View Full Version : Sydney / Hobart starts today
and this is a good site for those of you who might be interested.
........http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/yacht_tracker.asp?key=522
Paul Fitzgerald
12-25-2006, 03:50 PM
I was just down at the local boatshed as my boat is slipped (Christmas? Dont ask).
One of the local boats was loading up for the race, two from our bay in it this year.
Good seas and fair winds guys. Looks like it will be on the nose for the first day.
But, not the forecast gale. Another wild ride?
Wild Wassa
12-25-2006, 04:55 PM
I don't know what the temperature is like in Sydney but it sure is cold here, there is snow in the mountains going all the way to Hobart. The word is a very cold race because of a low sitting over Bass Strait.
The line honours betting is, Wild Oats XI 4/5, Maximus is 9/4 (ex Zena, who I lost money on two years ago when she came second), and Skandia (who still owes me money from last year's debacle) is at 9/2.
If I can get evens on Wild Oats it could be a good-value bet with the wind on the nose ... and a spinnaker start. She is still good at 4/5, never the less. I'm not backing Skandia, except as a saver behind Loki, for first around the seaward mark. Skandia is just a big 18ft skiff and with the wind on the nose it will be hard for her, despite the improvements to her hull but in the race to the seaward mark she will be close to Loki.
My tip on handicap is Gillawa, Skippered by Dave Kent, from the Canberra Yacht Club. If her three novice crew, from her crew of six, don't get too ill and manage to make it past Eden (without having to call in to Eden and wash the boat out) and despite her being a very slow boat (although she has been clocked at a heady 8+ knots), she might have a good chance for the handicap win as she has shown in previous races.
Last year she became the handicap leader as she entered Storm Bay and was unfortunately almost becalmed ... her speed dropped to 0.2 - 0.5 knots for a long period in Storm Bay, which wrecked her final result. Then travelling up the Derwent doing not much better than 1 kt, didn't help either.
Dave Kent told me that he wasn't too unhappy losing the lead (on handicap) because he had told his crew that he would put $5,000 on the bar, if they got there for the win.
If Gillawa makes it to Hobart before midnight on New Year's Day she just might have the handicap win ... or arrive on the day after ... or even on the day after. Maluka is another wooden boat also in the race. She shouldn't be overlooked as a possible winner on corrected time either.
Sportsbet betting, closes at 13.00 local time for the gamblers amongst us. Watch Loki Sportsmen, for good value, as the first boat out of the heads. She is 16/1 and looks like very good value for the first boat to round the seaward mark.
Loki is the fastest non canting keel monohull on the planet and she will do well in excess of 32 knots. A spinnaker start will be excellent for her.
Warren.
bamamick
12-25-2006, 06:01 PM
Good luck to them all.
Mickey Lake
Good info there Warren. I watched last years race via this website but was unaware of the debacle that you talk about. What was the history there?
My Brother's son will be involved in the Australian Cadet nationals held in Hobart this year so they'll see all the boats as they finish later in the week.
Also, I see that it was the coldest, or close to it, Christmas in Melbourne history. I sure hope it warms up before I get there in Feruary :D
Bill
Wild Wassa
12-25-2006, 10:54 PM
WFK, well spotted Skipper. I meant to say, last race (as in her last Sydney to Hobart) not "last year," as I wrote.
In 2004 the 30m maxi 'Wild Thing' now known as 'Skandia' was leading the fleet to Hobart when she lost her rig and canting keel after capsizing in the Tasman Sea. Skandia was rebuilt at cost of 4.5 million AU and is more than just a downwind flyer now, which she is proving at the moment. She is currently running second to Wild Oats XI with ABN now having moved into third place. Maximus lost third spot to ABN after she broke a jib halyard near the seaward mark, about thirty minutes into the race.
The TV coverage was excellent at the start, which was difficult for the camerapersons because the fleet spread out very quickly. They showed the Canberra Yacht Club guys on Gillawa, and talked about the boat's prospects, which was good to see.
Again many in the spectator fleet made pigs of themselves. If only the guys in the powerboats knew what hastle they cause to the performance of the smaller boats when they go by at speed ... being too mindless to care is a powerboater's trait for many. I witness this weekly, even from safety boat drivers, when only club racing. When 'corrected time' is the name of the game, to lose even small parts of a minute repeatedly, from powerboat after powerboat after powerboat ... doesn't just ruin half an hour, it can ruin the entire race.
