2024 Sydney Hobart – Doors open!
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 29 Dec 2024 11:31 AEDT
26 December, 2024
Antipodes' crew sitting on the rail, on their final approach to the finish - 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race © CYCA | Salty Dingo
The River Derwent has the doors open with good, solid, North to Westerly breezes of 10-20 knots blowing all the way from Tasman Island to Ye Olde Hobart Town. This is a good thing, as there is a queue of vessels keen to get in after the blow and then the frustration of soft, and often vague and variable conditions that ensued.
At the time of writing, 74 craft were still part of the game, nine craft had made it into Port, leaving 65 still at sea, the bulk of whom were in a cluster from St Helens to Maria Island, with the tailgunner, Salt Lines, about a third of the way through the transition from NSW to the Apple Isle. Salt Lines is virtually abeam the Double-Handed entry, Sailor Moon, who is still heading South after retiring. Four will be unlikely to make Hobart ahead of NYE.
Active Again is next to arrive followed by the first 40-footer, which will be the ultra-experienced Chutzpah, who hand over 12 feet or more LOA to everyone else ahead of them. Well done. Another masterclass will be the first Double-Handed crew in Mistral. At just 34-feet, Rupert Henry and Corentin Douguet are presently in 18th place on the track. The French aboard Cocody in 16th place will go home with many a tale.
Retirements were always going to be a feature of such a brutal encounter, and in typical style, Huey had no regard for your size or standing when dealing out the cards. Surveying the details of said 30 retirements is testament to the very hard charging conditions that prevailed ahead of the Sou’west change that created the mixmaster of wind, ocean tide, current, and wave. The veritable washing machine, with a fire hose and giant leaf blower just adding to the effect. Descriptions from those that have made it to shore range from ‘sporty’, to worst I have encountered in this race, many of whom have 10-40 Hobarts under their belt.
- Alive - Retired - engine issues
- Bacchanal - Retired - broken boom
- Blue Planet (DH) - Retired - loss of communications
- Bowline - Retired
- Calibre 12 - Retired - mainsail damage
- Celeste (DH) - Retired - running rigging damage
- Centennial 7 - Retired - mainsail damage
- Ciao Bella - Retired - steering issues
- Cyan Moon - Retired - battery issues
- Flying Fish Arctos - Retired
- Georgia Express - Retired - electrical issues
- Gizmo (DH) - Retired - crew illness
- Lord Jiminy (DH) - Retired - crew injury
- Maritimo Katwinchar (DH) - Retired - hull damage
- Master Lock Comanche - Retired - mainsail damage
- Mayfair - Retired - broken equipment
- Mondo - Retired - rigging damage
- Philosopher - Retired - dismasted
- Porco Rosso - Retired
- Pretty Woman - Retired at sea - headstay foil damage
- Quetzalcoatl - Retired - crew injury
- Rum Rebellion (DH) - Retired - equipment damage
- Sailor Moon (DH) - Retired - gps/auto pilot issues
- The Goat - Retired - crew injury
- The Shepherd Centre - Retired - engine issues
- Transcendence Rudy Project (DH) - Retired - dismasted
- URM Group - Retired - dismasted
- Verite (DH) - Retired - electrical issues
- Wild Oats - Retired - rigging damage
- Zeus - Retired - foil damage
So, if the bulk of the fleet still sailing is on Tasmania’s East coast, then what are they experiencing? Well it is WestNor’west into 30 knots at the top near Eddystone Point, WestSou’west at 10-20 further South at St Helens, then WestNor’west at 10-25 down further at Friendly Beaches, and ultimately 10-20 Nor’norwest at Maria Island. In other words, trimmer’s delight, and crews that can make the appropriate gear changes swiftly and successfully will do the best.
Looking forward, the odd shower that wandered through this morning is all done, and it will remain variable overall, with more Southerly intentions from about now until the end of the day and Tasman Island could see it getting into the 20s.
Lighter breezes are the feature from here on in until say the early hours of Monday, so it will be slow going overall. The Southerly will then extend back up the coast and get into Sou’east even as day gives way to night, but abate and then go North and very light as the stars take over. Northerly and light enough will be the way the dawn is greeted for most of them. Many thanks to PredictWind.com for the screen grabs BTW.
Please enjoy your yachting, stay safe, and thanks for tuning into Sail-World.com
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