| An eventful night at sea with only one retirement. |
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Photos by
Daniel Forster and Carlo Borlenghi for Rolex,
Story from press release and page edited By Peter Andrews. |
| 05:30 AEDT, December 27,
2010. |
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| Despite a night of 20 plus knot southerly winds, hail, thunderstorms and steep uncomfortable seas, the Sydney Hobart fleet has remained intact with no further retirements since Jazz Player withdrew with a torn mainsail last night. In the early hours of this morning, Bob Oatley’s 100 foot Wild Oats XI held a slim lead over her contemporaries in the Sydney Hobart, clocking boat speeds of 13 to 15 knots in a 20 to 25 knot southerly wind; but a fifth line honours victory is not quite in the bag just yet. |
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Waves in the sky over the course to Hobart.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| The Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats XI (NSW) is 434 nautical miles from the finish line, sailing north of Green Cape on the New South Wales south coast this morning, yet to reach Eden. Hot on her heels is the Sean Langman skippered Investec Loyal (NSW), around 19 miles behind the race leader and Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing (Vic) approximately 8 miles astern. There is a further 12 nautical miles to Peter Millard and John Honan’s Lahana (NSW). |
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Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI, skippered by Mark Richards, offshore
after the start of the Sydney Hobart 2010.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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| "We’ve been sailing in 15 to 25 knots throughout the night and this morning," said Wild Thing’s navigator Graeme Taylor this morning. "We’re taking things relatively easy as we set up for a south-westerly change. The change should hit us around 9:00am and will build up to 30, to 35 knots. But it will die off this afternoon, so it only gives us a short window of opportunity," said Taylor who confirmed the Victorian yacht was positioned south of Tathra on the New South Wales south coast. |
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Sean Langman's Investec Loyal, offshore during the
Sydney Hobart 2010.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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With the southerly buster hitting the fleet early last evening slowing the pace down, Wild Oats XI is behind her race record of one day, 18 hours and 40 minutes set back in 2005. And as her navigator Adrienne Cahalan prophesied yesterday, the bulk of the fleet is hugging the coast, sailing inside the rhumbline course to the Apple Isle.
At this stage of the race last year, the Reichel Pugh designed supermaxi had travelled beyond Eden, the last port of call before hitting Bass Strait, with 411 nautical miles to reach the finish line on the Derwent River. |
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Grant Wharington's Wild Thing, offshore during the
Sydney Hobart 2010.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Ludde Ingvall’s 90 foot Yuuzoo is currently in eighth place. They have reported a man overboard incident yesterday, though the two hapless crew were quickly recovered. "Greg Homann and Will Mueller spent about 10 minutes having an unauthorised swim (yesterday afternoon). Both are well and in good spirits."
At 5:00am, Ingvall reported: "We’re closing on the coast south of Montague Island waiting to launch into Bass Strait. Wersquo;re not happy with boat speed at present, as we are still learning about the new settings. We just woke up to the forward compartment full of water. Our log through-hull fitting has either broken or popped through its fitting, leaving a 40 millimeter hole in the bow. We think that we have it fixed, but there’s half a metre of water between keel and forward hatch. What drama. Not funny. What on earth have we done to deserve this?" |
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Ludde Ingvall's YuuZoo, offshore during the
Sydney Hobart 2010.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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All is happy aboard overall race favourite Loki, the Reichel Pugh 63 owned and skippered by Stephen Ainsworth (NSW). "At the moment we are just south of Montague Island," said Navigator Michael Bellingham. "Spirits are high, the boat is dry and wind is 20 to 25 knots from the south. Breeze has remained constant in speed and direction. We expect it to build over the next six hours and come from the south-west building to 30 to 40 knots; and the seas to build as well. At the moment, the sea is around 2 metres, short and sharp. Crew are all well and looking forward to the challenge ahead."
Bellingham, who maintains "we are comfortable and looking OK on handicap," said Loki was in touch with Niklas Zennström’s Judel Vrolijk 72 Rán, Alan Brierty’s Reichel Pugh 63 Limit (a near-sistership that has kept them
honest in the lead-up series) and Bill Wild’s Reichel Pugh 55, Rodd & Gunn Wedgetail. |
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Stephen Ainsworth's Reichel Pugh 63 Loki, offshore during the Sydney Hobart 2010.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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"We have had no wind instruments since the pre-start, which has made driving overnight more challenging," said Rodd & Gunn Wedgetail’s navigator, Will Oxley. "The boys did an excellent job of helming. We also had an alternator issue with the batteries not charging, so that caused us a worrying two hours while Jeff Scott sorted it out."
"As for sailing, we’ve had a pretty good night and have just tacked onto starboard about 15 nautical mile north of Montague Island. Wind has started to come around as predicted, but we have a nasty head-sea, left over from the earlier south-south-easterly wind. We are looking forward to dawn so we can see the tell tails. The boat is going well and we are settling in for a long haul on starboard," Oxley added. |
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Alan Brierty's Reichel Pugh 62 Limit, offshore during the
Sydney Hobart 2010.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Polaris of Belmont has maintained her rear-guard position now 8 nautical miles south of Kiama. So far, despite the heavy southerly, there has only been one casualty. Jazz Player, which retired last evening with mainsail damage, is now back at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s marina in Rushcutters Bay.
In the early stages of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race, Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin (NSW) was leading Wild Oats XI, Wild Thing and the United Kingdom entry, Rán, owned by the co-founder of SKYPE Niklas Zennströ, in the chase for overall honours and the Tattersall’s Cup. |
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Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin, at the heads after the start of the Sydney
Hobart 2010.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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| For further information about the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, go to: www.rolexsydneyhobart.com. The race can also be followed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/rshyr. |
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| Outimage and Rolex © 2010 |
