Sydney Hobart – Will they? Won't they?
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor 27 Dec 2025 16:08 PST
SHK Scallywag prepares to turn upwind at South Head for the finish line © Bow Caddy Media
Now at just after 1110hrs AEDT on December 28, 2025, the leaders are just South of a place called Friendly Beaches. SHK Scallywag still leads, but now Master Lock Comanche is in second, with LawConnect in third. They are using their supermaxi LWL well, and have dropped Lucky off the breakaway group from the peloton, for now. Keep a weather eye is all we’ll say.
No one is doing anything super radical, whereas Comanche had gone in to make sandcastles at one point. They are all in a daisy chain. There have a been a few resets thus far, and there are more to come.
The third in the classic set of rules is up next. So here is some rough maths. Now from where they are to Tasman Island is let’s say 70 nauticals, and you have to be super careful you do not come out too far past the Rhumbline, but also far enough to avoid all the bricks in the area. So, call it five hours to get there, meaning 1600hrs.
The Nor’easter they are in at moment builds from 15s to 15 to 25 knots in the puffs, currently, but what is it when they get there? Probably 10-15 in the puffs, and they will sort of reach, then very quickly run up to the Iron Pot (yet another reset). That’s 29 nauticals, so maybe three hours elapsed. We are now at 1900hrs local.
Well and truly only five knots forecasted to be on offer then from the SSE, so slow going… There are 11 and a bit more nauticals to dispose of, and that could be four more hours, taking us to 2300hrs AEDT. Thing is, the River Derwent likes to nighty night, often before 2130hrs. Then it is a drfitathon.
Let’s see whether Huey let’s the Maths stand, or shakes it all up. He loves to do that, you know…
The video in this link is from on board SHK Scallywag and shows just how close the three of them are after 550 nauticals. Many thanks to Nic Douglass for sharing it with us.
Earlier 2025 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Editorials:
New leader as SHK Scallywag comes to the fore
War of attrition as the plateau arrives
Surprised it took this long
I should be so...
Death Valley or Plateau of Pain
Ocean Graders' Delight in the Sydney Hobart Race
New and improved Swiss Army Knife (now with steroids)
Like watching a big front build
Who let the dogs out?
And so, it begins…