There is a third wooden boat, that has been spotted in the race, 'Koomooloo'. There could even be more woodies entered. In the last Sydney to Hobart, there were only two wooden boats.
Warren.
shamus
12-26-2006, 12:41 AM
Maluka may be even more interesting to some here as she is not only wooden but also gaff rigged. She looks a little unlikely in that company, very cute raised deck design. I think they said she's just had a 15000 hour rebuild- all I can say is WOW. One feature of yacht tracker is you can put in other yachts from previous years to see where they were by comparison: so my boat is running the 1962 race against todays fleet on my screen. Except that she hasn't showed up yet- I suppose she should after evening sked time.
bamamick
12-26-2006, 04:35 AM
they've got there. Heck, they could show the Olympics a thing or two about web sites. I am enjoying keeping up with things.
Mickey Lake
ricardo de oliveira
12-26-2006, 08:38 AM
http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/sysfile/images/d_forster_2006/startmaluka_600x464.jpg
Go Maluka, go!
Another pic of Maluka, the smallest, and oldest boat in the race built in 1932
http://www.sail-world.com/photos/Alt_Maluka_5.jpg
Thanks for the update Warren. It's good to hear the local knowlege. Last years "woodie" I kept an eye on was a Sparkman / Stephens boat, "Stormy Petrel".
The "show wind and speed" function doesn't seem to work for me.
Bill
Edited to add that for you Canadian race fans, "Kinetic" is a Vancouver boat.
Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )
12-26-2006, 11:26 AM
Another pic of Maluka, the smallest, and oldest boat in the race built in 1932
Constructionhttp://rolexsydneyhobart.com/images/clear.gifTimber
Righttp://rolexsydneyhobart.com/images/clear.gifGaff
Ya got to love Timber as a constuction material :D
Great fun to track this race. Well done graphic interface.
shamus
12-26-2006, 03:15 PM
Another classic woodie is the Kiwi built 61 foot Fidelis, which took line honours back in 1966. They must be sailing her rather conservatively as Maluka appears to be doing better, and is only half her length!
Wild Wassa
12-26-2006, 04:42 PM
Koomooloo is the current handicap leader.
Gillawa is having a blinder. She is sitting on double the speed that she was doing at this stage during last year's race. The conditions being not overwhelmingly gale force are suiting the more humble boats.
... and Maluka is racing as if she is being skippered by a speed freak of the likes of Sean Langman ... OH!, she is.
Bad luck to the superboats Maximus and ABN, both retired during the night, along with a few others, which is always very good to see. The Sydney to Hobart should not just be a boat race ... the real charm of this race comes from it being a race of attritian.
Warren.
Paul Fitzgerald
12-26-2006, 06:57 PM
Koomooloo is sinking. Took on water, crew in raft and OK, choppers on the way.
Goodbye to a great woodie, but better to go racing than rotting.
http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/yacht_details.asp?raceEntryID=11711
rbgarr
12-26-2006, 07:08 PM
Bad luck to the superboats Maximus and ABN, both retired during the night....
Dismasted in 30 knots?? What gives?
Tom Galyen
12-26-2006, 08:55 PM
Saw a photo of Maluka on the hard, talk about a keel! Wow! Is that normal down under?
To see the photo go to the web site listed. Click on the Standings, find Maluka and click on her name this will bring up a screen with a bit of history about her and some photos. One of which shows her on the hard. Now that's what I call a keel.
I don't think she is much of a "Gunkholer" though!
Tom G. (Seaweed)
Dismasted in 30 knots?? What gives?
Really, I suspect that Maximus and Abn Amro have simply been worked too hard in the last year. Certainly Maximus has been trucked and boated around the world repeatedly in the last 12 months. I've shot her in Manhatten at the start of the RTAC a year ago spring and in Newport during the NYYC mid-summers. And surely you're aware of how hard the Volvo Oceans were on the ABN boats. I'm not at all surprised that things are coming apart.
bamamick
12-26-2006, 09:18 PM
For such an internationally prestigious race (and it really is, for those of you who may not know), this is an interestingly balanced fleet of elite racing yachts and racer/cruisers of the type not normally seen in a Grand Prix yacht race. I like it. It is healthy for the sport to see a mix like that.
