and there is no reason why the Hobart has to change its restrictions - especially when other events are not required to do so and the multihullers restrict their own events.

PS - I don't know anyone who does the Hobart who does not realise it's more than a race - many of us knew people who have been killed sailing so we probably know it more than those who sit on the sidelines.

 

2010 Sydney-Hobart---Wild Oats!!!! First in..

Wild Oats XI has won the Sydney-Hobart for the fifth time-Line Honors! But there is a problem: http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/news.asp?key=5113

"Wild Oats XI - protested by the Race Committee for alleged breaches of Sailing Instructions 44.1(a) and 44.2"

"The Reichel-Pugh design was the provisional line honours winner pending the decision of the International Jury over a protest by the Race Committee regarding the use of her HF radio. The jury will convene Wednesday afternoon at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania to arrive at a decision."

=====================
Rules

44. MANDATORY REPORTING FROM
GREEN CAPE (370 15’ SOUTH)

44.1 On approaching 370 15’ South a boat is
to assess whether:

(a) its HF Radio is operational and has a
signal strength fit for the ensuing
purpose;

( the required number of liferafts are on
board;

(c) its engine and batteries are
operational;

(d) the boat and its crew are in a
satisfactory condition to continue; and

(e) the skipper has comprehensively
considered the most current weather
forecasts and considers that the boat
and crew are fully prepared for the
conditions forecast.

44.2 When in the vicinity of 370 15’ South, but
not later than Gabo Island (370 34’
South), if a boat is able to meet all the
requirements of SI 44.1, the boat shall
call “JBW” on the Race Frequency and
make the following report:
“JBW”, this is [BOAT NAME]. We are in
the vicinity of 370 15’ South at [HOURSMINUTES].
The skipper declares that
we comply with the requirements of SI
44.1 and elects to continue racing”.
A boat that is unable to contact “JBW”
may attempt to contact Hobart Race
Control to fulfil the requirements of this
SI.

Boats which are not recorded by either
“JBW” or Hobart Race Control as having
complied with SI 44.1 and SI 44.2 shall
be recorded DNF (amends RRS 63.1).