Mickey Lake
Saw a photo of Maluka on the hard, talk about a keel! Wow! Is that normal down under?
To see the photo go to the web site listed. Click on the Standings, find Maluka and click on her name this will bring up a screen with a bit of history about her and some photos. One of which shows her on the hard. Now that's what I call a keel.
I don't think she is much of a "Gunkholer" though!
Tom G. (Seaweed)
http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/sysfile/images/peter_andrews/mallaunch1_600x464.jpg
shamus
12-27-2006, 02:21 AM
I can't get the wind to show up on Yacht Tracker for some reason. If anyone else is interested Sea Surface Wind is mapped at
http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/nmoc/latest_M.pl?IDCODE=IDX0059
Wild Wassa
12-27-2006, 03:01 AM
Cool race, this is a race for gladiators. It has been carnage and good to see. To quote one of the sportscasters here, "If Wild Oats XI keeps having an event free run, unlike the other boats ... it will be a very lonely victory celebration for them."
The Queen's yacht 'Adventure' crewed by British soldiers came to the crew of Koomooloo's rescue. It was reported a short while ago that Koomooloo has now sunk, so God save our Queen, because nothing could save Koomooloo.
The wind is about to change to a north easterly, and it looks like Gillawa will be the first to raise her spinnaker and she might get a run all the way to the bottom of Tasie. Keep an eye on Gillawa's corrected time, Sportsmen, ... I mean Skippers.
Warren.
Already nine boats out of it.:eek:
S.V. Airlie
12-27-2006, 08:44 AM
One sunk.. at least two dismasted. Not what appears to be a fun race...
davidagage
12-27-2006, 08:56 AM
Koomooloo is the one that has sunk. Crew was retrieved unharmed....
edit...I just read WW's post above about it....
outofthenorm
12-27-2006, 11:21 AM
This is a pretty cool image. From www.regattanews.com. I guess that's The Rose (AKA HMS Surprise)?
http://www.regattanews.com/events/151/5715_2_SYHO_2006_cb_2245.jpg
bholderman
12-27-2006, 04:19 PM
Unfortunately, its not the Surprise. I'm on her sail crew and we are located in San Diego, CA. Currently, she is not certified to even move away from the dock via the Coast Guard. We are busily trying to rectify that by the begginning of March.
Wiley Baggins
12-27-2006, 11:58 PM
Saw a photo of Maluka on the hard, talk about a keel! Wow! Is that normal down under?
I can't speak to down under but I've seen (photos) of an older British boat that was modified from full keel (as in stem to sternpost full) to a shape similar to Maluka. That was boat was essentially modeled after a fishing boat. I've read of what I assume were similar conversions to early racing yachts where the forefoot was cut away to improve maneuverability and reduce wetted surface.
Returning to the primary topic at hand, that's always struck me as one hell of a race.
Paul Fitzgerald
12-28-2006, 01:45 AM
Was just reading the Koomooloo story on SA.
The second morning she fell off two waves with no backs, and the floorboards were awash soon after.
They couldn't find the leak and the pumps couldn't keep up with it.
Koomers was an early cold moulded boat, probably mahogany and resourcinol.
The carnage in the race was due to the sea state. They talked about six meter waves (20 foot) with a three knot southerly current against a strong swell from the south, a classic situation for short, sharp seas.
bholderman
12-28-2006, 11:40 AM
Wild Oats XI enters the history books
http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/news.asp?key=2981
Wild Wassa
12-28-2006, 01:37 PM
Wild Oats XI winning the line honours is only winning the line honours, it will be several days before we know who actually wins the race.
Gillawa despite being the second furthest boat from Hobart is running 6th (even possibly 4th, as she is in the PHS/B group) ... She is going not too badly, for a boat full of inland sailors.
Warren.
shamus
12-28-2006, 05:31 PM
I notice Gilawa has now got herself into 2nd place in PHS. Maluka, after going way out to sea and having a frustrating time for a while yesterday, is now going like a train again and is in 10th place in IRC, one place behind the brand new Yendys. The only problem for the tail enders is that there may not be much wind at all for them further down the coast by the look of the chart.
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